Original spare tire

[vcrt]

My T2499 was built in June of 2006 and yesterday I looked at the date code on the spare. It was 1106 meaning it was manufactured the eleventh week of 2006. That means it was the one the factory supplied and may have been one of the last tires ordered by the Sunline factory. The paint lines and intact molding "pins" told me it had never been on the road.
It's been replaced now, but I thought it was interesting to find something that old in never used condition.
If the photos I attempted to attached show up, you can see the tire.
Rich

[JohnB]

Hi Rich,

Good for you to notice this! . The spare tire is often a forgotten item.

Yes, I have often seen this when I help other folks with their campers. The spare tire is the original; some have been 20 years old: Some, even older... An old trailer tire like that will explode when in use. When you heat it under load, sooner than later, it will come apart even though it looks brand new.

The spare tire is often forgotten when new tires come to the main camper. I change the spare every time I change the main tires. If you ever have to live through a tire failure on the road, hundreds of miles from home, you know you need a good, reliable tire to put on the camper. It's a small price to pay for peace of mind. A new spare tire cost is cheap compared to damage to the camper.

Think of it this way: if you are not going to change the spare tire when you change the main tires, when will you change it?

The other forgotten thing is to check the tire pressure in the spare before the trip. Ideally, it would help to mount the tire so the valve stem can be accessed with the tire cover on. The tire covers shrink as time passes, and when they come off, they do not always go back on. This makes a quick tire pressure check very painful when the cover breaks apart and adds to why folks may want to avoid checking the spare tire pressure.

Thanks for bringing this topic up. It's a crucial aspect of camper maintenance that's often overlooked.

John