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Old 03-25-2015, 09:53 PM   #1
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Spare tire mounting on Vegas

Finally found a wheel and mounted the spare tire underside in the space provided. Close fit, but did sit in the space nicely. I used a 2x6 mounted to the channel frame with 1/4" lag screws. The front area of the tire to rest on the 2x6. The rear area rest on the tow hitch member. The tire is clamped down with perforated hanger strapping and 1/4" machine scr's, washers, nuts. No drilling was required for the mounting. The only draw back from my point of view is that the tire and wheel are quite heavy. Maybe weighing in around 60-70 lbs. and an old dude like me had a time leveraging it into place.

The total cost of tire, wheel and mounting came to around $200. It may not be worth the time and money for some who don't travel in remote areas. For me, it is more of a convenience and independence than anything. I would not want to wait for hours in a remote area for a tire repair. I have a tow and emerg. road service thru CoachNet, but they only pay for changing a tire, not mounting a tire. A neighbor of mine had to call a tire repair out to his coach and the charge was over $100 for mounting the tire. Maybe some folks on the forum have had a tire changed and can jump in with some info tire mounting.

Below is where I bought the wheel. I don't have any connection to the company other than being a customer. It was the best price I could find. The dually rims are not as easy to find around my neck of the woods as I thought they would be.

steel-16x6-wheel-rim-3872

Below is a pic of the installation.

Click image for larger version

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Old 03-25-2015, 10:41 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by mcr1010
I have a tow and emerg. road service thru CoachNet, but they only pay for changing a tire, not mounting a tire.
Check your Thor paperwork: I think they provide free road service in lieu of a spare tire. I know I saw it in there somewhere.
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Old 03-25-2015, 10:50 PM   #3
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Nice idea. You might also want to think about a spare tire inflation hose like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Masters-...+inflator+hose

That way you can keep the tire checked or topped off at the same time you fill your other tires and not have to crawl under the RV to do it.
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Old 03-25-2015, 11:43 PM   #4
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I always carry a plug kit and air compressor. Paranoid perhaps but it has saved me before
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Old 03-26-2015, 12:23 AM   #5
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Can that wheel be used in any location?

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Old 03-26-2015, 12:31 AM   #6
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On the E350/E450, the wheel should be able to be used anywhere. For the outside wheel on the dually, you simply reverse it.

Some Class A's I suppose might have different wheels depending on position, especially if they are custom aluminum wheels. Otherwise, I'd guess they can be used on any position as well.
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Old 03-26-2015, 03:32 AM   #7
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I read in the Ford manual that Ford has a tire assistance program with my Vegas
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Old 03-26-2015, 01:03 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by FW28z View Post
Nice idea. You might also want to think about a spare tire inflation hose like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Masters-...+inflator+hose

That way you can keep the tire checked or topped off at the same time you fill your other tires and not have to crawl under the RV to do it.
I have often thought of something like that but given my poor experience with leaky extenders, I'm not a fan.

I figure I have the spare so the guy that comes from good sam... (or coachnet, AAA, etc...) will have options besides selling me an overpriced tire. If it's flat, I can fill it with the compressor I carry around, or better yet that guy will have an even better compressor....


To the OP.... nice job! and creative using lumber. That works
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Old 03-26-2015, 01:29 PM   #9
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That is nice to know about Ford having road side service. From what I read, it does have limitations etc., tow distance, mounted tire like some other tow services. I did like the $200 mentioned toward repairs if I read that correctly.
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Old 08-28-2015, 12:04 AM   #10
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Thanks all for the info!
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Old 08-28-2015, 12:08 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by mcr1010 View Post
That is nice to know about Ford having road side service. From what I read, it does have limitations etc., tow distance, mounted tire like some other tow services. I did like the $200 mentioned toward repairs if I read that correctly.
Ford motorhome roadside assistance is 800-444-3311. This is a different number than the one listed in the manual.
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Old 08-29-2015, 12:12 AM   #12
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Mr. Naïve here, is the Vegas on an E350 or an E450 chassis? And what would be the problem of mounting a spare "Continental Style" up off the rear bumper?
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Old 08-29-2015, 12:30 AM   #13
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Fair questions. Vegas is on a E350 chassis. There was a thread a few months ago with opinions about what if Thor built a Vegas on the E 450

To me, that bumper doesn't look sturdy enough to hold a spare tire. On the 25.2, a spare there would block access to the rear storage.
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Old 08-29-2015, 12:43 AM   #14
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Mr. S,

Thanks for the clarification, E350 it is.

Yeah, I see the rear bumper as a bit of a light weight. I have been thinking of redoing it with something a little more stout, with an optional opening on the end so as to store the stinky slinky and then having a spare tire mount or a permanent bike mount or two. On the 24.1 there is nothing but a lot of plywood/fiberglass panel back there.

Just thinking right now. DW hates it when I start drilling holes in things!
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Old 09-14-2015, 11:19 PM   #15
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2015 Thor Windsport K27 wheel size?

When we purchased our motor home I asked about a spare wheel and tire and was told that the front wheels are a different size than the rear wheels. Can anyone confirm this? If so, why would they make them different?
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Old 09-14-2015, 11:57 PM   #16
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We have a Thor Vegas 25.2. We had them install the spare tire in the same location. They (camp wrld) welded a bar with bolts to screw the tire to. Getting it down (or up) would be hard.
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Old 09-18-2015, 10:13 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by Metalman View Post
When we purchased our motor home I asked about a spare wheel and tire and was told that the front wheels are a different size than the rear wheels. Can anyone confirm this? If so, why would they make them different?
I have personally never run across this. They have always been the same size. Sales people normally talk out their arse because their head knows better. Simply check the size on the tire of front and back.
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Old 09-18-2015, 11:15 AM   #18
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I have personally never run across this. They have always been the same size. Sales people normally talk out their arse because their head knows better. Simply check the size on the tire of front and back.
The tires are the same size but I was told by the service people that the front and rear wheels are different sizes (width). Before I purchased the MH I insisted that they rotate the tires front to back because there was a bit of wear on the outside edges of the front tires. After they rotated them, I was told that they had to dismount the tires from the rims, since the rims are not the same back to front. To me this sounds ridiculous.
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Old 09-18-2015, 11:40 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Metalman
I was told that they had to dismount the tires from the rims, since the rims are not the same back to front.
Doesn't sound ridiculous to me: The front wheels aren't meant to be mounted on dually's thus they had to remove the tire and remount it on one of the dually wheels and vice versa.
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Old 09-18-2015, 12:32 PM   #20
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Yep. I had an F350 with dual wheels and they would rotate front - left to right and same with the back but could not (would not) rotate front to back. Could not, would not - does that sound like Dr. Seuss?
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