#2 Spare Tire: Still an available option on some shorter units, 2552 and smaller.
With a cautious, "be prepared" mentality a spare tire is important to me. With my current Born Free I first went the route of putting a mounted spare on the roof ratcheted down to the luggage rack. The problem is getting the heavy tire up and down. I even tried using a small winch but still too big of an effort and the tire would hit/rub against the RV on the way up.
I next went with a front hitch mounted tire carrier. This has worked well and also had the benefit of canter-levering the weight from the back axle to the front axle, improving the ride.
The down side is that it blocks some of the air flow to the radiator. Hasn't been a problem until the RVhas gotten older and starting to run a bit hotter.
I think the PC rear mounted spare is a good option.
So what has been my experience in needing a spare? Well, over 10 years and 90,000 miles fortunately I have had only one flat. Since that was in Nicaragua I was happy to have a spare to use! No flats in North America. The repeated challenge has been with leaking valve extenders.
After having one in the Yukon where I had to travel 200 miles on a leaking tire before I could find somewhere to even put air into the tire let alone fix it, I learned my lesson to only use good extenders, carry a good air pump. and because of my "be prepared" mentality I also have a flat fix kit, the tools needed to replace a tire, and roadside service plan. OK OK probably overkill but as I said I am the cautious type.
..Mike
