I have always carried 2 spare wheels on the back of my Kedron van.
Each wheel weighs 40kg. I am thinking of just carrying one spare to reduce my travel weight by 40kg.
I have travelled extensively on unsealed roads, Gibb, Tanami, Birdsville, Oodnadatta. Great Central, etc.. I have only ever suffered one occasion when I had to use one of my spares. That occasion was in the middle of the Great Central Road.
My question is : If you carry two spares for your van, have you ever had to use both spares. What were the circumstances.
I do carry tyre plugs, an inner tube ( to fit inside a tubeless tyre if needed) etc etc
My personal usual response to such questions is that it is always better to have just enough rather than almost enough.
What are your thoughts about a single spare wheel.
Ken, I Have 2 Spares on the back of our 21ft 6in, Traveller and they will stay there unless needed.
Are you saving 40Kg because you are close to your ATM?
Run over a piece of glass say on the passenger side of your van and cut both tyres at a rest area, going across the Nullarbor, it could be a trip to Norseman or Nundroo to get them replaced/repaired, with partner/wife in the van in the rest area, to ensure its does not get stolen. Or the guy in Nundroo can drive out with replacements which I understand he does not a regular basis., providing you have a signal on your Telstra phone. And at what cost.
I do not like the feeling of driving a long distance without a spare ( after a puncture and only 1 spare) even with a TPMS on the Cruiser and the Van Tyres.
I could get by with a single spare, delay fixing a puncture until nightfall with a repair plug pack, done in the past, but on the wrong side of 65, I just do not want to be locked down to a repair that night if its hot/wet/windy or.
Outback town tyre stores may not have your tyre in stock, happened to me in May last year for a Landcrcuiser tyre replacement,( side wall gash) it took a week for a replacement to arrive . Glad that I came to the West with additional tyres/wheels for the Cruiser. So, do You want to wait around in an outback town for your tyre replacement, and what about the friends your travelling with.
The 2nd Spare, its like insurance, there if you need it. ( If You go off the beaten track)
-- Edited by PeterInSa on Friday 23rd of January 2026 06:20:00 PM
-- Edited by PeterInSa on Friday 23rd of January 2026 06:23:23 PM
I once staked 2 brand new tyres through the sidewalls in 20 minutes when I deviated around a major washout through a burnt out area. Both were successfully plugged but both also failed early in their lives. I have always carried 2 spares for the OKA. The main reasons for that are because a single nasty obstruction can destroy ALL tyres on one side of the vehicle in about a second and a half. I once saw a friend tow a tandem glider trailer away behind his Porsche at the end of a gliding competition. He ran over a tent peg protruding from the ground and totally destroyed 4 tyres, 2 on the Porsche and 2 on the trailer, all at 5kph. That could happen at any time in the bush.
Despite that horrid sight, if I take my own trailer (with tinnny on top) I would not generally take a spare for it at all, but the tyres have about 10 times the capacity that they carry and are identical to those on the OKA (where there are 2 spares) and I reckon I can patch something to get by for the trailer, even fill one with rags and grass.
I did one trip (Brisbane due west to Marble Bar and then the GRR) with my son's boat and trailer with different wheels and tyres from the OKA and I carried 2 spares for that. I used one.
Same wheels and tyres on both tug and trailer provides more options when things go wrong. Know how to change and repair tyres on the road provides another set of options. I have not had a flat tyre on the OKA since 2009, despite many demanding kms, but you never, never know.... :lol: Cheers, Peter
