Spare tire rotation and mounting

[gatorman21218]

When I bought my truck 2 years ago i put new tires on her. The rears were worn out and the RF was bald on the outer half but the LF still had some tread on it. I put the same kind of tires on it (Uniroyal LT 235/85/R16) and kept the LF as a spare and bought a used rim for it (the truck didnt come with a spare). Should i be rotating the spare in when i rotate the tires? its a little older obviously and i would like to use it up. My thought is when its tread matches the others ill put the spare on and keep a new one for a spare. IF i do this where should this tire go (back or front)? Your thoughts?

Also can I fabricate a bracket and mount my spare to the rear fuel tank cover plate? right now its in the bed.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

It makes no difference where you put the spare in the rotation process, so long as all five get moved around equally.

Google or whatever "tire rotation" and lots of diagrams will come up that map out a procedure.

Myself, I NEVER rotate tires and usually get a lot more miles and better ride quality than those that do.


As for hanging the spare, use a little imagination and lots of better places can be found than under the tank, which is very low itself.

If you are not pulling goosenecks, a swinging mount on the rear is nice.

A good stout rack above the cab is another good place.

 

[gatorman21218]

where is the factory location to mount the spare? But its a good idea to have the same tread depth on the axle right?

 

[Sycostang67]

The factory location is where you wanted to put it, under the rear tank. There should be two long bolts and a long metal bracket that hold the tire under the truck. They usually get tossed the first time the spare gets used since it's a pain to reinstall. My spare was to big to fit with my frame hitch so I just keep it in the bed.

 

[Roland_Jenkins]

If you have a limited slip rear, you'll want to keep the back tire tread even as possible.

 

[gatorman21218]

thats what I thought about the tread. So ill keep my eye on the tread and when its the same ill switch them out.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

A good stout rack above the cab is another good place.

Man, that sounds like a hard exercise to get that heavy thing way that high... That's why mine is mounted on the front bumper. I do have provisions for hanging a second spare on the tailgate, tho I don't do so, and soon I'll be able to carry another spare on my 5th wheel hitch...