Modification: Tired Out

See that bracket (with the two nuts) underneath the center of my trailer? That's where the spare tire was located on our T@B. ("Was" is the operative term.)

Now this seems kinda crazy; it's about eight feet from the end of the trailer, and four feet underneath. If you get a flat, which would drop the trailer's ride height, it leaves next to no room under the trailer to get to it. (There already isn't that much space.) And once you loosen the two bolts, the heavy wheel and tire comes crashing down, probably onto your arm.

This all seemed, well, somewhat impractical. (That's putting it lightly - frankly, it's stupid.) It was hard enough for Gen-X me to remove the tire on a dry day, in the daylight, on a level paved driveway.

But the tire isn't there anymore. I bought the tire holder from Tropos Manufacturering, a nicely made frame that bolts onto the tongue of the trailer. Installing it required drilling four holes. That would have been easier if 1) I had the right sized drill bit and didn't have to borrow one from my neighbor (thanks Jerry!) and 2) it would help to have at least one fully charged cordless drill battery.



You do have to be a bit careful with exactly where you mount the holder. You want enough room to get into the propane tank cover while leaving enough room for the tire to fit on the front, around the brake handle and such. We worked it out. (The carrier comes with a little plastic spacer that tilts the tire at just the right angle to achieve all of this.)

Buying this is like insurance - hopefully the $129 keeps me from ever having to fix a flat on the trailer. But if I do, at least now there is a chance in hell that I can do it myself.



Oh - and since I couldn't just have an ugly steel wheel and tire besmirching the sleek lines of the trailer, I had to find just the right tire cover. I found one from Bestop; they make lots of covers for Jeeps, and they're all out of heavy convertible top fabric. This one is sized for a Suzuki Samurai (!) and the charcoal gray matches the trim on the trailer. Even found it on closeout since they're getting rid of the color. It fits on snugly with elastic around the back; I'm hoping it stays on on the road.

Tom