Just a heads up - spare tire u-bolt broke

OLEJOE

OLEJOE

Member
While washing our TT and doing a little PM, I was going to check the u-bolts that go around the rear bumper to hold the spare carrier. I put the wrench on the first nut and with less than 15 in.lbs. of pressure on the nut twisted it into. U-bolt broke right where the bend is to go around behind the bumper. The other bend was cracked pretty bad too but the other u-bolt looked ok. I’ll be replacing both. Thought I would just mention it as something to watch for.
 
yeah, when I rode Harley's we used to say RTS FTS... same thing applies to tow vehicles... Ride the $#!+. fix the $#!+.

I been going thru my truck and RV the last couple months making sure it will be ready for this season.
new tires on RV. fixing dumb little stuff in the trailer..
truck I did the thermostat, belt and water pump and all the fluids.
noticed the pressure hose on the ps pump was damp, not leaking, so it got a new pressure hose.
also noticed the left front wheel bearing was exhibiting some play, so it got a new hub assembly..

its either that or have it break down in Nobnoster MO or Germfask MI.... because those are the sort of places vehicles crap out.
they don't break at home.
 
Yeah seems like something always needs fixing but I would rather do it at home where if I can’t get the parts immediately it’s no biggie. Just trying to get the rv cleaned up and tightened up.

And hopefully ready to ride.
 
I didn't like my tire being on the cargo rack, didn't like that it was only a few inches above the road when the rack was down, and didn't like giving up 50 pounds of capacity on the rack, so it rides in the truck bed.

Actually, it has been riding in the truck bed for something like 6 months now. I keep forgetting to take it out and stash it back in the garage. I have a cover on the bed, so at least it isn't sitting out in the sun.
 
Yeah I don’t like mine being on the back bumper either. It’s out of the way but also out of sight. It’s just a miracle that I was going to check the bolts. Both sides of the one bolt were cracked where it made the 90 degree turn.
 
S
MSCH said:
Germfask Mi is a real place... and many years ago I was with one of my unprepared freinds with his small RV and that is where we got a flat tire.. we had no spare and no jack... https://www.google.com/maps/place/G...249424!4d-85.9259637!16zL20vMHZwcnM?entry=ttu
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So far, knock on wood, I haven’t had any tire problems as long as we’ve been RVing. Been RVING for 5 years so far. I know that’s not very long but we get antsy wanting to get in the highway. Im no seasoned pro when it comes to RV’s. I drove class 8’s for 40 years though and know the importance of pre and post inspections and preventative maintenance.
 
OLEJOE said:
Yeah I don’t like mine being on the back bumper either. It’s out of the way but also out of sight. It’s just a miracle that I was going to check the bolts. Both sides of the one bolt were cracked where it made the 90 degree turn.
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The spare probably wouldn't have rode many more miles. Is your cabled or chained to the carrier?
 
Wayne said:
That's not a great place to be unprepared.
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nope... nothing there... nothing near there either. I think we spent the better part of a day and a tank of gas finding a tire while leaving the trailer on ths side of the road.... might have found the tire near Saint Ignace.. that was a long time ago... I don't travel like that but my crew does... they probably still do
 
Wayne said:
The spare probably wouldn't have rode many more miles. Is your cabled or chained to the carrier?
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No it’s not. The carrier is attached to the rear bumper with 2 4.5” ubolts. The tire is bolted to the carrier. The carrier has a lip on the top of it that carries the weight with the aid of the bumper. I have a good bit of room in the front between the propane bottles and the battery. I think Im going to try to figure out something in that area.
 
anything hanging off the back of a trailer is subject to bouncing around.... then some of the trailers are so cheesy it makes you wonder how the heck it will stay there anyway... maybe if you could get that tire up there by the propane bottles it would be a better, if there is room.
 
MSCH said:
anything hanging off the back of a trailer is subject to bouncing around.... then some of the trailers are so cheesy it makes you wonder how the heck it will stay there anyway... maybe if you could get that tire up there by the propane bottles it would be a better, if there is room.
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That’s what I’m going to look into. Like you said, the rear of the trailer takes a beating.
 
Last fall I was just north of Cedar Rapids, IA on I-380 heading toward my home town. A spare tire came off of a car trailer in the slow lane 1/4 mile in front of me. Luckily, I happened to see it come off. There was a semi in the fast lane just in front of me. The tire bounced about 50' in the air, landed right in front of the semi and bounced again right over the semi. I had slammed my brakes on and passed the tire in a 20' bounce. I watched it in my rear-view mirror, it came to rest in the fast lane, just laying there waiting for someone to hit it.

I had to gather myself after that incident and I promise you the truck driver had to clean his shorts.
 
Wayne said:
Last fall I was just north of Cedar Rapids, IA on I-380 heading toward my home town. A spare tire came off of a car trailer in the slow lane 1/4 mile in front of me. Luckily, I happened to see it come off. There was a semi in the fast lane just in front of me. The tire bounced about 50' in the air, landed right in front of the semi and bounced again right over the semi. I had slammed my brakes on and passed the tire in a 20' bounce. I watched it in my rear-view mirror, it came to rest in the fast lane, just laying there waiting for someone to hit it.

I had to gather myself after that incident and I promise you the truck driver had to clean his shorts.
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when a tire comes off a moving vehicle it accelerates.. literally passes whatever it came off of... its something to behold..
 
MSCH said:
when a tire comes off a moving vehicle it accelerates.. literally passes whatever it came off of... its something to behold..
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Always thought that phenomenon had to do with the vehicle it came off of slowing down in a hurry and the tire doesn't?
 
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