How do you handle your high-mounted spare?

[Trail Talk]

We would greatly appreciate seeing how others handle their high-mounted spare wheels?

Our builder provided a wheel mount on the back wall (top of tire is almost 8 ft off the ground) with a rope and pulley to lower the wheel from an eyebolt fixed above the mount. The combined weight of our tire and rim is just shy of 100 lb., which I found hard to handle with their single pulley so switched to a double pulley but I still find this arrangement unsatisfactory.

In my imagination, the ideal would be a swivel boom to swing the tire away from the mount and a crank hoist to lower and raise with more control. I've looked into hitch-mounted gambrel hoists but, aside from weighing 50 lbs, hitch extension and boom length don't seem to work out for our application.

 

[billiebob]

Yours actually looks pretty light and with the loop above it, I'd loop a rope thru the tire, run it thru the loop and haul it up.
In 40 years I've had 4 flats.... so odds are you'll never need it.
You could add a carabiner and a pulley.

 

[Howard70]

We would greatly appreciate seeing how others handle their high-mounted spare wheels?

Our builder provided a wheel mount on the back wall (top of tire is almost 8 ft off the ground) with a rope and pulley to lower the wheel from an eyebolt fixed above the mount. The combined weight of our tire and rim is just shy of 100 lb., which I found hard to handle with their single pulley so switched to a double pulley but I still find this arrangement unsatisfactory.

In my imagination, the ideal would be a swivel boom to swing the tire away from the mount and a crank hoist to lower and raise with more control. I've looked into hitch-mounted gambrel hoists but, aside from weighing 50 lbs, hitch extension and boom length don't seem to work out for our application.

I like the simplicity of your system. To make the lowering and hoisting easier you could consider a "self contained" 4:1 system like the Petal Jag. I use it to roll a 450 chipper into our utility trailer by myself. Not cheap, but extremely easy to store, deploy & use. Prior to getting the Jag I had a cobbled together system of pulleys and line that cost considerably less but was truly frustrating to use.

Booms & cranes would make removing and placing the spare easier at the cost of increased mass and complexity. Because we carry tire plug repair tools we've never used our spare on a trip in about 70,000 miles of travel! I have rotated tires on trips and removed the spare for that, but such infrequent use is perfect for a simple system in my opinion.

Howard

 

[rubonik]

I haven't done this, but it looks like a small chain hoist would be a good solution. Maybe something like this: https://www.grainger.com/product/OZ-LIFTING-PRODUCTS-Manual-Chain-Hoist-48RD59

 

[Trail Talk]

To make the lowering and hoisting easier you could consider a "self contained" 4:1 system like the Petal Jag.

Thanks for the tip. Please let me know if I've got this wrong but, looking at Petzl's specs, it appears to be a one-way haul system that cannot reverse. The set-up's I've seen online require that you have another device for lowering, which is fine but that also requires the locking cam of the Jag be released - with the weight off the rope - at the top pulley before the weight can be lowered off this added device attached to the bottom pulley. This works for climbing when the operator is at the anchor but not so much for raising and lowering a wheel from the ground.

 

[Trail Talk]

Yours actually looks pretty light and with the loop above it, I'd loop a rope thru the tire, run it thru the loop and haul it up.
In 40 years I've had 4 flats.... so odds are you'll never need it.
You could add a carabiner and a pulley.

I use it at least twice a year for seasonal tire swaps but also had to use the spare on a trip last year when a tire valve split. Really weird I know, but you can't field repair that! Heading up the Dempster next month, which can be a tire shredder...

 

[Trail Talk]

I haven't done this, but it looks like a small chain hoist would be a good solution. Maybe something like this: https://www.grainger.com/product/OZ-LIFTING-PRODUCTS-Manual-Chain-Hoist-48RD59

Worth considering What I use now is a 4:1 gambrel/game hoist, similar to your chain hoist but much lighter. Downside, besides the ropes often tangle, is the brake which is too finicky, even dangerous when it jams in lock and you have to get your fingers up in there to release the rope. This still doesn't allow me to swing the tire away from the mount to clear the bolts and the storage box below.

Maybe the simplest approach would be to fab a short boom arm which could be slipped onto the top shelf so I could hang the hoist?

 

[Howard70]

Thanks for the tip. Please let me know if I've got this wrong but, looking at Petzl's specs, it appears to be a one-way haul system that cannot reverse. The set-up's I've seen online require that you have another device for lowering, which is fine but that also requires the locking cam of the Jag be released - with the weight off the rope - at the top pulley before the weight can be lowered off this added device attached to the bottom pulley. This works for climbing when the operator is at the anchor but not so much for raising and lowering a wheel from the ground.

No, it lowers fine if you trip the progress capture cam. When Petl says "not for lowering" they are referring to life support systems - the Jag is designed for rescuing rope access workers. I use mine to lower as well as raise. But if you close the cam while lowering it will stop & you have to open the cam again to continue.

Howard

 

[Trail Talk]

No, it lowers fine if you trip the progress capture cam. When Petl says "not for lowering" they are referring to life support systems - the Jag is designed for rescuing rope access workers. I use mine to lower as well as raise. But if you close the cam while lowering it will stop & you have to open the cam again to continue.

Howard

I've used Petzl ascenders for climbing which have the same type of one-way friction cam so I'm having trouble picturing what your saying. In my situation wouldn't the cam be 8 ft above ground on the top pulley? When I'm up the ladder and attaching the device to the overhead eye I can easily release the cam to lower, but wouldn't the tire be in free-fall once off the mount? If I hook it up with the cam engaged to hold the tire, once I'm back on the ground how would I release the cam?

 

[waveslider]

This is what we have/use. Fairly lightweight and also doubles as a functional gambrel for everything up to elk/moose.

 

[Trail Talk]

This is what we have/use. Fairly lightweight and also doubles as a functional gambrel for everything up to elk/moose.
View attachment 720429

Thanks, another great idea. Is that a lever hoist, and what does it weigh? I think their CX mini chain hoist would work for my situation and looks like a top-quality product.

 

[waveslider]

Lever chain hoist and I would bet its less than 10 lbs total weight.

I suppose you could use a variety of haulbag/zpulley/ascender/descender type solutions for a tire your size. Ours is around 270+lbs and even on a multi-bag/multi-day wall climb I can't ever remember loading my haulbag rig quite that much. Maybe at the beginning but it was pain and I'm not a small dude.

The chain hoist really has a level of control that not only can get the spare down but also to get our spare back up with the precise up/down adjustments to get it back on the studs to reattach and be on our way.

Its for that reason I'm willing to suffer the weight penalty.

 

[Alloy]

With pulleys a cleat will provide something to tie a rope off going up and let the rope slide as it goes down



Mini chain pullers provide control but are slow. Make sure to get the proper chain length. Using the puller upside down then you keep the puller close to the tire.



Trailer winch


Careful extending anything out from that tray/self above the tire as it might bend.

 

[Trail Talk]

Careful extending anything out from that tray/self above the tire as it might fold.

Yeah, I think you are right! Thanks for those great suggestions. Nice to know you could operate the lever upside-down. That trailer winch is interesting, too.

 

[billiebob]

Heading up the Dempster next month

One of the few places I've carried 2 spares..... altho businesses on the Dempster are everywhere to fix, replace shredded tires.
I used to sell to the mines in the NWT. I asked what tires do you guys use running around on blast rock?
Goodyear Workhorse was the number one choice.
I never regretted buying them.