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Old 09-20-2017, 10:59 PM   #1
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1978 Argosy No place for a spare!??

Ready to hit the road. All recommended maintenance complete including 6 new tires. Maybe I should have the spare checked before
I throw all the tires away. What spare!!???

I can believe a spare doesn't exists but no place to store a spare? Were spare tires optional back then?

Mechanic says there's no place or room to mount it underneath and he could rig a mount on the back bumper. I found a decent wheel and tire, which included the solid metal spare tire cover.

Is there an attachment I could purchase and have it mounted? I am fearful to just blindly trust a mechanic to "figure something out and make it work".. Has anyone else dealt with this?

Advice? Resources? Help!!

Thank you!
Shannon
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Old 09-20-2017, 11:15 PM   #2
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1975 20' Argosy 20
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There are quiet a few hitch mounted spare wheel carriers to chose from, and 'installation' is inserting the hitch pin.
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Old 09-20-2017, 11:27 PM   #3
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I considered that as the mechanic offered that as an option. My hang up is that we are mountain bikers (a huge contributor to pulling the trigger on the motorhome purchase) and will need to attach our bike rack to the hitch. The mechanic did say that we could get an extension so the bike racks could fit behind the spare tire hitch. My dilemma is, I am already out of my comfort zone driving a 26" vintage airstream and to add an additional 4"-5" really concerns me. My other car is a Prius. Lol!
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Old 09-21-2017, 02:23 AM   #4
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Hi Shannon If your Argosy is a Tandem axle you do not need a spare. It will drive easily on 3 wheels. Keep your speed below 51 MPH.

If it is a single axle there is a space prepped behind the A frame for a spare. I'm pretty sure the carrier from a 2018 will fit.
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Old 09-21-2017, 03:54 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew T View Post
Hi Shannon If your Argosy is a Tandem axle you do not need a spare. It will drive easily on 3 wheels. Keep your speed below 51 MPH.

If it is a single axle there is a space prepped behind the A frame for a spare. I'm pretty sure the carrier from a 2018 will fit.
It's a motorhome......
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Old 09-21-2017, 03:57 AM   #6
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I didn't realize that. Similar to the trailer though. You can run on three rear tires use inside tire. If you have to you can move a rear to the front position. Flats are rare on 10 ply tires.
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Old 09-21-2017, 04:08 AM   #7
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Both my 1977 20' & 24' had a bar across the rear end for the spare to bolt too. It allowed the tire to sit just above the bumper.
On the 24 footer with a rear bedroom, I ended up moving the spare under the passenger side bunk,along with the tire tools and jack.
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Old 09-21-2017, 08:29 AM   #8
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Both my 1977 20' & 24' had a bar across the rear end for the spare to bolt too. It allowed the tire to sit just above the bumper.
On the 24 footer with a rear bedroom, I ended up moving the spare under the passenger side bunk,along with the tire tools and jack.
Wayne, do you have any detailed pictures of the bar?

My 20' has the generator in the rear with a compartment door that folds down. I've been looking at options on how to mount the spare tire but haven't made any decisions yet.

Brad
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Old 09-21-2017, 09:06 AM   #9
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I dont have any good photos of the 24 footer mount, but I recall it as a bar behind the cabinet between the bunks with a mating bar on the outside. That allowed bolts through 2 of the tire mounting holes.
On the 20 footer, it had the rear bath and I did find a photo showing the bracket. It had a more professional looking mount. It used a steel plate that came from the framework behind the bumper. You can see it if you look close.

Also, unrelated to this topic, but I found a photo of some artwork that was in my 20 footer "Yelo Sub" It came with it and I wonder if others had a similar needlepoint work in theirs?
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Old 09-21-2017, 10:02 AM   #10
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Thanks for the replies this far all.
I appreciate the discussion and recommendations as I am pretty naive to most everything at this point, therefore learning every step of the way.

@bkahler when I first read your post I was excited that I would be ok w/o an actual spare but then I started thinking... my major concern is, if I have a flat in BFE the 19.5 tires r close to impossible to find in a metro area such as Denver, let alone in some off the path rural town I may be traveling through. We do lots of back country trips and end up in some pretty secluded towns.

I already purchase the spare wheel, tire, and cover from a junk yard for $125 knowing the tires and that wheel size can be somewhat hard to come by but I am beginning to think maybe I jumped the gun. I prob called 15 places before finding even a wheel so when I found one with the cover I went ahead and made the purchase.
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Old 09-21-2017, 10:35 AM   #11
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Thanks for the replies this far all.
I appreciate the discussion and recommendations as I am pretty naive to most everything at this point, therefore learning every step of the way.

@bkahler when I first read your post I was excited that I would be ok w/o an actual spare but then I started thinking... my major concern is, if I have a flat in BFE the 19.5 tires r close to impossible to find in a metro area such as Denver, let alone in some off the path rural town I may be traveling through. We do lots of back country trips and end up in some pretty secluded towns.

I already purchase the spare wheel, tire, and cover from a junk yard for $125 knowing the tires and that wheel size can be somewhat hard to come by but I am beginning to think maybe I jumped the gun. I prob called 15 places before finding even a wheel so when I found one with the cover I went ahead and made the purchase.
I can understand the concern and reasons for carrying a spare tire, I plan to carry one as well. Finding a viable option can be difficult. Have you considered mounting a carrier up front for the bicycles? I've seen a Airstream motorhomes with bike racks up front.
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Old 09-21-2017, 11:00 AM   #12
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my 77 argosy put spare behind propane tanks with a strap and a tire cover
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Old 09-21-2017, 11:02 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WayneG View Post
I dont have any good photos of the 24 footer mount, but I recall it as a bar behind the cabinet between the bunks with a mating bar on the outside. That allowed bolts through 2 of the tire mounting holes.
On the 20 footer, it had the rear bath and I did find a photo showing the bracket. It had a more professional looking mount. It used a steel plate that came from the framework behind the bumper. You can see it if you look close.

Also, unrelated to this topic, but I found a photo of some artwork that was in my 20 footer "Yelo Sub" It came with it and I wonder if others had a similar needlepoint work in theirs?
Sounds like some POs made some changes to come up with ways to carry a spare. I know Peanut had a rather large metal plate that was welded to the hitch frame, stood about 24" tall that held the spare tire. Unfortunately on Peanut it had obviously been pushed in in the back and gouged a hole in the rear skin.

I plan on fabricating a carrier that can be folded down out of the way so I can open the generator compartment cover.

As for the needlepoint work, at the moment my Argosy has NOTHING inside
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Old 09-21-2017, 11:14 AM   #14
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Quote:
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my 77 argosy put spare behind propane tanks with a strap and a tire cover
The discussion is about a 28' Argosy motorhome.
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Old 09-21-2017, 01:06 PM   #15
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I too have a vintage Airstream with a two bike rack on the back. I can't believe it's still back there. It hits on every other gas station entrance or exit. We have been on the road since June 1st but when I go home next month we will surely deal with the design before going back out. The bikes don't hit, it's the bottom of the hitch.
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Old 09-21-2017, 03:17 PM   #16
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Spare mounting

Hey all, I saw a GMC MoHo of the same vintage that has a hitch mounted on the front end. so. Bracket (looks like an aftermarket) holds a duel bike rack in front of the grill and the square tube was a 2 inch. I asked the owner if he had a spare tire and his answer was ... "When we are not going to use the bikes we have a 2nd bracket that holds a single spare tire on the front!" Wish I had thought to take a picture as it sounds just like what you folks need. Ed
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Old 09-21-2017, 04:13 PM   #17
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I was able to mount a tire underneath behind the axle I made a hinged rack, I can slide the tire down and out the back, My argosy is a '75 I think on newer models the gas tank is in that spot.
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Old 09-21-2017, 04:24 PM   #18
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Lesson learned I will include motorhome in the heading of my next post.
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Old 09-21-2017, 04:55 PM   #19
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I'm kind of in the same boat. I have a 28' airstream with the rear mount spare. I dislike it and am at some point going to remove.

I have a few options:

#1. Inside under one of my beds( I have rear twins) I think? It can fit with modifications...
#2. Custom build a storage cabinet a bit bigger to slide part of the tire just beneath the frame rail.
#3 have a roof mounted spare( literally be a nightmare to get off the roof, I would have to have a plan and means to personally get up there which seems unrealistic.

I recently purchased a 76 argosy 28'. And there appears to have been no spare tire on it at all.....
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Old 09-21-2017, 05:14 PM   #20
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Lesson learned I will include motorhome in the heading of my next post.
No need to do that, you already posted in the motorhome section.
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