I feel compelled to share this. One morning before heading
to work, I decided to check on my spare tire and noticed that it was loose as
if it was unbolted from the carrier. I immediately removed the plastic tire
cover and to my demise, the flat metal bracket where the tire is bolted on has
completely broken off and the tire was just hanging by its rim on top of the
remaining broken bracket. The failure
was at the 90-degree bend of the bracket and to the weld joint where it meets
the vertical square tubing (see picture). The welded spot has probably failed
first as evident by some rust stains along the weld joints, then from shear
load of the tire and road vibrations the bracket just could not handle the
stress and broke off at the weak point. The welding looks sloppy with bad metal
penetration and to make it worst, it was only welded to one side of the
bracket. If I have driven the RV that day without noticing it, the tire could
have simply slid out and have fallen on the road, which could cause a vehicle crash.
I took the broken tire bracket to a local weld shop and have gussets added to
corners for more suport.
For anyone with the “Continental Tire Carrier” option, it would be
wise to thoroughly inspect it for signs of failure.
