Spare Tire?

[captainkf]

Does anyone carry a spare tire? I had planned on carrying one on our trip this summer. I know they are heavy, but I though if I had one then I could call the auto association and possibly have them swap them roadside, that is if I can't. Just wondering. It seemed like a good idea however I see no photo's of extra mounted tires on buses. -Richard

[lapeer20m]

when i took my big cross country trip last summer i brought a spare with me. I ended up getting a flat when i was about 2,500 miles from home, so it worked out quite well.

it's not too difficult to change them yourself if need be. If it's a rear duel, you can usually drive quite a long distance to a big truck tire shop and have them do it for you.

I put my spare tire inside the rear door of my bus. i have a bit of a storage area back there.
I do not keep my spare with me most times, however i don't generally venture more than 50 miles from home.

I've seen them mounted on top of a bus on the roof rack. I think that under the bus would be a fine place to keep the spare also. you were right when you said that they are heavy! It takes two people to get one of those tires (mounted to a rim) into the back door of the bus.

In the 20K plus miles i've driven on mostly worn out tires i've only had two flats, both were rear duals.

[AK-Brando]

My bus came with a spare tire in a compartment mounted under the left rear of the bus. I don't have any pictures of the compartment since the bus is "winterized" in Palmer, and I live in Valdez (aprox 250 miles away).

You can kind of see the door to the tire compartment behind the rear wheels in this picture: http://www.skoolie.net/gallery2/AK-Brando/Bus_2

This picture shows how the compartment is slanted to hold the tire: http://www.skoolie.net/gallery2/AK-Brando/Rear

And this is what the back of the bus looks like fully loaded with all our stuff:
http://www.skoolie.net/gallery2/AK-Brando/Loaded_back

I did have a flat with the bus fully loaded during our move to Valdez, you can read about it on my weblog here: http://home.gci.net/~graymouser/Bus/...in-valdez.html

[Firearm]

Make sure to invest in a good jack or two and a weighted lug wrench or a good 12v electric impact wrench to break the nuts loose. You'll thank me later.

[captainkf]

Thanks All. I plan on carrying a spare, but I have never seen a DC power impact. Can you recomend any and where? Thanks. -Richard

[Eric von Kleist]

If you have air brakes, I have read that you can install a tap on the airline to run air tools from. An air wrench might be a option, too.

[AK-Brando]

Speaking of tools to remove the lugnuts... We had along a 6 1/2 foot breaker bar. Even with that it took about all my weight to break the nuts free!

[captainkf]

I do not have air breaks, but that sounds like an interesting option for those that do. So if I were putting together an emergency kit for a bus, what would it look like?

Spare on a rim
one or two 20 tonne jacks
wooden blocks (for jacks)
breaker bar (gas pipe) 6-7' long
lug and wrench
tow rope (just in case)
reflective triangles for use on road (late night breakdown)
basic tools
Jumpers
winter survival kit if appropriate
Auto card valid for RV's

What else do you all carry or would like to?
Just wondering. -Richard

[Firearm]

Here are some links for 12 volt impact wrenches. Another option is a cordless impact like we use at the racetrack.

http://sunlightcn.en.alibaba.com/offerd ... rench.html

http://www.dcimpact.com/page/page/784275.htm

The first one is like my brother-in-law's and it spins and builds up speed then engauges hard and "slams" the nut with pretty good force to break it loose. The second one uses an attached power supply. (Cool demo video on the dcimpact page too.) I use one that looks like a cordless drill but I don't know if it would have enough torque for a truck lug.

[TravelingMan]

I'd take a gallon of oil.
An extra fuel filter if you have a deisel. Had to change a couple of those because of bad fuel.
Extra headlight. Truck stops always charge premium.
Fuses and bulbs
If you have air breaks its always wise to have some way to splice air-lines so you can get it to the shop. They dont call that big chunk of tread in the middle the road a gator for nothing. It'll reach up and bite ya.

[lapeer20m]

don't forget a gallon of water or engine coolant

and if you have a generator, i'd suggest a charger or better yet a 100 amp charger/starter. IT's sometimes difficult to convince a stranger to give ya a jump start.


IF you have air brakes, i'd definately go for the air driven impact wrench. All of the fittings on your air tank under the bus are standard NPT (national pipe thread) you can go to home depot and buy all the fittings for about 10 bucks.

Bring some wrenches, especially important is the wrench that fits the nut on top of the injector to bleed the air out of the system (if it's a diesel)

Go-JO and paper towels so you can get cleaned up in the event you have to work on the bus

an extra 5 or 10 gallons of fuel isn't a bad idea if you have a place to store it

[captainkf]

I just picked up a "new" slightly used 20 tonne hydraulic jack for $10 from a used rv parts place. I have opted for the breaker bar by hand method for removing lug nuts. Should I have wood blocks to hold the bus up instead of relying on a jack? They have been known to fail. Thanks for all the good tips on stuff to bring. It's always great to have mulitiple inputs.

[TravelingMan]

Blocks would work but another 20T jack or heavy jack stand would be safer. I always try to use a jack and jack stand side by side.

[Eric von Kleist]

I just thought of a safety issue to consider. If you have the Dayton (spoked) wheels that use the wedges to hold the rims to the wheel, be very careful changing tires, or even loosening the lug-nuts. The wedges are under great pressure, and I have heard stories that even when they are just being loosened, they can pop off from the pressure with enough force to pierce a steel drum. I have heard that mechanics loosen all of them somewhat, and then stand back out of the way and whack the rim with a mallet, which causes the wedges to pop off in a somewhat controlled way.

[captainkf]

Thanks for the heads up

I do not have my bus with me right now (engine work still ) but when I get it back I will have to look.
-Richard