cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Extra Tires to the Yukon?

brulaz
Explorer
Explorer
A friend who went the Alaskan highway up to the Yukon as far as Dawson City says I should carry more than one spare tire each for my truck and trailer when we go this July/August.

But his experience was over 10 years ago. And AFAIK the only non-paved road we may attempt is the Dempster Highway, maybe up to Inuvik, maybe further.

Are the roads that bad? All my tires are new.
2014 ORV Timber Ridge 240RKS,8500#,1250# tongue,44K miles
690W Rooftop + 340W Portable Solar,4 GC2s,215Ah@24V
2016 Ram 2500 4x4 RgCab CTD,2507# payload,10.8 mpgUS tow
45 REPLIES 45

soren
Explorer
Explorer
ppine wrote:
Some people think traveling with no spare is a good idea. Go ahead.


Yea, because that's what this thread is about, right? :R

ppine
Explorer II
Explorer II
Some people think traveling with no spare is a good idea. Go ahead.

D_E_Bishop
Explorer
Explorer
We drove to and all over AK in 2000, a dream of 60 years finally came true. We had been RVing for one year and never heard of RV.NET. Didn't know or think about tires, especially the 5 year rule or china bombs. Our first flat was in the middle of nothing on a beautiful road and actually it was a thrown tread that smashed the water pump. We had two more treads separate and one puncher on the original 1998 tires.

Enough back story, the roads are for the most part very nice but typical near and extremely wilderness areas and graded roads. The entire 12,500 miles that summer was an unbelievable trip but never again if I have any question about the quality of my rigs tires.

The most unforgettable trip you will ever take and really good tires are the first step. Take two spares if you feel better but probably not necessary. Folks up there are used to having flats, especially on the Dempster but live there anyway. Help is not always quick in coming but it always comes.

Don't forget to keep a journal and download and save your pictures often.
"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to go". R. L. Stevenson

David Bishop
2002 Winnebago Adventurer 32V
2009 GMC Canyon
Roadmaster 5000
BrakeBuddy Classic II

kcfissel
Explorer
Explorer
As Far as I Know
Ken

“needs” and “wants” are pesky things to distinguish, and the bigger the peskier…

sljohnson1938
Explorer
Explorer
*********************

what means "AFAIK" ?
1999 Dodge 3500 CTD dually
Ham radio - WU4S

Ductape
Explorer
Explorer
The roads are not that bad, it's just that the nearest tire store is not a 30 minute trip, and the probability of cell phone service is low.
49 States, 6 Provinces, 2 Territories...

soren
Explorer
Explorer
ppine wrote:
In Nevada lots of people carry two spares, especially people that work on mines and chukar hunters. It is totally logical to carry two spares when the gas stations can be more than 100 miles apart. I have lost three tires in one day twice in my life. The last one was not that long ago.


Four summers spent traveling in AK and the Yukon, with travel trailers and a motorhome. In that time I had exactly zero issues with tires. Unless you are on the Dempster, or another truly remote wilderness road, reality is as Yeti plus describes it in his post.

brulaz
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks for all the advice folks.

I guess if we go far up the Dempster, we'll carry a second spare for both vehicles.
2014 ORV Timber Ridge 240RKS,8500#,1250# tongue,44K miles
690W Rooftop + 340W Portable Solar,4 GC2s,215Ah@24V
2016 Ram 2500 4x4 RgCab CTD,2507# payload,10.8 mpgUS tow

Nodaker
Explorer
Explorer
Did the Alaska trip in 2016. Put new tires on the truck and 5er, truck was due and 5er had El-Cheapo's. Kept 1 extra of each to have a second spare 'just in case'. Didn't touch either one in 10,500 miles but felt comfortable that I had backup.
Nodaker
2017 Newmar Bay Star 3113
2011 Chev Colorado dinghy

lizzie
Explorer
Explorer
Good advice from all of the above. We towed a TT to Yukon-Alaska twice,traveled the Dempster, out to McCarthy & etc. We carried extra spares for the truck and the TT. We did not need them for ourselves (loaned one to another motorist), but it was so worth it to us to have them. lizzie

AKsilvereagle
Explorer II
Explorer II
If you do venture on the Dempster Highway well past Eagle Plains enroute to Inuvik, I would recommend carrying more than one spare tire due to the sharp shale rock sections that will work their way thru tire tread and inner belts that are famous for causing multi flats, even with quality tires.

Some get lucky and never gotten a flat tire on the Dempster, others get one flat, and others can get two and way more flats on a single trip as one canadian trucker that drives that route a lot explained to me - some days it doesn't matter upon quality tires and driving habits that you can control, but it does help if the conditions are right not to potentially get a flat.



When I ventured on the Dalton and Dempster Highways, those were the only times I ever prepared to carry two spare tires for two reasons, along with a plug kit and an air compressor that I always have onhand anyway.

1 - The severe remoteness of regional area where services are real limited and the potential delays of tire repair in those parts if situations arise which could happen that the tire mount machine is broken or the mechanic is not on duty, etc...

2 - The intermittent sections of shale rock on the Dempster and intermittent sections of hard volcanic rock on the Dalton.

With those two potential reasons alone, in my opinion one would be a fool not to carry at least two spare tires with a non commercial rig if venturing along these two routes - unless you happen to be some royal sheik or one with influential clout that can make things happen with a snap of the fingers no matter the situation.



A friend of mine from southern Alberta ventured on the notorious remote North Canol Road in the Yukon and made it to the NWT border in his 1944 Willys Jeep, he carried two spares and ended up having five flats in which the plug kit and compressor is what really saved him to get back to his camper and trailer based on the east Campbell Highway.....He was down to one remaining plug after that adventure and was so happy to see a garage open on a Saturday morning when he arrived at Watson Lake to have extensive repairs done on the two flat spares.

Although I never quite made it to the shale rock area of the Dempster highway past the low 200km mark - since 1985 going on 33 years of travel here in an RV or passenger rig, on most every main road and a handful of remote side routes in the far north of Alaska and western Canada upon a full day or full month distant road trip.... I have yet to ever have a flat tire incident happen to me - with the one exception in Washington State outside of Chehalis driving thru a vacant lot with broken glass and developed a slow leak in 1990.

Other than that, I normally carry only one spare tire at all times.
1975 Ford F250 2WD Ranger XLT (Owned June 2013)
460 V8- C6 Trans- 3.73:1 (196K Total Mi)
2000 Fleetwood Angler 8ft Cabover
Air Lift 1000 (Front)
Hellwig 3500 lb Helper Springs (rear)
Hellwig Front and Rear Sway Bars
Goodyear G971 LT Series (siped)

ppine
Explorer II
Explorer II
In Nevada lots of people carry two spares, especially people that work on mines and chukar hunters. It is totally logical to carry two spares when the gas stations can be more than 100 miles apart. I have lost three tires in one day twice in my life. The last one was not that long ago.

Yeti_plus
Explorer
Explorer
We put 30,000 km on the truck to Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories in 2016. Only had the spare on the truck. Never needed the spare at all.
I helped an Austrian couple change a tire on their rental on the Dempster. They had it repaired at Eagle Plains.
The road is open all the way to Tuk now. Not sure what they are doing for camping up there though.
Enjoy the trip, it's worth the drive.
2014 Chevrolet 3500 CC 4X4 Duramax, Tork Lift Tiedowns, TorkLift Fastguns, Superhitch and supertruss
2009 Jayco 213 SOLD
2008 Bigfoot 25C9.4

tony_lee
Explorer
Explorer
I carry an unmounted spare strapped up between the chassis rails plus the tools to change it if I'm desperate. Lots of tyre repair plugs too.
Plan B if necessary if a front tyre gets damaged is to take off one of the duallies for the front, pump the remaining tyre up to maximum sidewall pressure and drive slowly to the next town.

Heading up towards Tuk in a couple of months.
Tony
Lots of photos with comprehensive captions at MY PICASA Album
Spotwalla map of our travels - Our Travel map

harley4275
Explorer
Explorer
Did the Dempaster in 2015 ...crushed stone and mud road...some rough spots . Borrowed an extra spare for truck ,never needed but nice to have . Met a guy that had 2 flats in a 100 km streatch . Carry flat repair and insta flat can ....also I always have 2 spares for camper . Along the Dempster the first spot for a tire repair is Eagle Plains ,then ft Mc ferson ,then Inuvik.. The worst road I hit was Alaskan hwy from yukon / alska border to Destruction bay..
2013 Sunset Trail 25RB TT
2015 Silverado 2500HD 4x4 6.0 l gasser.
Equilizer 4 pt
From Belle River, Ontario
2003 Mountain Star 890sbrx Truck Camper