Which tire racks are best?
There are plenty of reasons to keep spare tires in your home or garage. You could regularly drive vehicles in rough conditions and need to change tires frequently. You could live in an area that demands different tires for different seasons. Or you could just simply like having backups.
Regardless of your reason, the best way to store your spare tires is with a tire rack. They keep your tires organized and out of the way, plus prevent them from accidentally rolling away.
What to know before you buy a tire rack
Tire rack types
There are four types of tire racks.
- Fixed tire racks are the largest category, coming in sizes small enough to hold a single set or large enough to hold dozens of tires for commercial settings. The thing they all have in common? They don’t move.
- Mobile tire racks, meanwhile, do move because they’re chiefly used to transport a large clutch of tires from one location to another. These are most commonly used in commercial settings rather than personal ones.
- Folding tire racks are perfect for people with limited space and who don’t need their tire racks all the time. The trade-off is that they aren’t as durable or have as high of a weight limit.
- Dolly tire racks come in two forms. Some look and act like any other dolly, only they’re a little larger to accommodate tires of most sizes. Others are just disks on wheels. Like mobile racks, these are usually used in commercial settings rather than private ones.
Weight limit
Once you decided what type of tire rack is best for you, you should next consider its weight limit. It’s crucial that you get a rack that can handily hold the tires you plan on putting on it — if your rack breaks, your tires will roll and bounce everywhere which can badly damage a whole host of things.
Folding tire racks have the lowest weight limits, though they usually go no lower than 200 pounds. Other non-commercial tire racks usually have weight limits of 300-400 pounds, though better — and more expensive — racks can hold more. Commercial tire racks can hold thousands of pounds.
The weight limit isn’t always plainly listed and sometimes isn’t listed at all, so tread with caution.
Wall mount
Many fixed and folding tire mounts for home use come in wall-mounted forms. These greatly help with space issues as is, but factor in that they commonly have adjustable widths and they’re even better.
However, before getting one, you should ask yourself if you have the right knowledge, experience and tools to properly mount them. The racks are usually less than 20 pounds, but add some tires and the weight rapidly increases. If you don’t secure them perfectly, they can collapse and pull chunks of your wall with them.
Warranty
An easy method for double-checking a tire rack’s quality is to see what kind of warranty is offered. Most include at least a year’s worth, but the best offer lifetime warranties.
How much you can expect to spend on a tire rack
Small tire racks typically cost $50-$100 with better racks usually costing in the $100-$150 range. The best non-commercial racks can cost $500-plus. Commercial tire racks can cost $1,000-plus.
What are the best fixed tire racks to buy?
This rack is 36 inches deep and can be set to widths of 36 to 48 inches. It can hold up to 375 pounds and with the proper equipment can be mounted to a wall.
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This rack is 28.5 inches deep on the bottom and 20 inches deep on the top. It can be set to widths of 34 to 58 inches. It can hold up to 400 pounds.
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MaxxHaul 50256 Fixed Tire Rack
This rack has an adjustable width of 36 to 48 inches and a height and depth of 28 inches. It can hold up to 375 pounds and has a powder paint finish to fight off the rust.
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What are the mobile best tire racks to buy?
This rack measures 58 inches high, 36 inches wide and 18 inches deep, and can hold up to six tires with rims. The rollers can swivel 360 degrees for easy transport.
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This rack can be used as a mobile rack or as a fixed one thanks to the included four non-rolling legs. Two of the wheels have side brakes to keep the rack locked in place.
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What are the best folding tire racks to buy?
MaxxHaul 70489 Fixed Tire Rack
This rack has an adjustable width of 32 to 48 inches and is meant to be mounted to a wall. It uses a heavy-duty steel construction but weighs only 17 pounds.
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Proslat 10026 Folding Tire Rack
This rack has a depth of 28 inches and a width of 48 inches. It can hold up to four tires and has a weight limit of 350 pounds.
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This rack has an adjustable width of 31.9 to 48 inches and a depth and height of 21.6 inches. It can hold up to 300 pounds and its own weight is just 18 pounds.
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What are the best dolly tire racks to buy?
This dolly can hold tires with diameters of 6.5 to 24.5 inches thanks to be being able to be situated in three different forms.
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This dolly can hold up to five tires and wheel assemblies, or eight tires without assemblies. It has a weight limit of 300 pounds and is 25 inches wide and 4.25 inches high.
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This beast of burden rolls on five commercial-grade casters and can hold up to 1,000 pounds. It comes with a 12-inch lash strap to secure the tires. It has a handle to easily carry it.
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Jordan C. Woika writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
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