RV Spare Tire Mount – Do You Need One?

A spare tire is pretty important insurance when you’re driving or towing an RV. You’ve got lots of tires to concern yourself with, and tire blowouts aren’t as uncommon as we’d all like. The other issue is the fact that, depending on the size of the tires on your RV, you may have difficulty locating a replacement if you need one. For this reason, carrying a spare can be important. If you don’t have a built-in spare carrier on (or under) your RV, you may want to consider an RV spare tire mount. Let’s check them out…

Why Should We Carry a Spare Tire?

We all know that a spare tire is a form of insurance. Those of us who carry a spare tire do so to be prepared in the event of a blowout, flat, or another form of damage to one of our RV (or vehicle) tires.

Generally speaking, we carry a spare in case we’re stranded and need to replace a tire in order to get back on the road.

Many travelers who don’t carry a spare tire rely on a solid roadside assistance plan to come to the rescue in the unfortunate event of a tire blowout or flat. While roadside assistance plans are fantastic, (and we certainly have one that we’ve trusted for many years ourselves), there are a couple of potential problems with relying solely on roadside assistance.

The first is the unlikely but real possibility that a traveler could be stranded in a remote area where there’s no cell signal, hampering your ability to contact your roadside service company.

And the second is a bit of a newer problem, but it’s a real problem nonetheless. In the past couple of years, it’s become more and more difficult to get RV tires. Because some sizes aren’t readily available in all areas, there’s a possibility that if your rig has a blowout and you don’t have a spare, your roadside service, instead of simply coming out and replacing your tire, may instead have to tow your rig to a nearby shop where you’ll have to wait for the appropriate tire to arrive. This could take days or longer. (We’ve not experienced this ourselves – we’ve only read about it happening. But with supply and shipping issues ongoing, it’s certainly a possibility.)

So, though not everyone chooses to carry a spare tire and it’s not even practical for some (including owners of big rigs like ours), depending on how and where you travel, you may want to carry a spare. This post is really for those travelers who want to carry a spare but don’t have the means to do so for one reason or another.

Do RVs Come With Spare Tires?

No – not all RVs come with spare tires, (including ours), but many do. Sometimes you see them mounted on the rear or, less commonly, even the front of an RV or travel trailer. And sometimes you can’t see them at all. This is because they may be mounted under the rig.

However, newer RVs often don’t come with spare tires, jacks, or tire-changing tools. This is why RVers who want a spare may need to find a way to mount it to the rig. This is where the RV spare tire mount comes into play.

What Is an RV Spare Tire Mount?

An RV spare tire mount is simply a way to carry a spare tire on your RV. There are a variety of ways to mount a spare, and the best way really depends on the RV itself.

Can You Mount a Spare Tire on Any RV?

You can mount a spare tire on almost any RV, though it’s unnecessary to do so in some circumstances, particularly with certain rigs. We’ll get into that shortly. First, let’s take a look at some of the most common types of RV spare tire mounts.

Different Types of RV Spare Tire Mounts

Depending on the type of RV you have (Class A, Class B, Class C, travel trailer, 5th wheel, etc.,), there are various types of spare tire mounts available for the optimal mounting of a tire to your rig.

Hitch-Mounted Spare Tire Mount

A hitch-mounted spare tire mount is an easy way to mount a spare tire onto your RV. If you’ve got a hitch receiver on your rig, this type of mount simply requires the purchase of a mount that fits your hitch receiver.

For example, this hitch-mounted spare tire mount from CURT fits a standard 2” receiver. You’d simply attach the mount to your hitch and mount your spare tire to it. This mount would also work with a hitch receiver located at the front of a truck or travel trailer.

CURT High Trailer Hitch Spare Tire Mount for 2” Receiver

Trailer Tongue Spare Tire Mount

A trailer tongue spare tire mount fits on the tongue of a travel trailer or rear bumper. They’re lightweight, so they don’t add a lot of weight to your rig (which can be important to ensure you don’t exceed the hitch/tongue weight capacity of your towing vehicle).

This Camco Eaz-Lift tire carrier, for example, weighs only five pounds. It fits bumpers and trailer tongues up to 6” tall and 3.5” wide.

Camco Eaz-Lift Spare Tire Carrier

Retractable Spare Tire Mount

Retractable spare tire mounts sit under the RV and have a telescopic design allowing the tire to slide out from its central mounting location under the rig.

This Retract-a-Spare from BAL RV Products, for example, mounts under the frame rails and is capable of fitting frame widths from 52” to 72”.

This particular mount can handle tires up to 16.5”, (wheel and tire). Interestingly, one reviewer noted that he’s carried a 72-pound tire on this retractable mount over a couple of long trips and has found it durable and capable. The mount itself weighs 20 pounds.

BAL Retract-a-Spare

Front Mount Spare Tire Carrier

Some RVs, travel trailers, and trucks are best suited to carrying a spare tire on a front-mounted carrier. In fact, some people who haul a travel trailer with a truck choose to front-mount a spare tire carrier to their truck, rather than mount a spare on/under their camper, in order to avoid any issues with the weight being added to the trailer/hitch.

This front mount spare tire carrier from Draw-Tite fits a standard 2” hitch receiver, and actually has many excellent reviews for both front and rear-mount carrying experiences, including from off-roaders. That said, it’s designed to be a front mount carrier and, according to reviewers, while it works for some rear-mount applications, it won’t work for all.

Draw-Tite 6715 Front Mount Spare Tire Carrier

Heavy Duty RV Spare Tire Carrier

Some rigs require the use of a heavy-duty RV spare tire carrier. A large Class A RV, for example, would be well-served with a carrier like the Roadmaster Spare Tire Carrier with its spring-loaded, auto-latching features and heavy-duty (10,000 lb. max) capacity.

The Roadmaster spare tire carrier is designed to pivot for easy access to rear compartments, and mounts into a standard 2” receiver hitch. This carrier accommodates 16”, 16.5”, 19.5”, 22.5”, and 24” wheels.

While most RVers certainly aren’t going to change a 24” wheel on the side of the road, what this heavy-duty carrier does is guarantee that when your roadside assistance service arrives, you’ll have a tire ready to go.

Roadmaster Spare Tire Carrier

A Spare Tire Is a Form of Insurance

Not every RVer wants or needs to carry a spare tire. If you travel mostly along paved roads in the central part of everywhere, you’ll likely be able to reach your roadside assistance service to come out in the event of a blowout or flat. If they have a tire to fit your rig in stock, you’ll be back on the road in no time. If not, they may have to tow you to a shop that can order a tire for you.

But if you travel off-road or in very remote locations, or if you’re heading up the ALCAN Highway on your dream Alaska road trip, you’ll want a spare tire for sure. All of these options are available to you, covering just about any RV.

A spare tire allows you to carry a tire that guarantees that you’ll have your own tire in stock should you need one.

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