Enthusiast II
Nice! So, is that a permanent installation for your rig? Any suggestions for how to lift and attach the tire to the carrier - does it take two persons?
Need advice to safely lift heavy spare tire on and off rooftop rack outside of garage (low ceiling)
- Thread starter Craigoh
- Start date
madcratebuilder
Rank V
Pathfinder I
Enthusiast II
Well, I bought the Wilco swing out tire carrier to carry a second spare, but it was very heavy and awkward to mount. I threw my back out trying to mount it - right after loading all my gear for a trip with friends to Death Valley. Trip cancelled. Bummer! Sold the carrier to a younger, more fit, lucky guy via Craigslist.
Some folks have recommended a patch kit instead. Does that really suffice, or can you get larger cuts that aren’t repairable? (Thinking back to the days when my dad often got blowouts, but tires are obviously much improved since then. I’m riding on KO2’s.)
Some folks have recommended a patch kit instead. Does that really suffice, or can you get larger cuts that aren’t repairable? (Thinking back to the days when my dad often got blowouts, but tires are obviously much improved since then. I’m riding on KO2’s.)
If the picture is of your vehicle then it looks as if the tyre on the ground is HT, so your first step is to change to ATs - which you have done.
The next question, as others have asked, is whether you need a second spare? After 3 "big trips" South America, Africa, Australia (139,000 Km in a total of 30 months) we have concluded (more details on request) that a second tyre is just not necessary. If you're planning a trans-Sahara trip away from all infrastructure for a month or two, maybe, but otherwise it's more weight and inconvenience.
Also as others have said - get a repair kit and a compressor (which can be small and light) and don;t take a second spare.
The next question, as others have asked, is whether you need a second spare? After 3 "big trips" South America, Africa, Australia (139,000 Km in a total of 30 months) we have concluded (more details on request) that a second tyre is just not necessary. If you're planning a trans-Sahara trip away from all infrastructure for a month or two, maybe, but otherwise it's more weight and inconvenience.
Also as others have said - get a repair kit and a compressor (which can be small and light) and don;t take a second spare.
So the spare is on the roof, surely you have a plan to get it down when you have a flat on a trail ?
Enthusiast II
Well, as a matter of fact, if someone wants to organize an overland trip to Tierra del Fuego, I’m in!
I became concerned to carry a second spare when overlanding very far from civilization in northwest Nevada. We did not encounter another person in three days of remote desert mountain travel. My buddy tore up a tire on a hidden, sharp piece of steel embedded in the road near a mining site. Our wheels were not compatible (Different hole patterns.) He often scouts remote locations solo, and carries a second spare inside his Pathfinder, so knowing that was a relief. But - putting the tire inside the vehicle does take up a lot of room, so there’s that.
I will get a patch kit and hope for the best! Thanks for your advice. And I envy your world travels.
Member III
I 100% empathize with your concerns about ruining trips from an early flat. I've mentioned before that I had an entire fun day with my son ruined once because of a flat.
However, I can't think of very many options that would be safe for you. Wrestling a tire on and off a rim to do an aggressive temporary repair--internal patch or even sewing a tear shut--is not easy work. Wrestling a tire on and off the roof is probably even more dangerous, even if theoretically simpler.
Question..... was it not possible to simply have somebody else mount the hitch carrier for you? Or, did your injury mounting the hitch carrier make you worry that you'd likely get just as injured messing with the spare itself?
Finally, what about a donut spare? A 35lb donut should be a lot easier for you to wrestle onto and off the roof (or be small enough to just toss in the back with the rest of your gear). At least this way you can carry 5x full-sized tires, and if you end up destroying two beyond repair (which is incredibly unlikely), at least you'll have a way to make it to a nearby town or something to get a more suitable tire for the return trip.
However, I can't think of very many options that would be safe for you. Wrestling a tire on and off a rim to do an aggressive temporary repair--internal patch or even sewing a tear shut--is not easy work. Wrestling a tire on and off the roof is probably even more dangerous, even if theoretically simpler.
Question..... was it not possible to simply have somebody else mount the hitch carrier for you? Or, did your injury mounting the hitch carrier make you worry that you'd likely get just as injured messing with the spare itself?
Finally, what about a donut spare? A 35lb donut should be a lot easier for you to wrestle onto and off the roof (or be small enough to just toss in the back with the rest of your gear). At least this way you can carry 5x full-sized tires, and if you end up destroying two beyond repair (which is incredibly unlikely), at least you'll have a way to make it to a nearby town or something to get a more suitable tire for the return trip.
Enthusiast II
Ii tally, I did successfully mount the spare tire carrier on my own. But, I got hurt the last time I tried to mount it. Didn’t want a permanent installation. My wife hated having the hitch mounted tire, because it blocked the backup camera. Also, even though the Wilco has a receiver for a bike rack, mine didn’t fit. I have a special Thule bike carrier for our ebikes, which are heavy and so you need a specialized carrier for ebikes.
Hey, a donut spare is a great idea! That I could indeed lift onto my Yakima Warrior roof rack, no problem. Then I would have two spares, one full size and one donut. Thanks!
This is the key point. Destroying two tyres beyond repair is very, very, unlikely.
I thought I'd add some more information and explain why we now don't now carry a second spare.
On this type of trip our experience is three "big trips" and lots of shorter trips (anything from a weekend to a few weeks - Botswana, RSA, Zimbabwe, North Africa, Central Africa, North, Central, and South America, Asia, Europe). On the shorter trips we've had one puncture in the last three decades (deep Sahara on very sharp "heat-treated" shards of rock), and have never taken or needed a second spare.
On our 11 months around South America we had 5 punctures - two were sharp rocks on an unsurfaced "road" in Bolivia (the second 13 Km after the first - we repaired the first, the second tyre was destroyed), the others were due to sharp metal debris on the highways. The main highways are often littered with nails, bolts, and other debris.We took only one spare, and the only time we ended up having to travel with none (the second puncture in Bolivia) we had to travel a couple of hundred Km on the same "road" - I agree that this was a bit worrying, however had we experienced another unrepairable puncture we'd still have been able to deal with it by hitching a ride to the nearest town etc., Although there was very little traffic (a vehicle every 50 Km or so) we could have sorted it out in a couple of days. We had no further punctures prior to replacing the spare.
On our last "big trip" in Africa we had zero punctures in 45,000 Km (Nairobi to Cape Town and back, with a lot of travel in remote areas). We carried two spares and needed none at all. We did have trouble with punctures in a vehicle we rented in Uganda for a week when we were having our own vehicle serviced - the tyres were in poor shape, however on our own vehicle, with good tyres, we had no punctures at all.
On our most recent "big trip" (Australia, including GRR, Simpson, a lot of gravel and sand) we had one puncture in 45,000 Km, on a rough gravel road. We carried a second spare for part of the trip (WA government advice for the GRR) and never needed it.
So, our view now is that carrying a second spare uses up space, adds more weight and lifts the CoG (or puts the weight at the rear of the vehicle adding to polar moment of inertia and leverage on the rear suspension), and is really unnecessary. We've never actually had to use a second spare in the last 40 years. On a risk-weighted basis the chances of two punctures both of which destroy a tyre are so low as to be negligible.
As long as your tyres are appropriate and in good condition, you carry a repair kit (and know how to use it) and a compressor, I believe you'll be fine with one spare.
Influencer II
To get it up:
Use a 12' motorcycle ramp to roll it up.
Winch it up into a tree and drive under it.
Ask a neighbor to just lift it up there.
Roll it up the front bumper, across the hood, and walk right up the windshield.
I'd just winch it up in my garage and back under it.
To get it down:
Climb up on the roof and simply kick it off. Try to bounce it in a direction where it won't go too far.
Your only real concern is getting it down, you don't have to put anything back up there in the middle of a trip.
Use a 12' motorcycle ramp to roll it up.
Winch it up into a tree and drive under it.
Ask a neighbor to just lift it up there.
Roll it up the front bumper, across the hood, and walk right up the windshield.
I'd just winch it up in my garage and back under it.
To get it down:
Climb up on the roof and simply kick it off. Try to bounce it in a direction where it won't go too far.
Your only real concern is getting it down, you don't have to put anything back up there in the middle of a trip.
buy a vehicle with lighter tires you can safely handle
I've never had a flat in a convenient spot
get AAA
I've never had a flat in a convenient spot
get AAA
This is a old Baja tire trick, carry a tube as a last ditch, get back to the world, not safe but better than nothing. Lean to dismount and mount tires. It is easier than you think. Saw a guy with a wired up sidewall and a tube limping back to the highway many years ago. I had a trip where I had flats on all the tires including the spare. only had two go south at the same time. the buddy driving into town also got a flat. trip was known as the "F ing tire trip"
Expedition Master III
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So as a 'workaround', my suggestion would be a HITCH MOUNTED tire carrier. This would address issues with your age, strength, and safety/ It also might address the 2nd tire not having to be removed from the vehicle, depending on your garages overall depth.
PS....******.I responded to this thread, without reading thru it. Looks like many of us, had the same idea.
..........great minds think the same!*****The WILCO design. is something I have thought about for my pick-up. Otherwise a swing out bumper ($$$$) seems to be the only other option. My 285x75x16 size tires weigh much more as my age climbs.
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