Two spare tires?

[westtx]

Awhile back someone posted a picture of a spare-tire mount they fabricated that held two spares. I kind of laughed about it...I've been towing boats for 25 years and replaced several trailer tires but never two on one trip. Well, coming back from Lake Travis to Midland yesterday (300 miles or so), we popped a rear tire about 75 miles into the trip. We put the spare on and were on our way. I considered stopping in San Angelo and seeing if I could get a quick replacement at Walmart, but I figured they would not carry ST tires and I didn't just want to throw away money on an automotive tire I could never use again. And really, what are the odds that I would have another flat tire on this trip.

I cruised through San Angelo and about an hour from home, the other rear tire separated. The tread actually hit the trailer fender so hard that it dented the rear fender in. I'm 35 miles from a town with no spare. Fortunately with a double axle trailer, we were able to make about 25 miles/hour until we got to the next town. I called a buddy with a bassboat, and he graciously pulled a wheel off his boat (actually a 215/75R 14) and met me on the road. I bought my 99 E22 last summer with only 72 hours on it. The tires looked brand new, but as of this year, they are 8 years old. When I looked close, there was dry rot everywhere. Its time for 4 new tires, and I might keep one of the old ones around for two spares on those extra-long trips!

[toyotafreak]

I used the simple bolt-on spare tire mounts up front, one on each side.

The reason I have two is that I hear it's common on a tandem trailer to lose one tire and not know it until the remaining tire has overheated and blown up.

Coming back from our recent river trip, I had a "slow-out" or whatever you call it - it got very very low and by the time I had it pulled over it was flat. It's a lot of fun when semis are flying by six or eight feet from you. It was day time and I'm sure I wouldn't have noticed it in the dark.

[epicfire]

I think you're talking about mine. So far, so good, I haven't had to use them yet....
http://www.epicmarine.com/forum4/index.php?topic=1128.msg11046#msg11046

[Bitzco]

Recently I had a tire blow out on the way home from Lake Powell and two weeks later on the way home from Boise. Mr. Goodyear looked at the date the tires were made and said "there is a reason it is only a five year warranty, after that they fall apart." One of my blow outs banged the wheel well up pretty bad. I had to use a crowbar to bend it back to get home. I'd say if you are driving very far or in very hot weather and your tires are more than five or six years old, it is probably time for new tires. But, then again, what do I know.

[cyclone]

There is a real problem with the Amerirtrail trailer and the clearance between the back of the tire and the wooden board. I have had several tires fail because of rubbing. I think I smacked the fender with the boat and pushed the board in so it was touching the tire, which failed after thirty miles or so. It has happened several times on both trailers, common problem. I have also observed the same problem on Cal's trailer, his boards had the same burn marks that mine did. Don't let your trailer tires get low on air, they stick out and hit the board, and check for clearance before a trip.

[masonlk]

Couple of ramps I use have a real steep drop to them and the back end is still floating when you pull out. I've found it's real easy to get the boat off center a bit and push the fenders down. I took the wedges out of the guides so they are straight up and down and not titled out. This keeps the boat more centered when loading.

[westtx]

I went with 205 14's on the replacement. I'm pretty sure the tires just dry-rotted, but the boards are really close in back. I'm probably a sucker, but the $9 extra for blow-out insurance for the life of the tire at Discount seemed like a pretty good deal.

[Ktown]

Sorry to hear about your double blow-out, that had to be painful.  What size tires did you have on your trailer originally?  What made you switch to the 205's?  What brand/model?  Does anyone else use this size tire?  I plan on taking a good look at my tires this weekend, but was curious about the size and model choice. 

Thanks

[Lakeside]

Check your valve stems for dry rot, too.  Bad stems led to a blowout on my trailer. 

Also, you can get a decent deal on tires at www.tirerack.com.