| Author | Message | ||
| Michael Sheldon (Msheldon)
Registered Member Username: Msheldon Post Number: 31 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 68.230.115.166 Rating: N/A |
Currently, my Scenicruiser does not have a spare tire. What I'm trying to decide now is if I want to bother getting one. My take on it right now is that under most circumstances, I'll just call roadside service anyway. And, if for some reason that's not practical, I could "borrow" a tire from the tag axle long enough to get me to a truck stop. (Scenicruiser has dual tags.) Pros/Cons? If I don't replace the spare, I'm trying to figure out what I can do with the compartment where the spare is stored (behind front bumper). What have other folks done with this space? | ||
| Ross Carlisle (Rrc62)
Registered Member Username: Rrc62 Post Number: 158 Registered: 5-2005 Posted From: 67.142.130.46 Rating: N/A |
I don't carry one. Drawback is that if you have 12R22.5's, road service may not have one. 11R's are common truck tires. I use that bay for storing cords, hoses and wash supplies. Ross | ||
| Bob greenwood (Bob_greenwood)
Registered Member Username: Bob_greenwood Post Number: 458 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 64.136.49.228 Rating: N/A |
do you carry a spare in your car.....why ??? | ||
| R.J.(Bob) Evans (Bobofthenorth)
Registered Member Username: Bobofthenorth Post Number: 133 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 142.165.179.130 Rating: N/A |
I carry a spare in my car/truck because it comes with the vehicle. I can't honestly remember when I last changed a tire on a powered vehicle. I used to have wingnuts on my 5th wheel trailer tires but that's a whole 'nuther subject. On the bus I have a set of spare tires conveniently mounted behind the drivers. The way I see it, unless I lose a steer tire I'm unlikely to change it on the road anyway. | ||
| Michael Sheldon (Msheldon)
Registered Member Username: Msheldon Post Number: 32 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 68.230.115.166 Rating: N/A |
I carry a spare on my truck because it won't run on three tires without causing damage. Pretty sure I can go a fair distance with the bus on nine of ten tires, by making sure the missing tires are on the tag axle. Heck, given the weight rating of the tires and the weight of the bus, eight of ten is enough. I don't call roadside for my truck because I can change a tire on it faster than they could arrive. With the bus, I'm pretty sure roadside could be on scene, change the tire and be gone in less time than it will take me to change a tire myself. Plus, I'd probably have a hernia by the time I'm done. | ||
| jim morrison (Jim_morrison)
Registered Member Username: Jim_morrison Post Number: 34 Registered: 11-2006 Posted From: 72.142.29.218 Rating: N/A |
wait , wait , no spare , flat tire , no travel, then you pay , and to who , the guy whith the tire , whats that folks , you came here for what? to pay to pay oh and that to pay 4?? | ||
| Earl Bonnell (Earl8ky)
Registered Member Username: Earl8ky Post Number: 2 Registered: 12-2006 Posted From: 207.162.163.20 Rating: N/A |
I would never travel without a spare. Even though I call road service. It is included in my ins.I have heard tails of people being charged 5 to 6 hundred dollars for a tire. | ||
| Arnold J Molloy (Ayjay)
Registered Member Username: Ayjay Post Number: 52 Registered: 10-2005 Posted From: 151.203.103.166 Rating: |
Hi: I carry a unmounted 12R22.5, store my water hoses,AC cords and jumper cables inside of it. The big hole in the center keeps my spare oil and tranny fluid containers in one spot, not much wasted space. Every road service is equipped to mount and air up my no wait, correct sized, zero dollar tire while I watch. | ||
| Ross Carlisle (Rrc62)
Registered Member Username: Rrc62 Post Number: 159 Registered: 5-2005 Posted From: 67.142.130.31 Rating: N/A |
"I carry a unmounted 12R22.5" Now this is a good idea. I think I'll see if I can find a decent 12R22.5 tire. Ross | ||
| Kyle Brandt (Kyle4501)
Registered Member Username: Kyle4501 Post Number: 258 Registered: 9-2004 Posted From: 65.23.106.193 Rating: N/A |
Michael, does your tag unloader switch still work on your 4501? Normally on a 4501, the tag carries the same weight as the drive. If you remove a tire, the other will be carrying alot more weight & if not rated for that much weight, you may have another tire to buy. That is where the tag unloader comes in handy. As weight is removed from the tag axle (behind the drive axle), weight is also removed from the steer axle, so you may have to drive slower because the way the bus handles will be different. Back to cary a spare or not; It depends on lots of things - - Is the tire size you are running a common stocked item at truck stops/ servive centers? - Are your tires rated with high enough load capacity to run singled out? - Do you like an unexpected delay in your travels? - Can you afford to buy a tire while on the road? - Can you afford to own a tire that will probably die of old age before you use it? - Do you have space to cary one? Personally, I prefer to have commonly available tires on my bus. I'll also try to have high enough load rating of the tires so I can reduce speed & run single to the next qualified tire store. I'll not carry a spare because with my use of the bus, the tires will be replaced based on age not wear. Most tire failures are a result of incorrect air pressure for the load/ speed OR too old. A tire pressure monitoring system will be your best friend in keeping tabs on the health of your tires. | ||
| Kyle Brandt (Kyle4501)
Registered Member Username: Kyle4501 Post Number: 259 Registered: 9-2004 Posted From: 65.23.106.193 Rating: N/A |
Another thing, Of the people who carry a spare tire in their car, how many do you think have the proper air pressure in them right now? How many people have ever actually checked the pressure in their spare? I know most busnuts are better than that, but I also know that lots of us don't check the tires EVERY time we stop either. There is the book & then there is the real world. | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Registered Member Username: Rjlong Post Number: 1135 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 67.181.163.170 Rating: N/A |
I carry a complete spare tire and wheel. Two reasons: ~~ Additional weight on the front axle for directional stability. ~~ Additional protection in case of an accident (at least, psychologically. . . LOL!!) On a side note, Kyle mentions a tire pressure monitoring system. My new Tacoma came OEM with one, including the spare. Dunno how it works yet, just know how to reset it (had to 2nd day - spare tire pressure was low). FWIW & HTH,  | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Registered Member Username: Drivingmisslazy Post Number: 1772 Registered: 1-2001 Posted From: 75.108.82.163 Rating: N/A |
I would guess that for those who do carry a spare it is probably 20 years old and about 20 pounds of air. No thank you. I traveled for 20 years with out a spare and never regretted it for one minute. By the way, I have never had a flat on an auto for at least 25 years, if then. I would not carry a spare in the car either except for the fact that it is there and I do not need the space for anything else. Richard | ||
| Douglas Wotring (Tekebird)
Registered Member Username: Tekebird Post Number: 35 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 69.136.90.146 Rating: N/A |
get a spare....cheap insurance. you can go to any truck scrap yard and get one for next to nothing....that would be suitable for a spare. as for 12r22.5 being rare.......not as true as people think. there are a number of medium duty trucks that run this size.... and one can be deelivered to any location in the Lower 48 within 1 business day | ||
| Dale Waller (Happycampersrus)
Registered Member Username: Happycampersrus Post Number: 284 Registered: 7-2005 Posted From: 69.19.14.27 Rating: N/A |
I agree with Richard. If you take good care of your tires they will die of old age before having a blowout. Don't run them low on air (sidewall damage) and replace them every 6 years and you won't have any trouble. Carry a plug kit and know how to use it for the times you do have a puncture. How many folks here do a tire pressure check and a visual inspection on their spare before they leave home??? Do you check the one in your car on a regular basis?? | ||
| Michael Sheldon (Msheldon)
Registered Member Username: Msheldon Post Number: 33 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 68.230.115.166 Rating: N/A |
066's Tag unloader was still intact, but the lines were all trashed. Right now, the shop is rebuilding the air system without it. I intend to put it back later. (They want 18 hours labor to rebuild the tag unload.) Problem with unloading the tag is that it's all or nothing, so you then put ALL of the weight on four tires. With 11R22.5s, that's really pushing it. I'd feel a lot safer running with a single on the tag for the distance (at lower speed) needed to get to a truck stop. | ||
| Kyle Brandt (Kyle4501)
Registered Member Username: Kyle4501 Post Number: 261 Registered: 9-2004 Posted From: 65.23.106.193 Rating: N/A |
If I remember right, the tag unload on a 4501 only reduced the pressure in the tag axle's air bags, not eliminated it. Besides, when you redo the unloader, you can put a regulator in & change it to what ever your needs are when you want to use it. Get an accurate weight on your bus & KNOW how much you are putting on each tire, not just per axle. Find the manufacturers tire load data & see what effect speed & air pressure have on a tire's load carrying capacity. | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Registered Member Username: Drivingmisslazy Post Number: 1773 Registered: 1-2001 Posted From: 75.108.82.163 Rating: N/A |
And everybody, invest in a digital temperature guage that you can aim at a tire, or anything else, and read the temperature. It is a very accurate test to see if your tires are evenly inflated and can give a warning when a tire is in trouble. Every time you stop at a rest stop, do a quick temperature test. Richard | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 71 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 4.235.205.127 Rating: N/A |
Get a complete spare ,get a run up block, get a jack and get a method of removing the wheel nuts. I found a used X-10 geared wrench , others carry an air gun and use the engine as a 110lb air source. Being near nowhere , and waiting endless hours for a road service is not what Coach Cruising is about. Works for me, FF | ||
| Bob greenwood (Bob_greenwood)
Registered Member Username: Bob_greenwood Post Number: 465 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 64.136.49.228 Rating: N/A |
Don't carry a spare... I'll wave as I go by | ||
| Jerry Campbell (Jerrync)
Registered Member Username: Jerrync Post Number: 49 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 69.132.150.103 Rating: N/A |
I thought the spare tire was part of the bumper when you hit someone or someone hits you. | ||
| Jack Conrad (Jackconrad)
Registered Member Username: Jackconrad Post Number: 516 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 207.30.189.36 Rating: N/A |
Jerry, I have heard that also. I got to thinking about it. If you hit a car hard enough to need that protection, the tire has to go back about 1 to 1.5 feet before it stops at the front axle. How much space is between your legs and the front of the bus? I think if you hit a car, you will be above the major "crunch zone". If you have the mis-fortune to hit a big truck, the spare is below the rear framing on the truck. I hope none of us ever has the chance to prove or dis-prove these theories. Also, ALWAYS wear a seat belt. Several years ago 2 busnut friends of mine were killed when ejected from their bus. From what I read in nespaper articles, it appears they blew a right front tire, veered off the road and either went into soft sand or struck a small abutment. This caused a rapid decceleration, but did not bring the bus to a complete stop. Both non-seat belted occupants were ejected through the windshield and the bus ,still moving, ran over them and rolled down an embackment landing on it's side. Jack | ||
| Kenneth Munford (Sapponyeagle)
Registered Member Username: Sapponyeagle Post Number: 2 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 207.69.137.13 Rating: N/A |
Check out www.rvtirecarrier.com | ||
| Michael Sheldon (Msheldon)
Registered Member Username: Msheldon Post Number: 34 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 68.230.115.166 Rating: N/A |
FF, I never said I wasn't going to carry tire tools. I've already got a 20-ton bottle jack, heavy-duty wrench and a breaker bar that could probably move Arkansas on a good day. I'll be building a run-up ramp soon. I'm also looking into fabricating the axle spacer and axle hook that were originally part of the Scenicruiser's tools. (The spacer and hook were used to keep the axle in a fixed position while changing tires. The spacer kept the bus from dropping if the air bags deflated, the hook kept the axle from hanging lower while jacking the bus up.) The issue was whether to carry a dedicated spare or to borrow a tag tire when/if needed long enough to get somewhere that can mount new rubber. | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 72 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 4.235.200.210 Rating: N/A |
I'll be building a run-up ramp soon. A ramp set is used to get under the coach to inspect , lube , repair it. A run up block is only a chunk of wood about 10in wide 4 in thick and 18 in long. It is placed under the flat front tire , by driving forward up on it, to make room to slip the jack in place. OR used under the "good" dual to raise the dual wheel set with little jacking. FF | ||
| Mark Renner (Boomer)
Registered Member Username: Boomer Post Number: 24 Registered: 11-2006 Posted From: 66.174.92.162 Rating: N/A |
Can I add a couple points? 1. I have personally seen the results of two different head on collisions where cars crossed the center line and impacted the bus head on (one was one of our own H3-45's, the other was a DL3). The combined impact speed was at least 110 mph in both accidents. I can tell you for sure that an inflated spare will dissapate a lot of energy. Of course the car occupants were killed, but it just might save injury to you if you have one in there. In the case of our H3, the lower windshelds were shattered and the LF tire pushed all the way back to the first bulkhead and beyond, BUT the driver's floor board was not even damaged. No injury to the driver at all; 160k damage to the bus, and a 1985 Ford LTD that ended up being about 8' long. 2. Whether you choose to change your own flat or not, it's a good idea to have one along. You're probably gonna get ripped off if you don't have your own. You can run over debris on the road anywhere and ruin a tire. What if you're in the middle of nowhere, or Mexico or somewhere? | ||
| JC Alacoque (Jc_alacoque)
Registered Member Username: Jc_alacoque Post Number: 24 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 154.11.109.30 Rating: N/A |
I know we have been around this mullberry bush before in previous posts, but here is my 2 cents. I carry a spare, mounted and ready to use. I can change a wheel in less time than a tire service truck can reach me (in most cases), because I have done it several times at home. The wheels come off about once a year anyway to service the brakes, bearings, etc and I rotate them too. I carry the necessary tools. Also a 50' air hose is nice to have. If you are going to have a flat, it is going to be the Sat. night of a long week-end, a hundred miles from the next town,so your spare is better be a good one. Why wait for a service truck that will overtorque the nuts and over charge me, when I can do it myself better and faster. JC | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Registered Member Username: Drivingmisslazy Post Number: 1781 Registered: 1-2001 Posted From: 75.108.82.163 Rating: N/A |
I think a lot of it depends on your physical condition. I would guess that a mounted tire and wheel weighs well over 100 pounds. To try and drag the spare out of the compartment, jack up the bus, remove the flat which could be an inside dual, which means pulling off the outside dual, then the inside dual, mounting the spare, remounting the outside dual then returning the flat tire to the compartment is mans work. No one should try this unless they are in very good physical condition. Having the spare is fine, but be very careful that you do not hurt yourself in the effort. Also, if you are beside the road, the ground bearing surface will probably not be adequate to support the weight on the jack. And that is assuming you can even get the jack under the axle. If not you have to have a run up block to drive up on first then put down a heavy piece of wood to set the jack on then wrestle the jack back under the bus to the axle and on and on and on. And if the bus is sitting on a sideways slant, there is always the danger of the bus sliding sideways off the jack. I really think it is penny wise and dollar foolish to try and do it yourself unless your are in excellent health and have the physical strength to accomplish the task. And what are the odds of having a flat? If your tires are not in excellent shape, you should not be out on the road in my opinion. The insurance available for roadside repair is very inexpensive and if you have to wait three or four hours so what? Do you want to have a heart attack or strain a muscle or something worse? I personally do not recall having a roadside flat in any vehicle for at least 20-25 years and I drove my bus well over 150,000 miles over a period of 15 years and never had a flat. Maybe I was just lucky, but even when I was younger, I would never have attempted to change a bus tire. Oh yes, I forgot the task of removing the lug nuts. That in itself can be a very major task. Play it safe and smart is my advise and get an insurance policy and wait for the service to come to you. Richard | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Registered Member Username: Drivingmisslazy Post Number: 1782 Registered: 1-2001 Posted From: 75.108.82.163 Rating: N/A |
Sorry, Double post. Ian has still not fixec the problem of allowing us to delete a post. (Message edited by drivingmisslazy on December 21, 2006) | ||
| jim morrison (Jim_morrison)
Registered Member Username: Jim_morrison Post Number: 38 Registered: 11-2006 Posted From: 72.142.29.218 Rating: N/A |
i had a blow out in north Texas , yes i have a spare but it's a steer tire , not a drive , but to have any spare is cheeper then buying a new or used, just to get ya where ya gotta go and the tire guy does'nt get all of your wallet, thats if you can't do it yourself, if you can do it your a better man but wore out ...jim |
