Caddy Spare Tire

One of the things that Rob had discussed with me was the need to be prepared on the drive from Parkesburg to Fairbanks.  I had never really thought about what I might need to have to be prepared, but some of the roads, especially the AlCan Highway through western Canada into Alaska, are not the normal surfaced roads one usually sees in the more populated areas of the world.

So I began checking to see what was in my car... or better yet.... what was NOT in my car.  The biggest issue was the lack of a spare tire.  There was not even a little donut spare.  Just an air pump with some fix-a-flat goo inside.  So we began working on a solution.

My Caddy, a 2010 SRX, had the ability to have a hitch installed.  So I found one online that was just for my car, had it delivered and Hershey Motors (the dealer where I bought the car) installed it.  I also found a tire carrier that could be inserted into the receiver for secure travel.  I also ordered a 4 inch extension, hoping it would be just enough to allow the hatch to open with the tire in place.

The tire carrier did not come with any hardware, so the folks at Hershey became very creative and managed to weld wheel studs to the carrier so the tire could be mounted.  They also found a used wheel and mounted a new tire on it, so I will have a full-sized spare available, just in case.  The hope is that I will have spent well over $600.00 to have a spare tire and never have to use it.  But if I do experience a flat tire on my travels, it will be money well spent.

I have a Ryobi cordless impact wrench and lug sockets, so a lug wrench will not be needed.  Also have a bottle jack and some jack stands that will make the trip as well.  I am adding a custom lug nut so theft should not happen as well as locking hitch pins.  Today I ordered a white wheel cover to protect the new tire from sun and rain and make the tire sticking out the back of my white car look better.

I am just going to have to be careful when I back out of a parking space, as I now have a good foot or more of stuff sticking out behind me.

Here are some pictures of the new unit.

As Rob said, it will keep tailgaters farther back as I drive.