Got this question from new member @garya
I'm just a retired guy who purchased a 2011 trail model 4Runner to haul a popup camper from the east coast to Alaska and the Yukon in the summer of 2012. I'm hoping to repeat the trip this summer, 2016, and include some of the long gravel roads I didn't have time for 4 years ago - like the Dempster and Denali Highways.
I want to take a second spare tire with me for this trip. I don't like the idea of putting an 80 pound load on the roof rack - hard to access and I ain't getting any younger!! But I've found an outfit called CURT that sells front mount hitches for my vehicle, and spare tire mounts for them. Maybe the ideal solution! But, being a worry wart, I'm wondering about possible impact on engine cooling. In 2012, without a front mount spare, I hardly noticed a change in the temp gauge, even after pulling the trailer up some pretty steep roads. So maybe no worry. And maybe no problem if the engine does run a bit hotter.
Do you or anyone else have experience with front mounted spares?
I want to take a second spare tire with me for this trip. I don't like the idea of putting an 80 pound load on the roof rack - hard to access and I ain't getting any younger!! But I've found an outfit called CURT that sells front mount hitches for my vehicle, and spare tire mounts for them. Maybe the ideal solution! But, being a worry wart, I'm wondering about possible impact on engine cooling. In 2012, without a front mount spare, I hardly noticed a change in the temp gauge, even after pulling the trailer up some pretty steep roads. So maybe no worry. And maybe no problem if the engine does run a bit hotter.
Do you or anyone else have experience with front mounted spares?