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TRIPPPIN · 07-28-2015, 07:18 AM

Has anyone relocated their spare tire to the under belly behind the axles? I removed the spare tire in an effort to reduce tongue weight and since I have the spare sitting in my garage I would like to use it. I know it would not be a convenient location but at least I would have it. I think there is enough space if a frame mounted bracket could be made.

HowieE · 07-28-2015, 08:25 AM

Why did you have to reduce tongue weight? What are you towing with?

As for mounting under the belly pan you will be risking ground clearance problems. Note the spare is mounted up inside the belly pan from the factory and waste tanks will preclude that behind the axles.

dkottum · 07-28-2015, 09:12 AM

I assume you are reducing tongue weight because you want to reduce the hitch weight on your tow vehicle, like lots of us. Nothing new here, spare tires were once an option on Airstreams.

Unless you're traveling widely on poor roads, why not continue to leave it at home. You've got extremely reliable Michelin tires on the Eddie Bauer, and even with a flat you can travel a considerable distance on three tires to get a repair or replacement. Refer to your Owners Manual.

If you're headed for Alaska or something similar, a spare tire is a good idea.

switz · 07-28-2015, 09:18 AM

The WBCCI Alaskan caravan requires two spares each for both the tow vehicle and the trailer. They also suggest starting with new tires on both vehicles.

dcasr · 07-28-2015, 11:22 AM

I always carry one spare for AS and one for the TV, and that is with Michelins. Once towing a SOB I crossed a RR grade crossing and a spike took out both of my street side trailer tires. How much risk are you comfortable with? What is your TV that the hitch weight with a weight distributing hitch can't handle?

AnnArborBob · 07-28-2015, 11:31 AM

Given where the OP lives (i.e., near CanAm in Ontario) I am guessing that he has a light-weight vehicle that he is using for towing and wants to minimize the payload impact on it from the trailer. If this is the case, and he is just a "weekender" or short-trip traveler, then I would see nothing wrong with leaving the spare at home and either relying on a short and slow three-wheel run home or the auto club for assistance in case of a flat. If he is going far afield from his home base or is a full-timer, then I would hesitate to leave the spare behind.

tjdonahoe · 07-28-2015, 12:11 PM

Load the tire inside while traveling.

xrvr · 07-28-2015, 12:15 PM

Get a TV that can handle the weight.

KJRitchie · 07-28-2015, 01:32 PM

Take the batteries out of the A frame compartment and for a quick test put them under the bed near the converter. Weigh the tongue and see what you get. If its significant enough tongue weight reduction then buy 2 AGM replacements and get CanAM to mount the batteries.

Kelvin

dames7 · 07-28-2015, 07:44 PM

I JUST HELP A AS, that had two blow out one the port side, and only one spare. If I had not been on the same road he would been in trouble. He had no way to change a tire, or two.

Always carry a jack, you can run on one tire at lower speed to get you to a town for help.

The last thing you want to do is to leave your AS on the side of the road.

Airstream12557 · 07-29-2015, 05:14 AM

I do not want to reduce my tongue weight! I towed a utility trailer with a heavy load and light tongue weight. Drove 45 MPH from Golden, CO to Marion, IL to keep it under control.

bigfoot390 · 07-29-2015, 06:32 AM

I am also intrested in this. Looks like no one has done this. Behind the tanks and forward of the sliding rear drawer. I will look under there and see if a rack similar to what is up front would fit.

TRIPPPIN · 07-29-2015, 07:03 AM

Thank you all for the comments. I have a 2014 Mercedes ML 350 Bluetec as a tow vehicle and it has been modified and set up by CanAm in London Ontario. I have read extensively the threads on tongue weight, tow vehicles etc. and have purchased the combination I have knowing this information. I am very happy with it. I feel comfortable doing a little extra to reduce tongue weight by removing the spare up front even though it may be overkill. Batteries, propane tanks etc. have been reviewed on other threads and have been very helpful. My question is has anyone found a way to mount a spare behind the axles. I think there is enough clearance. If it can't be done the spare will remain at home and when I feel it is needed it will come along in the TV.

Ohiobrits · 07-30-2015, 07:30 PM

march, I have not done this either but am considering looking into this for an "end of season" project. I would like to mount a full size spare for my TV under there. I currently carry it in the rear of the AS and transfer to the TV when unhitched. Whilst this arrangement works its not ideal moving the wheel each time we stop.

To ensure good ground clearance, I think you would need to remove some of the skin / wrap off the underside just rear of the rear axle so you can get the wheel tight up underneath to get enough ground clearance. The front spare is mounted up against the floor with no insulation. I think you would need to do something similar at the rear. This will make the rear floor area colder in winter which may be a concern depending on where your plumbing is.

Can-Am mentioned a rear AS spare carrier when I spoke with them a while back. They may be willing to fabricate and send a bracket that you could fit with some mods on your end.

TRIPPPIN · 08-04-2015, 07:51 AM

I found a product Hide A Spare that looks like it can work under the floor behind the rear axles. Has anyone installed this? Here is some info.

BAL - Innovative Products for the RV Industry

tjdonahoe · 08-04-2015, 11:01 PM

It might be fine, if your trailer is higher than my 31', other wise it will be close to the blacktop....

switz · 08-05-2015, 07:43 AM

Having weighed my Classic trailer's individual wheels, I found that fully loaded for camping that the tire with the most weight was carrying about 2,080 pounds. That got me thinking that perhaps a spare could be a much thinner tire since the actual weight carried is much less than the main tire rating and would allow one to limp to a tire store without overloading the other inflated tire.

One reads that if the tailer is pulled on three wheels, one might be wise to put two new tires on that side as the solo tire has been overloaded. In our case, the solo tire would be asked to carry over 4,100 pounds versus the 2,680 pound rating of our Michelin LT225/75R16/E LTX M/S2 tires or the 2,540 pound rating of a stock GYM ST225/75R15D.

TRIPPPIN · 03-07-2017, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRIPPPIN

I found a product Hide A Spare that looks like it can work under the floor behind the rear axles. Has anyone installed this? Here is some info.

BAL - Innovative Products for the RV Industry

I hope to be travelling a lot more in the near future and since I got 5 new Michelins for free on a recall I thought having that spare could save me. I finally went ahead and installed the spare under the floor using the BAL 28216 Hide-A-Spare Tire carrier. I had to cut off the top of the frame bracket on one side and add a piece of angle to mount it under the frame. The hinge side mounted to the side of the frame under the steps. The tire is snug to the Belly pan and should not be a problem with road clearance. They have several models including some for enclosed underbellies so I picked one that would require the least modification. I don't know the impact of tongue weight yet as I only compare "loaded" weights and we have not been able to travel this winter.

dkottum · 03-07-2017, 09:09 AM

Interesting idea, could you post a photo? We increased our front battery weight this season with larger AGM's, and carrying a little more tongue weight than I like or need. I'd like to see a little less tension on the w.d. bars and still get equal loading on our truck axles.