Hello, I have a decision to make. The integral steering box in my MC5 cuts into the spare tire compartment. Now I have to seriously consider putting that great big dirty, smelly round block of rubber in one of my precious storage bays. I really don't want to!
Can you consider one of the rear tires as a spare? It sounds like a bad idea, I know. but In my mind it is a perfect plan.
Viento,
My opinion. We go into some pretty remote areas. I wouldn't want to drive with a duel off. We even have a tag, but I still wouldn't want to drive very far, certainly at any high rates of speed, for any distance. We always have a fully mounted balanced spare, with us. That way we just have to call a service truck, or replace ourselves.
YMMV
God bless,
John
In 21 years of being an owner-operator 18 wheeler, I never carried a spare. If you have a blow out of a dual, just pump up the good tire to 110 lbs and go to the next truck stop at no faster than 50mph. Never had a steering tire blow out-was vigilant on inspecting and checking tire pressures on all tires at least once a week. Good Luck, TomC
viento in my coach there is no place for a spare tire so I do not worry about it
David
We did away with our spare several years ago. Where the spare tire was, is now a slide out tray for our water hoses and power cords.
If we have a tire problem, we plan to use raod service anyway. We can use a tag for a spare until we get to a truck tire place or have the road service bring us a tire (depending on price). We needed a new drive axle tire last fall and had road service bring one to us. We only paid about $25 more than a price I got from our local tire shiop after returned home. Jack
It sounds like I could probably limp to a truck stop with 1/2 a dually besides I have already thought of some great things to put in that compartment. One thing for sure would be an envelope with $500 :)
30 years & I never had a flat while on a trip, so I got complacent about carrying a spare.
Then I had 2 tire failures on 1 trip. :( Road debris killed the first & the firestone spare just did what firestones do best ;)
Yes, I checked the tires at EVERY stop. . . . Sometimes, you can't avoid a flat.
(The firestone blew 15 miles after a rest stop where I checked the whole tire, even the inner sidewall. No dry rot, checks, cracks, or buldges, just smooth & even tread wear.)
Anyway, to carry a spare or not is a personal choice.
Do you have time to wait for a new tire?
Do you have time to wait for the service truck?
Is your time limited & changing your own the best route?
etc.
For me, If I am physically able to change a tire, I want to have the choice. If time is short due to limited time off work & non transferable, prepaid reservations . . . . I'd rather change my own tire & minimize down time.
Once I retire, I'm sure my priorities will change.
Quote from: viento1 on February 03, 2009, 12:25:20 PM
One thing for sure would be an envelope with $500 :)
And exactly where do you park your bus? :D :D :D
Mine has $1000.00 in it. It's the one with the two red dobermans chained to front bumper.
Big john
Thanks, John! I think I'll pass! :D :D Mitch
We carry two spares. They hang behind the drivers and are commonly mistaken for bogies but in a pinch I can lift them and pull one off to use wherever it is needed. Or more accurately, Good Sam roadside service can pull one off and reinstall it wherever I tell them to. In that event we can then head on down the road well within our load range on the remaining tires and, if necessary, repeat the process with the remaining spare from the other side. If the OTR trucks don't carry a spare I don't think I'm that much smarter that I need to carry one and I seem to have lots of stuff to fill the space that I don't use to carry a spare tire. YMMV
Follow the truckers!
There are tire services right across the continent, whichever came first, the trucks with no spares or the tire services....Doesn't matter at this point, we get to benefit!
If you run a name brand tire or reman, the 1-800 number gets you straightened out in short order.
And most of these services are layered, the same guy goes out for Goodyear, Good Sam, ERS, State Farm, etc. A reputable service business will contract with a bunch of them.
In a more populated area, when you call for road side assistance, get them to cross reference to the tire guy you need and you get both birds with one stone. In the boonies, you might not get as much choice.
Swing around your local big tire place and get their info too so you are equipped.
It's easier for those of us with a tag axle to be cavalier about spares.... An MC5 only has 6 tires to begin with!
happy coaching!
buswarrior
What about those of us who have 12R 22.5's. When we needed a new tire, they weren't very avalible. Maybe it wouldn't be as big a deal if the tires were more common. If we had 11R's then I wouldn't take a spare.
God bless,
John
I totally understand all the arguments for and against carrying a spare. And everyone has a valid point.
However, I have and additional, slightly different outlook on this, especially as it pertains to two-axle, 35-foot coaches.
Weight distribution & collision protection.
With a 35-foot coach, and all that powertrain weight hung out behind the tail, having the spare up front helps put a little more weight on the steering axle. May not sound like much, but I've experienced a 4106 in revenue service before and after having a tire in the spare compartment, and there is a subtle difference in the handling without the extra weight - it's more prone to wandering.
I know folk will disagree on the collision protection, and I'm ok with that. But I still think having that wheel/tire combo right behind the bumper will help to absorb collision forces if you encounter a four-wheeler with significant force to bend the lower front end. All bets are off if it's another bus or 18-wheeler, however.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around Viento's comment that the integral steering box intrudes into the spare compartment. Somehow, to me anyway, that doesn't seem right. Everybody else has gone off on to carry or not carry, missing the reason behind asking the question. Didn't anybody else catch that??? A photo would really help here. . . hint, hint.
FWIW & HTH. . .
;)
I wondered about that too......i have plenty of room for a spare tire, (don't have a rim for it yet) spare air bags, and some carpet and cardboard for laying on the ground if i need to get under the bus to fix something.
I will grab a camera and snap a few pictures. I should start a new thread as it will likely stir up some interest with respect to integral steering conversions.
I carry a spare and wheel but plan to eliminate the wheel eventually. With Good Sam road service there is no reason to carry a wheel since they will change a tire on the road but will not furnish a tire.
I can use that wheel space to carry some more junk!!
I have all the equipment to change a wheel/tire but at my age that is a bit much on the side of the road. Anyway, that is the reason I have GS.
Well as usuall my case is different! We do carry mounted spares on all our coaches. But that is my preference! My thinking and it has been proved. Is that if I have a spare and then call the service truck and tell him look I got a load of people stranded here with a blow out, but I have a mounted tire all you need to do is remove the blown one and replace it with the mounted spare, I find that they will go out of their way to come by and assist you first rather than go to the trash truck with 2 blown duals and no spares! I've been in FL and called a service truck and had them tell me "it's gonna be 2-3 hrs before I can get to ya". Then they catch the part about the mounted spare and "did you say you got a mounted spare? Look I'll swing by there in XX mins. when I finish this one, but really I got 3-4 more jobs ahead of you but since yours is easy I'll get you going first!"
SO we always carry a good mounted spare, but then again with us it is a matter of getting the people back en-route to their destination ASAP!
;D BK ;D
You never need a spare until you need one. Just make sure to carry one on that day.
Keep in mind that if you decide to carry a spare you will need to carry the tools needed to change it. Depending on what tools you decide to carry they could take up considerable space also.
My 4104 has a spare and I will always carry it.
I also carry an air operated bottle jack,
1" air impact with impact sockets,
10ft 1/2" air hose and 25ft of 1/4" hose,
5 gal slave air tank,
1 run up block.
That way I have a choice to either change it myself or call road service.
.
Just because my spares are mounted as tags doesn't mean I don't carry the tools. I intend to call Good Sam roadside assistance but if they don't show up or show up with inadequate tools I've got 2 x 20 ton bottle jacks, a 1" impact, a 1" swing handle with a 4 foot snipe and lots of blocks.
Quote from: bigjohnkub on February 03, 2009, 01:32:26 PM
Mine has $1000.00 in it. It's the one with the two red dobermans chained to front bumper.
So, I get a grand AND two weeks' worth of adobo and calderetta? What a deal!
Quote from: viento1 on February 03, 2009, 11:17:02 AM
Hello, I have a decision to make. The integral steering box in my MC5 cuts into the spare tire compartment. Now I have to seriously consider putting that great big dirty, smelly round block of rubber in one of my precious storage bays. I really don't want to!
Can you consider one of the rear tires as a spare? It sounds like a bad idea, I know. but In my mind it is a perfect plan.
Will it fit with the air let out of it? Or if it's just the tire (no rim)? If so, this might be the solution -- but STORE the tire in your garage, only putting it in when you are hitting the road, so that it doesn't "take a set."
If you don't have the tools to change out the wheel, you're calling for road service anyway. The service call will cost a couple of hundred bux even if you have a spare. Since we have common tires on our coaches, it's no problem getting replacement tires, you just need to be able to pay the bill.
Drive and steer tires have different tread patterns, so they really aren't interchangeable except as a get-home tire (a spare might have any tread). Commercial truck owners who lose a steer tire will often call around for a discount on replacing BOTH steers, just so they will both be matching. This means a bigger total bill, but takes some of the bite out of it.
Losing a drive, though, is another story. Any tire the right size will work to get you home. Truck tire shops will nearly always have some good used tires, pulled from a truck getting a new set. So, if you are going to pick a tire for a spare, pick a steer tire.
Now, WE are different from trucks in that we spend a lot of time away from the highway, where there are more road hazards such as broken concrete, potholes, nails, junk fallen out of trucks going to the dump, etc. Take that into account before you head out with no spare and no tools. You may go your whole life without losing a coach tire, or you might go three miles up Bloody Basin Road.
Oh, yeah, and anytime you pass by a truck or a coach with a flat, listen for the sound of your own tires picking up some of whatever was big enough to get them. At the next rest area, pull in and do a tire check (this is when Cat's Eyes will pay themselves off for you!). This has saved a lot of truck drivers a lot of grief.
:D I lived on Maui for almost 11 years so i know what adobo is, :) but can't recall if i ever heard of calderetta.
Quote from: RJ on February 03, 2009, 07:38:03 PM
I totally understand all the arguments for and against carrying a spare. And everyone has a valid point.
However, I have and additional, slightly different outlook on this, especially as it pertains to two-axle, 35-foot coaches.
Weight distribution & collision protection.
With a 35-foot coach, and all that powertrain weight hung out behind the tail, having the spare up front helps put a little more weight on the steering axle. May not sound like much, but I've experienced a 4106 in revenue service before and after having a tire in the spare compartment, and there is a subtle difference in the handling without the extra weight - it's more prone to wandering.
I know folk will disagree on the collision protection, and I'm ok with that. But I still think having that wheel/tire combo right behind the bumper will help to absorb collision forces if you encounter a four-wheeler with significant force to bend the lower front end. All bets are off if it's another bus or 18-wheeler, however.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around Viento's comment that the integral steering box intrudes into the spare compartment. Somehow, to me anyway, that doesn't seem right. Everybody else has gone off on to carry or not carry, missing the reason behind asking the question. Didn't anybody else catch that??? A photo would really help here. . . hint, hint.
FWIW & HTH. . .
;)
I know what you mean about weight distribution, driving school buses all the kids want to sit in the rear and with enough of them back there it handles funny. My two bits.
I have an MC5A with full power steering and the spare tire fits fine in the front.