Most Popular Lippert for 2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500

I bought this to get my spare tire off the back end of my trailer so I could use it for other purposes (like hauling bikes). My trailer came with a carrier rack on the back that held the spare tire. When it folded down the tire would rub on the ground due to clearance...or lack thereof. The item arrived quick and in a giant coffin sized box. It was packaged very well (sealed in plastic, spray foam and a cardboard box) but somehow was still damaged. The crank handle had a bend in it which gave it an orbit the size of a volleyball. I was able to get most of it out so I could use it. It had to be from whoever packed it in the box as well as it was packaged. My hope is I never have to use this thing!! Anyway, I mounted it on the front of my fifth wheel just behind the landing gear. If I did ever need, God forbid, to change the tire, I could just go around front to retrieve it instead of crawling under the trailer. The install was pretty easy and there was no assembly whatsoever. There were also no instructions provided and the documentation link on the site didn't work. etrailer fixed that pretty quickly. The most challenging part of getting it on th etrailer was just that...getting it on the trailer. I used jack stands to hold it up close and then C Clamps to hold it still. The other fun part was drilling the holes and screwing in the self tapping screws (both are requested (and not included) in the documentation). When drilling all those holds, I looked like Mr. Mom changing Kenny's painted sisters diaper and I still had hot sharp metal going down my sleeve and the back of my shirt. ettrailer honored their price guarantee too so that was great! So far so good! Thanks etrailer!

My wife and I just purchased our 2022 Flagstaff Microlite 22TBS. We are new to the RV world and could not be happier we discovered etrailer who’s awesome customer service and support helped us supply our trailer to make it our home away from home. One thing we found was with the spare tire mounted on the rear bumper, it interfered with our bicycle rack and our cargo carrier when we needed to carrier our generator. Upon looking at our options on etrailer.com we found the Lippert RV Spare Tire Carrier. When it arrived at our home we found it was very nicely packaged and upon opening the box the carrier was wrapped in plastic and held securely in place with the use of spray in foam. Once I removed the carrier I found there wasn’t a single scratch or imperfection. The carrier comes without the mounting hardware or installation instructions, but this is clearly stated in the advertisement, and the link for the complete installation is supplied in the ad as a PDF, which was easily downloaded and lists the recommended hardware for the installation. I was easily able to purchase the eight grade 8 5/16” X 1’ bolts, washers and nylon lock nuts, however the eight 5/16” X 3/4” self drilling screws were not available at any of my local hardware stores. I did a quick online search and found the self drilling 5/16” X 3/4” bolts which I received on the same day we received the carrier. Following the installation instructions made the installation a breeze. I made the initial measurements for the carrier’s location and used four clamps to hold it in place while drilling the holes for the required hardware. Even though it’s not called out for in the installation instructions I drilled pilot holes into the steel frame for the 5/16” self drilling bolts and was able to install the carrier myself without any issues. Once I completed the installation, I easily placed the spare tire on the carrier using the winch and following the instructions. The spare tire carrier is everything we hoped it would be and now allows us to mount our bike rack using the hitch receiver on the rear of our trailer. I would recommend the Lippert Spare Tire Carrier to anyone needing to mount their spare tire in an alternate location.

I know some will agree, not agree, or don’t care about this post. It’s about having a spare tire with you in case the worst happens and you need one. I just had new tires on our class C 2017 Sunseeker. I changed the spare also, since it was 7 years old as the ones on the rig. Never had an issue with them, Michelin tires, but felt age was the deciding factor. I went with General Tires, with the hope that some of the mushy feeling might diminish some. And it did!! The sidewall is a little stiffer than the Michelins, thus giving a stiffer ride also. Can’t have the best of both worlds yet in tires, but I’m happy with the stiffer ride. Now to the spare, mounted under and behind the rear axle. I always check tire pressures before a trip, even the spare. Never really noticed how it was mounted; just thought it would be let down like a lot of my pickups I have owned for years with a cable. Nope!! One stud bolt and nut, that is all. It was mounted solid, but to drop the tire down was another story. It took 3 men at the tire shop to lower that tire assembly, it weights 80 pounds. That 16” rim and tire was very awkward and heavy for those men. What would happen if I had a flat and needed the spare, looks like an accident waiting to happen for 1 person to do by themselves. I now have my spare still mounted under the frame, same spot, but with a cable assembly I bought from eTrailer. Much easier and safer for anyone to lower the spare tire anywhere. Had to do a little modifying to allow the spare tire to be mounted with enough clearance to access the turning stud on the winch. Welded 4 spacers blocks giving 1-1/4” clearance so the spare tire would be snugged against them and allow the space clearance needed for the turning shaft. I used ½” emt conduit, ½” pvc coupling and a 1-hole ¾” strap clamp to secure the emt conduit in place on the rear bumper. The ½” conduit is just large enough inside diameter to go over the turning stud on the winch, yet loose enough to allow movement like a universal joint since it is not in perfect alignment. The conduit is attached to the winch stud with a 5/32” cotter pin. I welded a 3/8” drive short extension to the inside of the conduit to be able to use a ratchet, speed handle or drill motor to raise and lower the spare tire.

Spare tire winch seems well built. I got a little creative with the install.