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Topic: Spare Tire Mounting (Read 20 times) previous topic - next topic
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Spare Tire Mounting
Yahoo Message Number: 97193
I have a 2004 LD MB, the spare tire is in a side compartment.  My nice recliner doesn't fit in the other compartments.  I am wondering if anyone has ever taken that fake tire cover off & actually put the spare tire there.  I'd rather be able to put my chair in than have their fake tire cover.

Any thoughts or experience on this subject? ? ? ?
2004 MB

Spare Tire Mounting
Reply #1
Yahoo Message Number: 97195
Sorry but I don't think that it will work.  The tire will go under the fake cover only it it extends into the internal part of the rig.  As I recall, the 23 TK and the 26 RB have the tire in there.  Both have a cabinet of some sort along the rear wall that provides space for the tire.
 I was interested in doing some "shelves" to install under the fake cover so went to the factory to look at the back panels.  It appears that all (or at least most) LD models use the same back panel and it has a cutout for the tire.  On the MB an external plywood sheet covers this hole.

Doug

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re: Spare Tire Mounting
Reply #2
Yahoo Message Number: 97199
"I am wondering if  anyone has ever taken that fake tire cover off & actually put the spare tire there."

No, because it won't fit--otherwise the factory would have put the spare there. :-) They had to move the tire to the side compartment when they added foot room in the cab, pushing everything back six inches or so. That eliminated the boxed-in space in the rear wall (identifiable by the shelf just below the rear window that runs all the way across the coach in earlier models), and thus left no room for the spare under the tire cover. Many of us would have preferred that they stretch the coach six inches to accommodate the spare in its traditional location, but for whatever reasons, they didn't.
 All that said, the space under the tire cover can be used for storage if you apply a little ingenuity. Some have built shelves there; I put in a few cuphooks and used them to hold a bungee net that contains spare bedding (in sealed plastic bags) for when I have house guests.
Have you tried your recliner to see whether it fits under the tire cover?

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"

Re: Spare Tire Mounting
Reply #3
Yahoo Message Number: 97205
Quote
I have a 2004 LD MB, the spare tire is in a side compartment.  My nice recliner doesn't fit in the other compartments.  I am wondering if anyone has ever taken that fake tire cover off
Sorry to say, I want to add yet another discouraging word.
 LD had the spare mounted on the after wall in the past, but the wall was remodeled.  Not only is the space too thin, I fear the wall itself is no longer stiff enough to carry a spare.

John

Re: Spare Tire Mounting
Reply #4
Yahoo Message Number: 97209
Quote
Any thoughts or experience on this subject? ? ? ?
One solution to carrying oversized items, as long as you don't use your hitch for other purposes, is a cargo carrier. Either a basic one where you cover your stuff with a waterproof cover, or one of the box type. I use a basic one then cover my stuff with a bar-b-que grill cover. A lawnmower cover works as well. Both are inexpensive and fairly weather proof. Per the Lazy Daze staff & my research, if you keep the weight of the carrier + stuff to less than 2/3 of the tongue weight rating of the hitch you'll be OK. I set my limit at 50% of tongue weight just to be real certain. That's 175#. Attached a chain & turnbuckle arrangement at each end of the carrier framework then attached that to the RV frame. This chain/turnbuckle arrangement essentially eliminated any movement of the carrier.
I'd leave the heavy tire where it is and put lighter, bulky things on the carrier.

Ed

Re: Spare Tire Mounting
Reply #5
Yahoo Message Number: 97212
"Not only is the space too thin, I fear the wall itself is no longer stiff enough to carry a spare."

That's an excellent point, John--it hadn't even occurred to me, but I'll bet you're right. That spare is HEAVY, and even if it would fit under the tire cover, I wouldn't want to risk mounting it there without first checking with the factory to see whether the wall could stand the strain.

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"


Re: Spare Tire Mounting
Reply #7
Yahoo Message Number: 97225
"I think Ed has some serious problems on 'quality' since I bought my first LD in 1992. This is my second, but I am now wondering if they are still thinking quality is important."
 The fact that Lazy Daze didn't completely redesign the coach instead of simply relocating the tire was not a quality issue; it was a design decision. Some of us would have chosen differently, but that has nothing to do with quality. I think most owners in this group agree that LD's overall quality continues to be as good as always, and the company has been forthright in addressing the handful of problems that have arisen (such as the loosening of cosmetic end caps).
 With regard to your annoying squeak, have you tightened the nuts that hold the coach to the frame? In other cases like yours (including my own midbath), tightening those nuts has cured the problem. Again, this is not a quality issue; it's routine maintenance. Those nuts need to be retightened periodically, as explained in your owner's manual.

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"


Re: Spare Tire Mounting
Reply #9
Yahoo Message Number: 97238
"I think I had some defective material, as it was threadbare in the first 6 months"

I agree that that's very unusual; in fact, I've never heard of it happening in such a short span of time. Sounds as if perhaps you did get some defective material.
 If you happen to have my Eureka 2 CD-ROM, it has a pattern for a very easy to make armrest cover that fits the cab seats, should you wish to protect them from further wear. :-)

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/eureka
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"

Re: Spare Tire Mounting
Reply #10
Yahoo Message Number: 97247
On Nov 12, 2008, at 11:51 PM, ariestar50 wrote:

Quote
  So needless to say, I still have an annoying squeeking of the floor every time I walk past the closet.  I am very disappointed in LD because of this.
Next time I will go with another manufacturer.

Ariestar50 (names are nice), I too have a squeaking floor in front of the dinette in my RB.  As a matter of fact, I even considered posting about it to see if anyone had a similar situation.  I consider it a curiosity and have learned to live with it.  But "disappointed with Lazy Daze" because of it? Going "with another manufacturer" because of it?  'Fraid not!  In an SOB, the floor would probably separate and you might fall right through it.  Imagine!!
2003 RB

Re: Spare Tire Mounting
Reply #11
Yahoo Message Number: 97249
A correction to something I said in an earlier message: I referred to "loosening of cosmetic end caps." I should have been more specific: in 1999 and earlier LDs, the end caps were not just cosmetic--there was bare wood underneath, so if they loosened, water damage could result.
However, it's still true that "the company has been forthright in addressing the problems." Rigs that are taken to the factory for service are routinely checked for end-cap debonding even if the owners don't mention it as a problem, and if necessary, the caps are resealed at no charge.

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"

Re: Squeaking Floors
Reply #12
Yahoo Message Number: 97252
Quote
On Nov 12, 2008, at 11:51 PM, ariestar50 wrote:
"So needless to say, I still have an annoying squeeking of the floor every time I walk past the closet.  I am very disappointed in LD because of this. Next time I will go with another manufacturer."

Quote


"Ariestar50 (names are nice), I too have a squeaking floor in front of the dinette in my RB.  As
a matter of fact, I even considered posting about it to see if anyone had a similar situation.  I consider it a curiosity and have learned
 
Quote
to live with it.  But "disappointed with Lazy Daze" because of
it?
 
Quote
Going "with another manufacturer" because of it?  'Fraid not!  In
an SOB, the floor would probably separate and you might fall right

Quote
through it.  Imagine!!"
Go to messages 80724, 80767 and 80781 for squeak fixes.

Chris
Formerly: 2002 30' IB