Denny,
I know nothing about this topic, except about 1954 1/2 pickup and suburban spare-tire carriers (as described above). My 2-ton 54/55 COE has no spare tire, no spare wheel, and no spare carrier; however, all the wheels match in size, so I could "steal a spare" from the dual rear wheels, I guess.
You ask about why a spare wheel and no spare tire? Maybe it was simply a cost issue (
in 1951, no spare tire was provided as standard on any truck larger than a 1/2 ton ). It looks like a spare wheel was standard on all but 3700 and 3900 series trucks (Forward Control Chassis). You could buy
an optional tire but maybe this was uncommon, especially for owners of larger trucks.
Tim
