Under-the-Rig Spare Tire Storage

One of our first desires after two shake-down trips is to get the spare tire off of the back of the trailer - a 2016 mod 179. We'd like to put a cargo rack in its place for carrying a 9' inflatable frameless pontoon boat and associated gear.

Although I've searched the forums for optional approaches it seems to me that the BAL Hide-a-Spare carrier would work perfectly - provided that the R-pod frame will accommodate it. Since I am old, but lame, the prospect of crawling around underneath the unit to determine where to mount such a carrier is daunting. Has anyone acquired experience with this option? Our tow vehicle is a 2015 Nissan Xterra and the short tongue on the trailer leaves little room for a mount up there. I don't want to put the spare on the roof (remember - old, crippled, and grumpy to boot) and the only other option seems to be to put it in the cargo hold. Doable, yes - but that will displace other gear and, well, you can see where this would take us.

I'm curious to see what the conventional wisdom is on this issue. What say you?

Trapper John

I had a problem with my old Viking pop up's spare carrier. I bungied the spare to the top of the propane tank on the trailer tongue, not very pretty but it served the purpose for the last few trips with the Viking. This might do until you find a better solution.

I just picked up my R-pod from the shop (warranty fixes) and saw another R-pod in the shop as well.  What caught my eye (and I wish I had had my phone on me to take a pic) was the utility shelf on the back and the spare tire mounted on one side of the tongue on the front.   Took a quick gander, but it appears they owner may have taken the hitch mount and modified it so they either bolted or welded it to the tongue (didn't get a long enough look to see).  It somewhat restricted access to the propane and batteries to one side, but provided easy exterior access to the spare.  My first thought was the extra tongue weight, but with the utility carrier on the back (not seeing how *it* was mounted and reinforced) it may have balanced out. 

Yes but what about locating the bal under rpod as the first post asked?

Thanks for info. I just ordered one. I will consider your input.