Spare tire mount?

[Justbass11]

My boat trailer does not have a spare tire on it. I have a 2017 bass tracker pro 175 TWX boat. I’ll be making about a three hour trip and don’t feel comfortable without a spare. Trips not tell May but I feel like I should have a spare for this trip, I have been looking at mounts to fit onto my trailer I’ve seen some really good sturdy ones but not quite sure which one to get or what kind to get. So with all that being said what kind should I get?I have been looking on Amazon but I’m undecided your input would be appreciated as always thank you.

[MN Fisher]

I just keep the spare for the trailer in the bed of the pickup...

[tander]

3 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

I just keep the spare for the trailer in the bed of the pickup...

 

Same here.

[Junger]

1 hour ago, Justbass11 said:

My boat trailer does not have a spare tire on it. I have a 2017 bass tracker pro 175 TWX boat. I’ll be making about a three hour trip and don’t feel comfortable without a spare. Trips not tell May but I feel like I should have a spare for this trip, I have been looking at mounts to fit onto my trailer I’ve seen some really good sturdy ones but not quite sure which one to get or what kind to get. So with all that being said what kind should I get?I have been looking on Amazon but I’m undecided your input would be appreciated as always thank you.

 

My Shorelandr came with something like this installed. It's angled so that the spare tire contours with the bow V hull. It's pretty easy to install, I moved mine from the starboard to port side on my trailer and took maybe 10 minutes to take off and put back on.

 

https://a.co/d/cQU65tE

[GRiver]

I’ve got the one that mounts to the tongue, lays flat. Just has a frame bolt( like. U- bolt but squared corners.)

I like to get one that has the spindle too.

 

[HenryPF]

You are overthinking this, ANY mount from amazon will outlast your trailer including a simple U bolt depending on location (throw some anti-sieze on the threads). Your trailer/boat combo doesn't require a angled mount (and these I found a pain to mount the spare to/remove). I do not like the ones that mount underneath the front of the boat as sometimes they are a pain to get to on the side of the road and water sits on the rim rusting it out)

 

Do not like (personal preference)

 

 

 

Something like this will suffice:

 

 

DO NOT do this (mounting area):

 

The spare mounted in front can cause issues on crap boat launches where the spare starts dragging on the ground (rare) before the boat floats away. I leave it like the 2nd photo close to the tire (but not too close where I can't use the step) and sometimes it helps me get centered on the bunks on a windy day.

 

Important!

Make sure your lug wrench fits the same size nuts as the spare tire carrier.

 

Make sure your vehicle's spare is accessible! Many trucks have that spare in front of the tow bar underneath the bed and that spare tire let-down system rusts out and you can't even let it down.

 

For this trip or any other, make sure you have tools! Last week I sliced my sidewall wide open and I just had the normal tools that came with the vehicle while my many impact guns and sockets were sitting at home. They are in the suv now.

 

Safe trip!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dickenscpa]

1 hour ago, HenryPF said:

You are overthinking this, ANY mount from amazon will outlast your trailer including a simple U bolt depending on location (throw some anti-sieze on the threads). Your trailer/boat combo doesn't require a angled mount (and these I found a pain to mount the spare to/remove). I do not like the ones that mount underneath the front of the boat as sometimes they are a pain to get to on the side of the road and water sits on the rim rusting it out)

 

Do not like (personal preference)

 

 

 

Something like this will suffice:

 

 

DO NOT do this (mounting area):

 

The spare mounted in front can cause issues on crap boat launches where the spare starts dragging on the ground (rare) before the boat floats away. I leave it like the 2nd photo close to the tire (but not too close where I can't use the step) and sometimes it helps me get centered on the bunks on a windy day.

 

Important!

Make sure your lug wrench fits the same size nuts as the spare tire carrier.

 

Make sure your vehicle's spare is accessible! Many trucks have that spare in front of the tow bar underneath the bed and that spare tire let-down system rusts out and you can't even let it down.

 

For this trip or any other, make sure you have tools! Last week I sliced my sidewall wide open and I just had the normal tools that came with the vehicle while my many impact guns and sockets were sitting at home. They are in the suv now.

 

Safe trip!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I learned the same lesson you did. I'm not crazy about a lug wrench that comes with a vehicle or the jack. I have a 3 ton floor jack tucked away and out of the way in my Jeep and I have air wrenches with all the SAE and Metric sizes but I went and bought two separate extra sockets to match my Jeep wheel and trailer wheel and a breaker bar socket wrench with a swivel head all in 1/2" to match my air wrench set.

 

I stopped to help a guy change a tire once, don't know why I guess he just looked like he was struggling. He was a decent size guy and was standing and hopping on his lug wrench that came with the car to break the lugs free. It was a foreign car and I had a VW when I was 16 that had left handed threads. I try one lug he hadn't just overtightened and it came loose. He was embarrassed and when we got to the last two he'd been cranking on they wouldn't budge and his lug wrench just cracked and split. This was before I started carrying my goodies and the lug wrench from my truck didn't fit his.

[airshot]

Once you get a spare, make sure you have a way to lock it!!  Many spares end up missing as there are many that dont carry one!!

[Bankc]

On 4/13/2023 at 6:04 AM, HenryPF said:

Important!

Make sure your lug wrench fits the same size nuts as the spare tire carrier.

 

Quoted for emphasis.  

 

Otherwise, just get whatever is cheap and will fit some place that's out of the way and yet still accessible.  You don't need anything special.  

[airshot]

Experience has shown me to never tow a trailer with having a spare !!  The only time I have ever needed a spare is when I didnt have one!!!  By carrying a spare on every trailer, it keeps me from having a flat !!

[Johnbt]

CE Smith made the one I've used for 9 years. They run $15 or $20 and take a padlock. The two arms screw down tight and then you insert the lock.

 

 

 

 

[gim]

Something that has not been mentioned yet is to make sure your tire wrench actually fits the lug nuts on the trailer tires. I had my boat for 4 years before I realized my truck wrench didn’t fit on the trailer tires. Luckily I was at home when a valve stem went bad and found out there, so not a big deal. But obviously could have been much worse out on the road. I now keep a 4 way wrench in addition to my truck tire wrench in the vehicle.

 

That’s completely ridiculous that they don’t provide a spare tire. You spend thousands of dollars on a boat, motor, and trailer but they can’t add a spare tire. Dumb.

[Kirtley Howe]

50 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Something that has not been mentioned yet is to make sure your tire wrench actually fits the lug nuts on the trailer tires. I had my boat for 4 years before I realized my truck wrench didn’t fit on the trailer tires. Luckily I was at home when a valve stem went bad and found out there, so not a big deal. But obviously could have been much worse out on the road. I now keep a 4 way wrench in addition to my truck tire wrench in the vehicle.

 

That’s completely ridiculous that they don’t provide a spare tire. You spend thousands of dollars on a boat, motor, and trailer but they can’t add a spare tire. Dumb.

I carry a 20v impact wrench and a set of deep impact sockets that cover just about all lug nut sizes. That way I am sure I can change a tire on the trailer, or any trailer for that matter. I have helped a lot of people out at boat ramps, and on the road. Having the impact wrench is great and makes getting lug nuts off and on easier. I also carry a cheap Harbour Freight hydraulic jack and several wood block (to use if the trailer or truck sits to high for the max reach of the jack). This also does not take up much space, but makes it much easier to jack a trailer or truck up.

 

As to them not providing a spare..you can always add it as an option (at extra cost of course,,,,gotta' maximize the profits you know), but it is often much cheaper to just buy a spare from some other source. Unless you are a stickler about your spare wheel being an exact match for the trailer, you can almost always get a wheel from a junk yard, or on Marketplace or Craigslist that will fit your trailer.  And a good tire will usually be cheaper at a tire store than from a boat dealer.

[MN Fisher]

43 minutes ago, Kirtley Howe said:

I carry a 20v impact wrench and a set of deep impact sockets that cover just about all lug nut sizes.

Ya - the tool box I keep in the rear of the cab includes a breaker bar and a set of deep sockets.

[Dogface]

On 4/12/2023 at 9:52 PM, MN Fisher said:

I just keep the spare for the trailer in the bed of the pickup...

 

I keep the spare or spares (as needed) in my small boat and put them in the truck when I travel.

 

I have a spare mounted on the big boat but if I am going on a long trip or north to Canada I bring two additional spares. Some of the roads in northern Canada are BAD and the trailer tires take a beating. 

 

Having the spares handy makes them much easier to check tire pressure when your checking the trailer tire pressure. 

3 hours ago, gimruis said:

Something that has not been mentioned yet is to make sure your tire wrench actually fits the lug nuts on the trailer tires. .......I now keep a 4 way wrench in addition to my truck tire wrench in the vehicle.

 

 

I keep a 4 way wrench in the truck and a 3' long pipe to use for leverage to break the lugs. 

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, MN Fisher said:

Ya - the tool box I keep in the rear of the cab includes a breaker bar and a set of deep sockets.

X2 ~

Breaker Bar is the way to go.  

I use this WITH a Breaker Bar.

Because I am a girly man.

https://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Automotive-1721-Telescoping-Wrench/dp/B000CMJ2KU?th=1

A-Jay

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, A-Jay said:

I use this WITH a Breaker Bar.

Because I am a girly man.

https://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Automotive-1721-Telescoping-Wrench/dp/B000CMJ2KU?th=1

A-Jay

I just got a length of steel pipe that fits over the handle of the breaker bar if I need more leverage.

[Bird]

I bought a cheap spare tire and wheel off Amazon $77 and keep it on the back of truck.

 

[gim]

4 hours ago, Kirtley Howe said:

As to them not providing a spare..you can always add it as an option (at extra cost of course

The boat I bought new in 2015 came with a spare.  Not an extra add on.  I just find it completely ridiculous that it doesn't come with one anymore.  Talk about a nickel and dime operation.  I realize now it's not even remotely the same as it was 8 years ago.  They can't get boats out the door fast enough now.

[WIGuide]

On 4/15/2023 at 3:07 PM, gimruis said:

The boat I bought new in 2015 came with a spare.  Not an extra add on.  I just find it completely ridiculous that it doesn't come with one anymore.  Talk about a nickel and dime operation.  I realize now it's not even remotely the same as it was 8 years ago.  They can't get boats out the door fast enough now.

You realize you bought a Ranger and he bought a Tracker right? Rangers still have a matching spare listed as a standard equipment on the RT178.

[gim]

56 minutes ago, WIGuide said:

You realize you bought a Ranger and he bought a Tracker right? Rangers still have a matching spare listed as a standard equipment on the RT178.

No I did not realize that. But my point is still the same. A new boat should come with a spare. Not as a priced add on.

[Bird]

When I bought my Lowe recently, they had several packages to chose from " dealer lot ".

Some had the spare, fish finder and some without spare and fish finder but with an upgraded prop.

It was all over the place really with some packages including a cover.

 

But if you ordered the boat you could get it exactly how you wanted it.

 

Most tandem axle trailers if not all, come with a spare.

[volzfan59]

I've got a fairly inexpensive spare tire mount from Harbor Freight, it's lasted for years on different trailers. Walmart sells one just like it for a few bucks more.

Keep the spare locked onto the mount but I realize that if someone wants the spare, it's theirs.

Also have a four way that fits my truck wheels and the trailer tires.