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Old 08-30-2020, 08:06 PM   #1
Shasta Bob
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BAL spare tire carrier

Help I'm thinking about this BAL spare tire carrier for the underside of my 2019-
315 Cougar RLS, any pros or cons, before i jump in . Thanks in advance.
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Old 08-31-2020, 02:09 AM   #2
DocP
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I have had a BAL spare tire carrier for several years and on several campers since 2018. It came standard on my 2018 Cougar 32RLI. I like the fact that it takes it off of the bumper and out of sight. It also makes it easy to slide the spare tire in an out. My next camper was a Cougar 34TSB, which did not have the BAL carrier - they mounted the spare tire on the backside of the rear travel rack. This limited the amount of weight I could put on the travel rack, so I bought and installed another BAL carrier. It works for me, but if you are going to install one, they recommend installing it closer to the rear axle (rather than near the rear bumper), to minimize ground clearance issues if you are going up or backing up into a sharp incline.

In any event, the BAL spare tire carrier works for me. I do periodically lubricate the retaining bolt that locks the assembly in place - this can rust up from the road moisture and makes it difficult to pull the tire out .
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Old 08-31-2020, 04:52 AM   #3
JRTJH
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There are two types of "BAL Spare Tire Carrier" mounting adapters. One is designed to mount the carrier on C channel frames the other designed for mounting it on I channel frames.... Be sure you order the correct type for your trailer frame... I have on that's been hanging on the wall in the garage for almost 10 years (when they first came out) that still has the shipping label on it....
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Old 08-31-2020, 07:53 AM   #4
ewbldavis
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I was also looking into this. I went with the Curt hitch mount for now just to get spare out of storage bay.
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Old 08-31-2020, 02:26 PM   #5
GaryUT
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shasta Bob View Post
Help I'm thinking about this BAL spare tire carrier for the underside of my 2019-
315 Cougar RLS, any pros or cons, before i jump in . Thanks in advance.
They make two types, hide a spare, and retract a spare. My trailer has the retract a spare. It came mounted behind the rear axle, it hangs down quite a bit, you can see how much the tire hangs down in my signature pic below. I have bent it backing into steep camp sites, but at least it hits before the rear jacks. I'm going to try and modify it to get the tire up closer to the frame this winter. If it cant be done I will probably go with the Lippert carrier in the 3rd link.

https://balrvproducts.com/products/c...-a-spare.shtml


https://balrvproducts.com/products/c...-a-spare.shtml


https://store.lci1.com/71in-spare-ti...er-159041.html


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Old 08-31-2020, 06:38 PM   #6
IMASAP
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I installed the Hide-A-Spare on my Bullet 243bhs a couple years ago. I'm completely happy with it (though I've never had a flat). I mounted mine just ahead of my axles. It's high enough that I've never come anywhere near dragging it on the ground. Once you pull your coroplast down some, you will be able to see where a good place to mount it is. I had no wiring or anything in the way. One thing I did different ..... it came with self tapping sheetmetal type bolts. I used nuts/ bolts/ washers from the hardware store to attach the brackets to the frame.
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Old 09-24-2020, 09:27 AM   #7
hitchikerman
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Hello Bob...How did the spare trailer tire rack work out for you. I bought the 2020 315 RLS at the dealership waiting for work to be done before I take delivery of it and I had the BAL tire carrier on last fifthwheel and was wondering if works for you. Also any problems with your trailer That I need to be aware of. I appreciate any help on this issue...Thanks Mike
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Old 09-24-2020, 10:35 AM   #8
jsb5717
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Came on my current rig as well. It's out of the way and looks easy to access although I haven't had a need for it yet...hopefully never. Seems to be a good solution.
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