I never thought !
 

Was just chatting with a friend (who sells tires) about the Hi Lo world and he was amazed when I showed him photos of mine. He's stopping by after work to see them.
But the chat was about buying a set of LR D's for my 27' and he asked about the spare, of course I told him we'll take the best of the old ones and make that the spare. He asked where the spare was stowed and I told him under a vinyl cover and no I didn't know what it looked like. YIKES ! he said. One of the worst things for spares--I'm thinking there all over the place, Jeeps, vans, trucks, etc.
He said that if the covers has a vented or mesh bottom, okay, otherwise, take it off.
Went home pulled the cover off and this is what I found. Damage was on the bottom. Don't see it when checking pressure, but the tire sits in water from rains or snow and delaminates the tire.
Now, I admit, when I crossed the DOT info, the came back 20th week of 2002!!
One of the original tires? check these out! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
Treeclimber

Yow! That sure wouldn't be useful as a spare! I'll have to go look at mine.

- Jack

Great info. Good thing you didn't find out when you really needed it!

I'm thinking we don't get enough rain here in Southern California, but I will have to do the same.http::(

Throw it away??? Look at all that tread remaining! :D

follow up
 

Well, here it is seven days allowing to dry out in the Florida sun and temps. I think it's really amazing what the drying period has done to the tire! guess I could use some pieces for bumper blocks.
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Boy! That thing's a mess. I wonder if it helps that the tire is a Carlisle? I've read a few reports, on other trailer forums, that really dissed Carlisle.

My tires are all Maxxis. I went out and checked my spare (and took the vinyl cover off it too). As far as I can see, the tire's is fine. No degradation to the tread, no sidewall cracks, no discoloration, etc. I'm sure though that having the trailer under an RV carport has helped it too.

- Jack

I think that's the brand I'll be getting, load range D. The fact that this tire has been sitting in that vinyl cover probably for years shows we gotta check the spare completely. DOT dated 2002 tells me it's one of the originals, that's 13 years old! Don't think I'd keep a spare THAT long.
Looking for a vinyl cover with a mesh bottom, if I can't find one, I'll make one. Maybe sell 'em. :rolleyes:
Glad your's is okay. cover helps for sure.
Tree

Just a great post, Treeclimber! The vast majority of people out in RV land have no idea when their tires were manufactured. Most forums among all brands of RV's will agree that at the end of about six years it is time to "retire" your rig. We have our spare mounted under our trailer, but if it had a cover I would be cutting holes in the bottom PRONTO!

Agree with others on the the Maxxis load D- that's what I did also. The spare tire, whether on a truck or a camper is an easy thing to forget so I put it on my ever-growing checklist. Inspect the age and condition of the tire, as well as the air pressure. An almost flat spare ain't gonna do you any good!

Greg, when you upgraded to LR D tires, did you also have to upgrade your rims? I've heard that because of tire psi increase from 50 to 65 psi, stock rims (I presume that's what these are) may not be appropriate.
Tree

Come to think about it, 15 lbs is nothing

I don't think it is either, but, I upgraded my rims. I actually had to, because I went to the next size larger tire (225/75 R15 instead of the oem 205/75 R15) and they needed a rim that was 6" wide instead of the 5.5" that were oem.

My new rims are rated for 65 psi. But, they are not painted white. They are galvanized steel.

I was able to increase the tire size when I moved the axle and had my trailer lifted 1.5" above the axle.

- Jack

Hey Jack, I'm thinking of heading the same direction as you did. One of the checks I made was seeing if there was enough space to install 225/75. Oddly, I think, there is a
2" spacer between the frame and axle. Don't know if that's original or not, but it allows for a much larger tire and rim. I can easily paint the rims any color before mounting...hummm like dayglow yellow?
Tree

Dayglow would be...brilliant? :eek:

I've found I rather like the silver color of the rims I bought. They're not as pretty as custom wheels, but they don't look ugly either. I'll see if I can locate the shipping label for one of them tomorrow. They were hard to find, but, they were not expensive at all.

You need only 1.1" extra room for the increased radius of the tires. If you had 205s and have an extra 2" spacer, you have plenty above as long as there's clearance front to back BETWEEN the two tires and from the tires to the wheel wells (assuming you have tandem axles). The larger tires add 0.8" to the tire width, which was not a factor in my trailer.

You MIGHT have to trim off some of the cable adjusting screws but possibly not. I had to, because I moved the axle 3" forward.

Using the larger tires in load range D gives me a a tire and wheel max gross weight rating of a bit over 5000#, instead of the miserable 3500# that the OEM tires and wheels gave me. Of course, the axle is still rated at 3500#, but it doesn't see the wear and tear that the tires do.

- Jack

No, I used the stock "made in China" rims.

Thanks Greg, but after check things out in the daylight I found that the spacer is stock and I still have plenty of room. Rural King said they would order in the Maxxis 225/75r15 LR D tires and steel rims for about $105 each plus tax. I'll spend the extra $s and have them balanced for peace of mind. Kinda like Jacks idea. thanks again gents,
Tree

Tree, I couldn't find the shipping info, but I think these are the rims I got: 15X6 545 Galvanized Spoke | 017-149-30 | Nuera Trailer Parts It was about four years ago that I got them and I recall it was difficult to find 5-lug wheels that were 15x6. Looks like they have more choices now, including white ones and even an aluminum model with a higher load capacity. The white ones are the cheapest, though.

- Jack

Thanks Jack, I'll keep that in mind when I shop in earnest. Soon, as I'm ready to go, even locale. Bamboo floor is complete, fans are coming for the Sushi mod, new Fan-tastic installed, and all maintenance is complete, even an outside volt meter!
Tree

Pictures, pictures, Tree! Sounds beautiful.

- Jack