anthonbloom
06-12-2018, 07:26 AM
The spare tire on my 2012 Cougar 318 SAB torqued the rear bumper so that the frame rails pushed trough the inside wall and trapped my sewer hose. I got some custom gussets made up from a cardboard template I made up and had it welded in to reinforce that area. A few weeks later I noticed the spare was at an odd angle and found the metal strap that holds it in place was bent into a V.....
I have seen some newer trailers with the spare mounted between the front landing gear and, looking at the front storage compartment, it seemed doable.
I got two pieces of square section mild steel and laid them down in the floor of the compartment with the ends resting on the bottom of the I-beam frame rail. I had a mild steel plate made up to fit between the square section and had angle iron welded so that the plate rests on the square tubing and carries the weight of the tire and jack. The jack I found in Canadian Tire and is a tongue jack for a boat trailer. It has a triangular mounting flange 12 " or so from the top, and I had two 3/4 nuts welded on the top of the winding shaft instead of the handle. I modified the pivoting foot of the jack to fit through the center of the spare tire rim and added a bolt that engages one of the bolt holes to keep the wheel centered. I cut a hole through and bolted the jack in place, using 8" bolts and some tubing to raise the jack enough that the tire is compressed against the underside, and drilled a 1/8 hole into the main screw to put a safety pin in place. The jack head takes up little space and I use my cordless impact wrench to raise and lower the tire. It stays securely in place and I have had to use it three time since the installation and it works like a charm. I took a few hours and cost $200.00 or so and well worth it.
I have seen some newer trailers with the spare mounted between the front landing gear and, looking at the front storage compartment, it seemed doable.
I got two pieces of square section mild steel and laid them down in the floor of the compartment with the ends resting on the bottom of the I-beam frame rail. I had a mild steel plate made up to fit between the square section and had angle iron welded so that the plate rests on the square tubing and carries the weight of the tire and jack. The jack I found in Canadian Tire and is a tongue jack for a boat trailer. It has a triangular mounting flange 12 " or so from the top, and I had two 3/4 nuts welded on the top of the winding shaft instead of the handle. I modified the pivoting foot of the jack to fit through the center of the spare tire rim and added a bolt that engages one of the bolt holes to keep the wheel centered. I cut a hole through and bolted the jack in place, using 8" bolts and some tubing to raise the jack enough that the tire is compressed against the underside, and drilled a 1/8 hole into the main screw to put a safety pin in place. The jack head takes up little space and I use my cordless impact wrench to raise and lower the tire. It stays securely in place and I have had to use it three time since the installation and it works like a charm. I took a few hours and cost $200.00 or so and well worth it.