Spare tire rack for HF framed teardrop

[DJ Davis]

So, after a year of camping and either (foolishly) not having a spare tire or just tossing it in the back of the SUV, I finally got around to making a new under the rear frame storage rack to accommodate the 24" spare tire. It is similar in function to the original I made from electrical conduit, but I upgraded to 3/16" thick 1-1/2" angle iron. Pic 1 is a view of the rack upside-down. Pics 2-5 are various angles. Pic six is the tire in position on the rack before mounting. Pics 7 & 8 are the rack mounted on the trailer frame and tire in storage position. Pic 9 is the rack lifted and locked into position via padlock and 3/8" pin with Kotter key retainer. Clearance is about 9-1/2" at the front and 11" at the rear. The final step will be to make some type of shield for the tire to protect it from road debris. My idea is to find a semi-trailer mudflap on the side of the road and affix it to the front of the rack and angle it up and forward to the axle.

[Zach]

Nice, I like it! I'm guilty of living dangeriously and not carrying a spare. Our Scotty has one now, hanging underneath. Your setup is better though - you don't have to crawl around in the dirt to loosen any lug nuts from underneath.

[matmore74]

Wow, I would Patent and try to sell the idea to name-brand places after you patent it.

[DJ Davis]

Matt,

Thanks for the "thumbs up." Doing a patent for this is WAAAAY too much hassle! This forum (and tnttt) are for the home builders and we try to share as much as we can to help others realize their dreams (read: camper). True, these "dreams" can morph into nightmares, but that's one of the reasons they're called "teardrop" campers. If you didn't cry at least once during your build because of a mistake or mis-measure, well, you're a better man than I!

DJ
LSCD

[Camper Chris]

Nice, I like it! I'm guilty of living dangeriously and not carrying a spare. Our Scotty has one now, hanging underneath. Your setup is better though - you don't have to crawl around in the dirt to loosen any lug nuts from underneath.

DJ's spare tire rack is HUGE improvement over what came on my T@G. It came with two bolts hanging down from under the frame/front box. When I tried to mount my spare there, I was disappointed by two discoveries. 1 - the bolts provided by the manufacturer are not the same thread as the tire lug nuts/bolts - not a huge deal but, what the "bleep!" 2 - it's nearly impossible for a guy of reasonable strength to hold the spare up and in place while lying on his back to put the spare (or flat) back under the camper and tighten the bolts. My solution was to go to the Tractor Supply store and buy a spare tire holder that bolts to the passenger side (no traffic to worry about running you over). You can also see that I replaced the box and mounted an auxiliary fuel can.

All it needs is a really nice TearJerker themed spare tire cover - - Hint