Storing Spare Tire on Bottom of Harbor Freight Trailer

[@brandonGCHACHU]

Great idea. Thanks!!!

[@dmrtechnology6033]

Glad you found the video/idea helpful. This add-on was probably my favorite, just due to the way it came together and fit so nice with the trailer configuration ... haven't had any flats on this trailer to date, but good to know I've always got a proper, easy-to-reach spare on hand if I do.

[@hawkhunter8180]

Perfect... I'm going to due most of your upgrades to my new trailer. Thanks for sharing this to us!

[@dmrtechnology6033]

Glad you found the videos helpful ... safe hauling/travels!

[@benkanobe7500]

Great design and engineering! Thanks for the idea.

[@dmrtechnology6033]

Thanks, and glad you found the videos helpful. By the time I was done with it, I ended up very happy with the result, but I was also exhausted from coming up with my own "solutions" for all the features I wanted the trailer to have. That's why I made/posted the videos ... hoped my ideas would help others get to their desired "end result" with less time/effort.

[@vdub5975]

Awesome videos ! I’m on my second HFT - had one a few years ago that was well used and I got rid of it. Due to Covid they are all Sold out but thankfully got my hands on the last one in my region! Your videos have shown some great ideas that I will use for my build. Thanks for your time creating and posting!

[@dmrtechnology6033]

You're welcome ... glad you found the videos helpful ... I know I blab on a bit more than some viewers would like/prefer, but those folks can use the cursor to skip any parts they don't need/want and FF to parts they find helpful/useful too ... that's the beauty of KZbin DIY videos. Enjoy your next build ...

[@mferrarorace]

Great job again!

[@dmrtechnology6033]

... and thanks again for watching. Glad you found the videos helpful.

[@RealBLAlley]

It's nice that it tucks up against the deck, although the rear block gives it away. Can't really be helped, and it's much better than the clamp-on mounts. I also didn't want one of those mounts since they are awkward, clunky and cluttered looking. They are also not very secure. I looked through my scrap materials and hardware and came up with a different solution: an automotive style winch that raises the tire against the middle rear cross-member and a piece of 1-1/2" T-bar across the middle of the rear space. It's part of the rail from the old garage door opener I replaced. I ran another piece of the t-bar longitudinally across the top of the rear section and bolted it into the middle holes of the rear and next to rear cross-members. I enlarged one of the stake pocket holes on the right side and ran a 1/2-13 Hex bolt through it with a nylon washer on both sides. A coupler nut connects it to a length of all thread. That runs through a bronze flange bushing mounted in the upper T-bar so it rotates freely. I created a trolley by slipping another coupler nut inside a section of rectangular steel tubing oriented vertically. It's drilled on both ends so it can screw onto the all thread. Rather than being welded, the nut is held captive by two 5/16" bolts below and an eye-bolt above. That will allow it to be serviced. I cut slots in the top and installed a piece of angle perf bar that came with the new garage door opener between the upper cross bar and the right hand side rail of the trailer. As the trolley travels along the all thread the angle keeps it from rotating. Finally a piece of cable is attached to the eye-bolt on the trolley, then passes over a brass pulley mounted to the upper crossbar and down to a saddle made from another piece of t-bar, which I painted and dipped in Plasti-Dip to protect the wheel. It takes a while to lower the tire, but that helps make it more secure as it can't be dropped quickly. I also added a bar that passes down through the rearward spoke hole to accept a coupler lock, and the underside of the rear section is covered by a panel to prevent seeing the mechanism and cutting the cable. We keep a speed wrench in the car with sockets for the car's lug nuts and custom adapter for the scissor jack, and for the trailer lug nuts and the spare tire drive bolt. I built the trailer without the folding feature, so I cut the bottom shoe off of the caster brackets and mounted them in their normal locations to serve as jack points for the car's scissor jack (utilizing the slotted saddle made for the pinch welds on the car). imgur.com/a/hf-trailer-spare-tire-hanger-tFWXZ7Y

[@dmrtechnology6033]

Checked out your online photos, and all the specialized stuff you devised to add this feature to the trailer was quite a feat. Nicely done. By the time I got finished with all the other upgrades that preceded my spare tire storage solution, no way I would have gone to such lengths to design/put something like this together. I also noted that as designed, the profile of the spare starts at the bottom of the HF cross supports, leaving the bottom of the spare no less than 3 inches closer to the ground, on a small trailer with pretty low ground clearance as it is. My design holds the spare flush against the bottom of the deck, fitting perfectly between the two rear HF cross-braces, so I still prefer that configuration/solution to this one. Mighty nice though!

[@RealBLAlley]

@@dmrtechnology6033 Thanks. My design works for our specific uses, but for others I agree having it tucked all the way up is probably better. Of course I probably would have over engineered that type by having the tire and rear cross-member slide out the back on full-extension glides like a drawer.

[@teshuvahemmet3036]

Good job 👍

[@dmrtechnology6033]

The 3/8" carriage bolts that anchor the front and back supports to the trailer frame are spaced to match the locations of pre-drilled holes in the trailer frame above them, so no need to drill new holes in the framing to mount the supports, which can thereafter be removed as easily as they go on, with no alteration or damage to the OE framing.

[@bradhamilton4290]

Good job.... creative 👍🏼

[@da324]

Are the side pieces screwed into the flooring above through the L brackets, or are they bolted in place? Also, did you cut the bottom piece in that shape to reduce weight, or was there another reason? Nice video, I'm using this design for my trailer too...thanks!

[@dmrtechnology6033]

L brackets securing the sidewalls are screwed into the underside of the deck material. When the compartment is closed with tire in place, the screw heads are not accessible. Just select a screw length that goes well into the deck material (I used 3/4" ply), but doesn't go all the way through ... plenty strong/secure. I cut the "hatch door" in that triangular shape primarily to make it fit better with the hinge/hasp configuration, with less potential for warping of the plywood on hasp (lock) side. Combination of the side walls and hatch door holds the tire in place just fine.

[@da324]

@@dmrtechnology6033 Cool, thanks for the info!

[@thiagocrepaldi6071]

Does the trailer remain foldable after the spare tire and jacks upgrades? Great job

[@dmrtechnology6033]

Thanks ... glad you found the videos helpful. Yes the trailer remains foldable with no obstruction with addition of the compartment for the spare, because the top sides fold in toward one another, and the tongue folds down on the opposite side of the spare. You will, however, need to note that the spare/compartment adds some weight to the back half of the trailer, so it's even more important to have a strong "helper" when you're folding it. It really does take two people to do it safely.

[@rynait]

nice design. but you made the trailer rear heavy. I would put spare tire under tongue area... then wood. hmm. maybe change to a pair of perforated steel angles less weight and can reach in to check air pressure on the spare tire.

[@dmrtechnology6033]

If you tried it, I think you'd find that mounting a spare tire anywhere on/near the tongue assembly on this trailer would end up being more of a PITA than it's worth. Apart from the challenges of mounting on a fold-down tongue assembly, "easily accessible" for you also means "easily accessible" for, e.g., vandals/punks/thieves when you're out/about with the trailer. As I stated in the video, I considered the tongue area, and picked this area instead because: 1) the OE tire (5-lug rim on this model) fits *perfectly* in the space; 2) didn't want it anywhere on the fold-down tongue, inside the bed, or hanging on an external mount anywhere on the fences/frame, and 3) didn't want it anywhere "easily visible/accessible" to anyone other than me. The added weight to the rear (the spare weighs about 20 lbs ... the added wood, practically nothing) causes no issues at all when the trailer is unfolded/being used, loaded or unloaded. Only issue I've noticed is that the weight of the spare makes the rear half of the trailer a bit heavier/harder to fold up, which can nevertheless be done safely/normally by two people (that's what the mfr recommends, for good reason, with or without a spare) with the spare in this location. Checking/adding air is easy when trailer is unfolded, even easier when it's folded up.

[@MrGaborseres]

Cool 😎 👍

[@stoneyrunva]

If any part of the wood fails could the tire end up on the road? The ground facing side of pressure treated plywood deteriorates rapidly on these types of trailers unless treated with an undercoating of some kind. Even then, any screw penetration compromises the integrity of the plywood. Interesting Idea. But sometimes it's best to stick with something metal that's tried and true. Same goes for the jacks. Bolt to the frame before one ends up going through a soccer mom's windshield.

[@dmrtechnology6033]

I considered all that. Both front and back supports are vertically bolted to the trailer frame with 3/8" carriage bolts, and both the front hinges and rear hasp are anchored in these supports, which are solid wood, not ply. I could safely hang my entire body weight on either one of them. In addition, I purposely configured the front hinges and the rear hasp so that the load of the spare and drop panel is primarily supported by the steel pins in the hinges/hasp, not the plywood. By comparison, I once had the "tried and true" steel cable of a factory OE, winch-type spare holder break off at its connection point to the retainer bracket that held a full-size SUV spare/rim up against the bottom of the rear cargo deck, and lost both the retainer and the spare while driving. This is a much smaller/lighter tire, supported by pretty thick, steel hinge pins at three separate points rather than one. The slide down jacks are also anchored in solid wood, and the design of their mounting point (combined with properly matched bolts/washers), will naturally prevent water/dirt from getting between the jack and mounting block. Finally, I'll be routinely inspecting all these connections for any signs of wear or damage. I'm confident that all the "soccer moms" out there will be a LOT safer behind my trailer than behind, e.g., any truck/SUV equipped with a typical winch-type spare tire retainer ...

[@billypirtle1443]

Here in the state of Kentucky you have a lot of DOT violations other can red flag your trailer and only a trailer mechanic can work on it very expensive.

[@dmrtechnology6033]

Don't know much about "DOT" in Kentucky, but I do know there are 25 HF stores there. Assuming these trailers are sold in the company's KY stores, they wouldn't be getting bought if no one could get them inspected/registered (DMV) or haul them on the state's roads. I had no trouble getting mine inspected/registered with DMV in CA, and that state has the most "up-your-hiney" regulatory schemes in the entire US, if not the world.

[@billypirtle1443]

You should have cut a place for the value stim so you could add air to it with out taking it down.

[@dmrtechnology6033]

With this design, "taking down" the tire for checking/filling air is as simple as removing the lock and lowering the support panel ... don't even have to pull the tire completely out if you don't want to. Think I prefer that over putting a hole in the panel that allows punks to access the air valve on your spare with the panel up/locked ...

[@dmrtechnology6033]

The tires for this HF trailer are 5.3 (tire width) x 12 (rim diameter), five lug rim, load range C, 6-ply rating, max. load of 1045 lbs. @ 80 psi. Any non HF spare/replacement should be consistent with these specifications.