How to Select a Trailer Hitch
A hitch class choice does not replace a trailer spare that holds air. Keep class shopping and trip prep on the same checklist.
Watch on YouTubeTrailer Spare Tire Check Tips (Canada)
Before a Canadian trip, the trailer spare is the tire most people forget until they need it on a shoulder with no cell signal. Check age and pressure before you leave, confirm the mount still holds the wheel, and be honest about whether that spare is the same size as the road tires. This page stays practical. We are not inventing a legal cutoff for tire age, and we are not pretending a hitch-mounted carrier replaces a trailer spare that already lives on the tongue or under the frame. Pair it with the first-tow checklist and the hitch spare-tire carrier guide when you are shopping hardware for the tow vehicle.
Built for Canadian trip prep. Free shipping on CURT towing gear from Lots of Parts when the SKU is live on this store.
Pair this page with the
first tow day checklist,
hitch spare tire carrier guide, and
bike rack and cargo carrier guide.
Prefer the full index?
Open the towing guides hub.
Watch these CURT videos first
All four videos are from the official CURT YouTube channel (@curtmfg). They are hitch and towing basics, not spare-tire law. Use them when the hitch and trailer lights are part of the same trip plan as the spare check.
If an embed does not load, use the YouTube link under the card.
Trailer Hitch Installation Techniques
Install habits matter for hitch carriers on the tow vehicle. Trailer-mounted spares still need their own mount check.
Watch on YouTubeHow to Connect a Trailer Wiring Harness
Lights and a flat tire can land on the same shoulder. Confirm wiring before you invent a night-time repair plan.
Watch on YouTubeHow to Choose a Ball Mount and Trailer Ball
Ball mounts and carriers share the receiver. Pull one before you insert the other, and keep the empty tube covered when you are done.
Watch on YouTubeAge and pressure before you leave the driveway
Trailer tires often sit for months. A spare that looks fine can still be old, cracked, or soft. Read the DOT date code on the sidewall and compare it with the road tires. We are not inventing a hard legal age cutoff here. Tire makers and safety groups publish their own guidance, and provinces can set their own rules. Use the date code as a reason to inspect, not as a number we invented for this page.
Pressure is the second quiet failure. Cold mornings in Canada drop numbers fast. Set the spare to the pressure stamped on the tire or on the trailer placard, then recheck after the trailer has sat overnight. A soft spare that has not been gauged since last season is not a spare. It is a delay waiting for a shoulder stop.
Match the spare to the road tires when you can. Load range, diameter, and bolt pattern still matter. A temporary or undersized spare may be rated only for limited speed and distance. Read the sidewall and the trailer manual before you treat it as a full-season replacement.
Hitch spare tire carrier guide
When the spare rides on the tow vehicle hitch instead of the trailer, start on the carrier guide already live on this store. That page covers hitch-mounted carriers without inventing trailer-frame hardware we do not stock.
Open the carrier guide →Parts-counter honesty. On this tips page we are not inventing a dedicated CURT trailer-frame spare-tire carrier SKU beyond hitch carriers already covered on the carrier guide. If the spare lives on the trailer tongue or under the frame, inspect that mount. If you want a hitch-mounted carrier on the tow vehicle, open the carrier guide and shop live SKUs there.
Mount honesty on the trailer and on the hitch
A spare that rattles is a spare that can leave. Check the cradle bolts, the lock or cable, and any winch or under-frame hardware before you tow. Grease threads that see salt. Replace missing hardware before the trip, not after the wheel is gone.
Hitch-mounted carriers on the tow vehicle are a different job. They use the receiver, they change rear overhang, and they can block a backup camera or hatch. That shopping path lives on the hitch spare tire carrier guide. This tips page does not invent a second catalogue of trailer-frame carriers. We keep the honesty simple: inspect what you already have, and shop hitch carriers only from live cards when that is the mount you want.
How to check the spare in about ten minutes
Step 1Find the date code
Read the DOT week and year on the sidewall. Compare age with the road tires and your own comfort with old rubber.
Step 2Gauge the pressure
Set cold pressure to the tire or trailer placard. Recheck after an overnight sit in Canadian weather.
Step 3Inspect the mount
Cradle bolts, locks, cables, and winch hardware should be present and tight. Replace missing pieces before you leave.
Step 4Confirm size honesty
Same diameter and load story as the road tires when you can. Temporary spares have limits. Read the sidewall.
Age
Read the date code
Old trailer rubber fails quietly. We do not invent a legal age cutoff on this page. Use the date code plus visible cracks or dry rot as your reason to replace.
- Compare spare age with the road tires
- Look for sidewall cracks and flat spots
- Replace when the tire looks finished, not after it fails on the road
Pressure
Cold gauge before the trip
A soft spare is not a spare. Cold Canadian mornings drop numbers. Gauge before you leave and again after long sits.
- Use the tire or trailer placard number
- Recheck after overnight cold
- Keep a gauge in the tow vehicle, not only in the garage
Mount
Trailer cradle versus hitch carrier
Trailer-mounted spares need their own hardware check. Hitch-mounted carriers on the tow vehicle are a separate shopping path on the carrier guide.
- Inspect trailer cradle bolts and locks
- Shop hitch carriers from the live carrier guide
- Do not invent trailer-frame SKUs we do not stock here
Where this fits on a first-tow checklist
Spare age and pressure sit next to lights, chains, coupler latch, and tongue weight on a real departure list. Open the first tow day checklist for the full walk-around. If the spare will ride on the tow vehicle hitch instead of the trailer, read the carrier guide before you buy hardware that shares the receiver with a bike rack or cargo basket.
No invented legal cutoffs live on this page. Tire age rules, winter travel advisories, and provincial requirements change. When in doubt, ask a tire shop that sees trailer rubber every week, and keep the spare gauged even when the trailer has been parked since last fall.
| Topic | What we tell shoppers |
|---|---|
| Age | Read the DOT date code. We do not invent a legal cutoff. Replace when age and condition say the tire is done. |
| Pressure | Cold gauge to the placard or sidewall number. Soft spares fail the first time you need them. |
| Mount | Inspect trailer cradles. Shop hitch carriers on the carrier guide when the spare rides on the tow vehicle. |
| Catalogue honesty | No dedicated CURT trailer-frame spare carrier SKU is invented here beyond hitch carriers already covered. |
| Trip pairing | Use the first tow checklist so spare checks sit with lights and coupler habits. |
Related guides worth opening next
First tow checklistLights, chains, coupler, and tire pressure habits for day one.
Hitch spare tire carrierWhen the spare rides on the tow vehicle receiver.
Bike rack and cargo carrierReceiver sharing with racks and baskets.
Plug versus cover tipsCover the empty tube after you pull a carrier.
Parts-counter summary: gauge the trailer spare cold, read the date code without inventing a legal age cutoff, confirm the mount still holds the wheel, match size and load story to the road tires when you can, shop hitch-mounted carriers only from the live carrier guide, and keep this check on the same list as lights and coupler habits. Free shipping on live CURT towing gear from Lots of Parts across Canada when the SKU shows available on this store.
