Small Boat Trailer DIY Spare Tire Cover - protect from UV

Article By Shorty


Spare Tire UV Cover
This is my PDRacer's spare tire, it is a used tire I got with the trailer, the previous owner had it sitting out in the sun for a long time and the tire was very dry rotted. I have also acquired many other spare tires in much worse shape -- some completely ruined from the sun even though they looked to have almost new treads.

So here is the problem, I hate carrying a spare tire loose in the trunk of my car because I have enough stuff that I have to pack to go sailing. There isn't enough room to mount the tire underneath the hull, on the side of the trailer frame where it would be protected from the UV by the boat, so I ended up putting it in the typical spot, way forward on the tongue of the trailer, which is in the direct sunlight for most of the day.

I didn't want to get a fabric cover, becauase those break down pretty quickly, and will get blown off on the highway, or I'll have to remove it every time I go sailing. I also wanted to make something quick and cheap, so here is what I came up with.

A simple round piece of 1/2" plywood. The rope and cleat where a quick way to secure the cover to the tire. The other important feature is that I drilled a couple of holes to match the U bolt that holds the tire to the tongue. This keeps the UV cover from sliding around while I trailer down the road, even when the wind catches it.

Here are some other variations of bolt together trailers:
PWC boat trailer
40" x 48" utility trailer
4ft. x 8ft. Steel Folding Utility Trailer
Galvanized Boat Trailer