Tires ... like in "spare tires"

When I bought my '77 I soon built a heavy hitch receiver for it, I removed the spare from under the tank and even cut the bolt on one side, that "carrier" is long-gone. I carried that straight ribbed likely OEM spare in the bed for years but never used it. I still have it in the shed. Last year I decided to not carry a spare, to just rely on my tire plugs and mini compressor, but in the case of a flat or total blow out ... there I am looking for a hole on the ground under a truck "at best" or finding a rip or tire bead loose from a rim "at not best".

My spare the last few years was a 31x10.5-15 tire on another Ford plain F-150 wheel, it's a heavy combo still and it always accumulated a lot of pine needles, leaves, trash under it. I never painted the wheel as did not want to make it overly attractive. Thinking I might make a 30" OD round top with a single center bolt to attach it to the spare, lay it in the bed, it'll stay right behind the cab. I have extra marine plywood, even some aluminum including a 1/4" thick 4'x3' saw table top off an old Dewalt table once robbed of it's saw. That would solve the trash angle.

When I had a shell on it, I had a mount / bracket that clamped the spare standing up against the inner bed side behind the driver. I don't want that now.

I've been lucky as since about 2000, I've had one flat ... on the Mercury and it was in western Georgia near Talapoosa on 100 and not wanting to unload luggage roadside, I plugged it on the car and pumped it up with a small compressor. It never went "flat" flat, but I could feel it going soft. I've carried that same tool bag with compressor and plugs and tools since 1989 and coal strike duty. Fixed a lot of "jack rock" holes in SW Va. instead of changing tires out there for sure.

It just came to me, I do have a few of these wheel covers, maybe put one of them on my in-bed spare? Seal up the holes ... might discourage someone looking for a "five finger sale" on a Ford wheel?

 

might discourage the laziest thieves…Wouldn’t take much to pry off the hub cap.I wonder if you could fashion a padlock onto the mounting hardware somehow?

 

LOL, I really ain't too worried about theft. I carried a spare laying unlocked for the last 35+ years in it. I was thinking the Chevrolet wheel cover might fool someone and they think maybe a Chevy wheel ... it was in jest. The wheel cover would maybe cut down on leaves, needles from pines, etc accumulating. I likelier will simply build a round top cover that I can sit on or stand on if needed.

 

Problem with using a GM hubcap is that some crackhead looking for a chevy wheel will steal it...

I like where they mounted the spare on my truck.....

 

I hadn't thought of that crackhead.

Funny, I only saw the picture when I quote the post? That is an "easy access" place, really nice if hauling a camper, and it put a person on the side away from traffic.

 

My spare was in bed for many many years. Wife was in other part of state and had a flat. She got the spare on and it blew 10 miles down the road. When it blew the tire tread wrapped around axel and almost ripped the brake lines off. It's now under the bed in factory carrier. It fits with the hitch. Never seize on the carrier threads and valve stem of tire facing down to be able to check air. Not a fan of leaving tires in the sun anymore after the wife's experience. If you have to leave in bed, get a white vinyl cover.

 

I have wrestled with this very topic quite a few times over the last year. I would really like to be able to install a larger 38 gallon tank but it requires relocating (which means putting it in the bed) or eliminating the spare. I'm not really sure that a spare is necessary in the modern world unless you're going to be traveling through a lot of remote areas with no cell coverage, but then again, I don't really like the "modern era" attitude of relying on cell phones and someone else to solve your problems for you. Self sufficiency is The American Way in my opinion.

 

I got to thinking about it last night, after messing around in my shop and looking over tires mounted on wheels.

Back up in time 20 or more years, I was still driving the old truck occasionally well out of state and often with scarce cell phone coverage. Now adays this same truck will maybe get taken 60-100 miles from home ... "maybe" ... but likely just more local. Was a time, I'd wear out a set of tires on the truck, but now it's age and cracks that get them. I have my newer truck if needed, but I'm older and "in law family" that once lived 3 states away in Ala. now live just 4 counties away down Rt 11. I'm no longer apt to drive the '77 to Vermont to get a motorcycle, nor to camp on the Outer Banks, nor even to Atlanta to get a Shop Smith. If it'll fit under a bed cover, I have the '07 ... and if not, I can remove the bed cover, or use my trailer.

I can still "feel" a tire going soft if it springs a leak, in time to pull over and check. If just a puncture, I can use a jack to lift it up to rotate it looking for the hole punch. If found, it's an easy fix in place. If the tire "blew out", if it is destroyed like in shreds, I have good cell phone service. If by chance I find I'm going far with the old girl, I can then put a spare in the bed ... until I can't. I do have a "never mounted" extra 31x10.5-15 AT tire in my shed, I have several older 15x8 wheels that have older AT tires, same size, I used to have on the truck.