Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's Spare tires.

I have a Polaris Ranger, 800 Crew Cab. It has been a very good machine for us.

The Carlisle tires on it have been a disappointment. The tread is coming apart and I've had both back tires get a hole in the sidewall that is not repairable.

I think I want to get a spare to have on hand so that the next tire problem will only be inconvenient but not keep the machine down.

Any advice on the best place to find a spare tire? I figure there must be a bunch of them somewhere as machines are junked.

Thanks!

Most ATV dealers will have take-offs as many people upgrade their wheels and tires when they buy a new machine. If your Polaris has staggered wheels, you will likely need a front and a rear spare.

used ones can be hard to find because they won't break up a whole set. If you have to buy new, check rockymountainatvmc.com. Even the lower priced steel wheels aren't cheap but it's better than paying $300 for a set if you don't need them.
Size it for the front. A rear might be too wide for the front while a front tire on the rear will get you home.

Just what I was looking for guys.

Badger, I'll start with a couple of dealers.

Rock Chuck and Tikkanut, the rockymountain link really helped.

Thanks!

I've bought from Rockymountain several times. I get overnight service but I'm only 200 miles away.

If you need a spare tire rack, here's what I put on my RZR 800. They have them for the Ranger, too.

All great info, particularly the reminder that the front and back are different.

I researched and discovered the difference is in width. Therefore, I think I'll purchase a spare for the front. I think it would do just fine to get me thru a weekend if I had to put it on the rear.

I shouldn't ever have more than a mile or two walk if I get a flat so will probably keep the spare at the camp.

I'll be on the phone with Rockymountain this afternoon.

Thanks, again!

Keep an eye out on craigslist. People upgrade and sell their old set of wheels and tires for cheaper than one factory wheel/tire.

You could try a pick-a-part or wrecking yard. They often have cheap tires and wheels. In fact, when I built my trailer, i used automotive spindles so I could use car tires and wheels instead of low speed trailer tires. I used the donut wheels that junkyards were trying to get rid of. (No one wanted donuts,) and I got a stack of 8 matching donut tires for about $5.00 apiece. I never bought another tire as long as i owned that trailer.

Craigslist is the best place to get a set if take offs or check with your dealer and see if they have any for sale, they usually only run about $20 for a new take off tire.

Dealer didn't have any. Will check Craigslist next. Thanks!

spare tire/wheel always a good idea........

I have all one size tires.......so I rotate all five to add life to tires

My welder buddy build my carrier.....$50 & a 12 pk of Busch beer

tire carrier built into the 2" receiver & braced

RMATV is a big place.......Fed Ex spots trailers there and pulls em out

at the last chance to meet the scheduled sort in Vineyard Utah...near Provo

So last minute orders usually make it out the same day

Are you running the same offset on your rims or did you use spacers for the rear?

same offset all four 4+3......no spacers

again

Some beautiful country you are in there, Tikkanut.

I've been searching for a used tire and wheel, will look a little longer. Heck, I've survived just fine for over 5 years without and, as I said earlier, I'll likely not have more than a mile to walk to get my truck and trailer should I need it.

I could often find myself walking 20 miles or more. We have a lot of open country and hundreds of miles of trails here. Since my RZR is a 50", the miles of available trails is multiplied by 5 or more. You won't be taking a truck and trailer where we go. I carry the spare with me.

Couldn't find any take offs.

Ordered a spare tire and rim and now have realized another "issue". All my tires are directional. The rims appear to only be able to mount one way.

I think I'll be fine running one backwards for a weekend. After all, the spare is really only to get me thru a weekend.

A directional tire won't have as much traction when run backwards, but it'll hold air going either direction and it'll get you home. Unless you want to haul 2 spares, don't worry about it.

Once the new tire arrived, it became apparent that my front tires were very close to worn out. I decided to get another Kenda Bearclaw, replace the fronts and use one of the old front tires as the spare.

Switched them out on Friday and one of the old fronts has a large crack on the inside sidewall. Wouldn't have seen it till it failed...quite soon, I suspect.

The Polaris handles much better with the new tires. Nice to know that I've also got a spare for the future.

I also ordered Tire Ject, based on recommendations here. Slime has worked pretty well for me in the past but Tire Ject gets great reviews. I need something. Both front tires had numerous places where the Slime was weeping out of thorn punctures. Since I put it in there about 5 years ago, I'm not complaining.