spare tire

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healeyt

spare tire

Post by healeyt »

Ooops- one more question. What about a spare tire for the Born Free. We have looked all over our rig and don't see one. Is there anyplace we could put one? Our Ford van has one underneath - would there be room there? Someone has suggested to us that we could put one on the roof but that seems like it would be hard to get down?

Looking forward to your suggestions, Theresa
Dave&JanPotter

Post by Dave&JanPotter »

What model do you have? The answer depends on the model.
healeyt

spare tire

Post by healeyt »

We have a 1991 President with rear bath. It is 24'. Is there a good place to put a spare tire?

Thanks, Theresa
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Dallas Baillio
Posts: 1181
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:52 pm

Spare Tire

Post by Dallas Baillio »

I purchased a hitch mount spare tire carrier from an Internet site called e-trailer.com (I think that is right, it was two years ago!). I also bought a wheel and tire. All this before a trip to Alaska when all the advice I read said be sure to carry a spare. The hitch mount does extend beyond the rear bumper and adds weight on the rear duals. However, it has been a good solution. I tow a vehicle rarely (usually when fleeing a hurricane) and put the spare in the towed vehicle then. I have a 26RSB and the spare mount allows the opening of the rear storage compartment door. For a BF with a rear door the spare would block the door.
Dallas Baillio
2001 26RSB
Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Member
healeyt

spare tire

Post by healeyt »

Thanks for your suggestions about the spare tire. Both sound much better than putting one on the roof. Theresa
Virgil and Anne Dutton
Posts: 107
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 11:59 am

Post by Virgil and Anne Dutton »

Some of you may remember the spare tire carrier which I designed and posted on this forum in late May. I said at that time that we were embarking on a 3 month long road trip and that I would have this carrier made for any of you who would want it when we returned home.

We are now home from our trip (after 14,300 miles) and I am ready to take up this project.

The carrier was great to have as a peace of mind benefit, however, we did not have a flat tire. One of the other vehicles in our 4 rig caravan did have a blow out and it took 3 days to get the replacement spare tire in hand. This was in the Yukon of Canada.

I have changed the design and revised the mounting of the carrier primarily to simplify fabrication and consequently reduce cost. It is still mounted to the rear bumper support structure and requires no modification to the vehicle whatsoever.

What I need to know is approximately how many units will be wanted so I can get quotes on the fabrication etc. This design is primarily for the 22 foot BFT and positions the tire on the right rear of the vehicle. After I get this design going I will design a center mounted, swing away carrier for the side door Born Free coaches however first this unit will work there but appears to interfere with the rear storage compartment door.

If you would like to have this BFT designed carrier, let me know at virgildutton@agilebroadband.com or if you need more information.
2006 22 ft BFT diesel
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whemme
Posts: 2110
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2005 8:05 pm

SPARE TIRE AND WHEEL STORAGE LOCATION

Post by whemme »

I carried a spare tire and wheel in my prior 1999 BF 24' RB coach and also carry the same spare in my current 2002 BF 26' RSB coach. In both units, the tire fits nicely thru the outside storage door under the Flexsteel sofabed - on the left side of the coach for the 26' RSB and on the right side in the case of the 24' RB. The tire and wheel was placed forward towards the front of the coach in that compartment and fit nicely there partically out of site.

Whether the 1991 BF models had a similar compartment to the later models, I don't know.

On particularily the BF 26' Rear Bath coaches, mounting of the spare tire and wheel on or near the rear bumper should be considered with caution. This model is typically heavy in the rear with the 9450 lb gross weight rating of the rear axle already near or over that limit. An 80 lb tire and rim mounted in that location will probably increase the weight on the rear axle by approximately 120 lbs due to the multiplication effect of the rear overhang distance.

Also, here is a link to another post of mine on this same subject on May 26, 2006 at 6:05 PM: http://www.bornfreervclub.org/bulletin_ ... spare#2202
Bill Hemme - Spencer, Iowa
E-mail: whemme@earthlink.net
2002 Born Free (Ford E-450 V10) 26' RSB
2016 VW Golf GTI - toad
hrgermany

spare tire

Post by hrgermany »

I built my own sparetire carrier.I mounted it by using the trailer hitch.I carry an eight ton bottle jack and a breakerbar and a crowbar to lift the tire so it will slide on too the wheel studs.
Hans rueckert
Jim Hofmann

Post by Jim Hofmann »

We are on our second BornFree. With both units we carried our spare on the roof. I attach a 12' +/- piece of rope to the wheel, my wife hands me the loose end of the rope after I get up on the roof. I then pull the wheel up and fasten it to the roof mount and leave the rope in place. When the spare is needed I then lower it to the ground with the rope. The wheel is not the lightest thing to handle, but at 76 years of age I don't find it insurmountable.
Jim
Mary Ann

Post by Mary Ann »

I carried a spare tire and wheel in my "05 BFT under the double sofa bed on the riders's side (no twin beds). It fit well and left me enough storage space. It is heavy and never moved. I have an emergency road Service, so someone else would need to move it. Now, in my '06 24' Rear Bath, the same tire and wheel are stored in the same area, toward the front. No problem. Good luck with your need for a spare. I think everyone should have one.
Mary Ann :oops:
rv4fun

Post by rv4fun »

Hi..
Connie and I are brand new Leap'n Lions members and have owned a 2001, 22ft, Rear Door Born Free for the last 6 years. I am very interested in a way to carry a spare tire. Because of our Rear Door we can't use a hitch mounted spare tire carrier since it would block our door. After reading this discussion, I see that we can put one on the roof, but I'd sure rather carry it somewhere on the rear of the BF. Does anyone know of a solution? We are going on Leap'n Lions Copper Canyon/Baja trip in January and I'm kind of nervous about traveling in Mexico without a spare. Thanks.. Larry
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bcope01
Posts: 1290
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2005 6:55 pm

Post by bcope01 »

rv4fun wrote:Hi..
Connie and I are brand new Leap'n Lions members and have owned a 2001, 22ft, Rear Door Born Free for the last 6 years. I am very interested in a way to carry a spare tire. Because of our Rear Door we can't use a hitch mounted spare tire carrier since it would block our door. After reading this discussion, I see that we can put one on the roof, but I'd sure rather carry it somewhere on the rear of the BF. Does anyone know of a solution? We are going on Leap'n Lions Copper Canyon/Baja trip in January and I'm kind of nervous about traveling in Mexico without a spare. Thanks.. Larry
Hi Larry and Connie:

First, welcome to the Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club. What took so long? :D

With regard to a spare tire carrier for a BFT, Virgil Dutton has just the solution for you. See this link for pictures of his BFT spare tire carrier:

http://www.bornfreervclub.org/bulletin_ ... re&start=0

Virgil has been soliciting requests for this carrier. Email him and let him know you are interested. virgildutton@agilebroadband.com

Hope this helps, Bill
Barb & Bill
2004 Born Free 22' Built for Two (Sold)
no longer towing a 2008 Smart ForTwo

Escondido, CA
rv4fun

Post by rv4fun »

Bill, Thanks for the welcome and for the info on Virgil's spare tire carrier. I've written Virgil to learn more about the carrier. We have two sofa beds so, another option for us is to store a spare under the bed. We currently only have outside access to storage below the sofa on the passenger side. Maybe I should consider adding outside access to the driver's side as well. It took me too long to find out about this great forum. Wish I had known about it years ago.. Larry
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bcope01
Posts: 1290
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2005 6:55 pm

Post by bcope01 »

Hi Larry:

If you're going on the January Born Free Copper Canyon/Baja 27-day caravan, you might want to use that area under your sofa for something other than the spare tire. This is especially true in the 21-22FT Born Frees that inherently have tight storage space. In this case, Virgil appears to have a great solution for carrying a spare tire outside the coach. Hopefully, you'll be cable to get one in time for the caravan.

PS. Wouldn't if be even better if it pivoted down horizonally so it wouldn't block the door from opening fully, and also provide full access to the bumper storage lid? :wink:

Bill
Barb & Bill
2004 Born Free 22' Built for Two (Sold)
no longer towing a 2008 Smart ForTwo

Escondido, CA
rv4fun

Post by rv4fun »

Hi Bill, You must be some sort of a mindreader. When I e-mailed Virgil earlier today I mentioned the idea of pivoting it down horizontally.. thinking some sort of a hinge with a locking pin might be possible. I do use that small bumper storage area for my Marinco 30 amp power cord. So, it would be nice to have full access to that storage area.

As far as carrying a spare under one of the sofa beds, I suspect I may not want to waste any of the "extra" storage I have in my 22 ft BF when we travel to Mexico. Hah!.. we may need to carry all the drinking water we can! It will work out great if I get Virgil's carrier installed before the trip.. Larry
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