Rear tire mount pro's/con's

[Pad]

Just wanted people's opinioins on rear tire mounts (spare).
I'm loosing about 2/3 of my under deck storage do to my spare (35"). I would need to go with a swing away style because I have a tailgate (not barndoor). The thought of having to swing the spare away to access the upper hatch does not seem optimal but a lesser evil?. I only put the roof rack on for long trips and thats is too much weight up top for my taste. I have a heavy bumper so mounting to it is not a problem, or drilling holes in body for a second mount. My concerns are A)loosing departure angle B)loosing visiblity, not a huge issue C) costs, thinking of going with a used or junk yard find. Not concerned with high-lift mount or other stuff.
What are the pro's/con's? I want to explore the options before I begin down a one-way street of drilling etc.

Thanks for the insight,
Pad

[ujoint]

I decided not to mount my spare on the back for a few reasons. One is weight, one of my tires weighs in @ 140lbs. The second is that I use my receiver for my bike rack, so I would have to install an extension, making the rig even longer. The 3rd is that I would have to build a mount super strong to hold the heavy tire, adding a ton of weight. So what I do is throw the spare on the roof rack for trips, keep it inside for daily driving.

[JIMBO]

:truck: Well, my pros/cons

--Pros
--1) Acessability
--2) Ease of pressure chk
--3) backup TREE bumper

--Cons
--1) slight loss of visability
--2)????????????????????

--
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm83/jimbowby/IMGP0422.jpg

--I wouldn't have it ANY other way and I pull a trailer !!

--:tent: --JIMBO

[davegonz]

For daily driving, the swing outs (two on my old truck) were pain in the *** due to loss of visibility and the extra hassle of opening and closing them when I needed to access the rear cargo area.

[ntsqd]

If you do opt for a swing-a-way you really do not want it mounted to the body. Body mounted swing-a-ways are notorious for tearing up the body.

[bigredpigdriver]

I have always had swing-away style tire holder, heck I am backing one for my new XJ. Going to do something new this time, going to make two swings, driver side will be the tire, passenger side will hold the fuel and water jugs. I have not lost any angles.:safari-rig:

[Clark]

[QUOTE=ujoint One is weight, one of my tires weighs in @ 140lbs. So what I do is throw the spare on the roof rack for trips, keep it inside for daily driving.[/QUOTE]

I've always wondered, How do you get your tire way up there. It must be 8-9 feet up!

[Guinness44]

Prefer swingaway also. A spare is kind of heavy for a roofrack (and is there really a hill to back to when you need to load that tire?). Visibility, mirrors work, using stickon fisheyes. Also have a fresnal lense on the back window (which doesnt work with the sun hitting it, but works pretty well othertimes).

[truck mechanic]

I built one for my 72 Scout, I love it. I built it so its far enough from the body that I can lift the top gate without moving the tire and its low enough that it doent interfer with seeing whats behind me. Also it doesnt seem to affect my departure angle . but the truck is lifted 6 ins.
Paul

[spressomon]

I have the Slee rear bumper with swing-out on my Land Cruiser 100-series. Yeah its a hassle sometimes when accessing the rear hatch. But it's a bigger hassle for me to either store the spare: Inside the vehicle; on the roof; or underneath.

So for me it's easily the lesser of the evils.

On the plus side: My Slee swingout carrier doesn't come loose or rattle...he designed and fabbed it for rock solid usability. And it has a nice secure place to mount the Hi Lift too.

[Mike S]

I have a Kaymar swing away carrier on my 80. I used the stock carrier on my old FJ40 for about 13 years. IMO there really isn't a better option for carrying a tire if you don't want (or can't have) it under the vehicle. Inside sucks, roof top mount sucks, mount on the hood (ala Series LR) also sucks.

The only real downstroke is that you have to deal with the tire EVERY time you access the rear of the truck. No way around it.

M

[jh504]

I have recently gone to a swing away rack on my XJ and I really like it. I have 6 inches of lift and I have had it in some hard angles but there has not been an issue with departure angles. Having to open it before I open the hatch isnt a big deal to me, it takes two seconds of very little effort. The loss of some sight out of my rear window is probably the only issue I dont like, but when I'm loaded down I cant see out of the back anyway, I use fisheye mirrors like a previous post said. If you drive ambulances or other types of utility trucks you cant see out of the back window anyway.
All in all, I am very happy with mine.

[The BN Guy]

There is always the option of...

in town driving simply leave the spare at home. Save the weight on commuting.

for overland have a removable swing gate. Unless someone can sway me not to go THAT direction.

[cpg]

There is always the option of...

in town driving simply leave the spare at home. Save the weight on commuting.

for overland have a removable swing gate. Unless someone can sway me not to go THAT direction. Exactly what I do. Unless I am heading out of town the spare stays in the garage.

[Pad]

Thanks for all the responces!
Looks like a pretty good mix of like/dislikes.
I think if a cheap option presents itself I will go with it,
maybe a used H-2 style (cheap,yeah right), I do prefer
everything on the inside though.
With the kids and dogs the 100"wb Rangie gets real short real fast.

Again thanks!
Pad

[Ca. Bowhunter]

I built my own it takes all of 10 seconds to open and close. The tire or swing out does not affect the trailer hitch and recovery points are built in.

Randy



http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh127/cabowhunter/DSC00547.jpg

[spressomon]

I built my own it takes all of 10 seconds to open and close. The tire or swing out does not affect the trailer hitch and recovery points are built in.

Randy



http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh127/cabowhunter/DSC00547.jpg


Was this one of the "...have a few more things up my sleeve" things you eluded to? Nice job! :clapsmile . You're fitting in here just fine :rockon: .

[BigAl]

A 35 is going take up a good bit of visibility. I'm running a 36 centered on my jeep and I can't see much. If you build your own consider offsetting it to one side.

[Ca. Bowhunter]

I built a swing out bumper with a off set tire setup I think he is running a 35" tire now.

Randy


http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh127/cabowhunter/DSC00503.jpg

[02TahoeMD]

I am completely in awe of those of you who have the ability to weld up your own stuff. Love the Jeep setup.

I had one done up for my Tahoe from Kennesaw Mountain Acc, same folks who did one for the Nissan pickup writeup on the front page of the site here.
Mine is split, with the jerry can holder being removable for day to day driving.
I am thinking of modding it to hold 2 jerry cans.... just have to go to my local shop to get my ideas put into reality.

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk196/JohnTahoe/Bumpercloseup1.jpg

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk196/JohnTahoe/Bumpercloseup2.jpg

I love my setup, and it frees up a lot of clearance in the back end, no more spare and hitch taking up space under the frame.

[rickc]

Pros:
- easy to get to. This is critical is you are punctured on rough terrain or mud. How are you supposed to drop an underslung spare if there is no clearance?
- easy to get off. My spare is 110lb. When I'm feeling great it is easy to lift off the holder and drop to the floor but much more tricky to get the flat back up in place - harder still if I'm worn-out. Mine has a drop-down feature; it can be wound down or lifted down; much easier to use when I'm tired/the weather is really hot. I see lots of guys with big spares on the roof; 2 man job to get them up or down safely. Once up they must be very soundly secured for obvious reasons.
- easy to take entirely off to lose weight for driving around town. A whole section of my carrier can be removed just by pulling a pin.
- safe. there are way to many spares thrown in the back with no/inadequate tie-down. In a crash or sudden stop the spare becomes a deadly weapon.

Cons:
- getting into the back of the truck is a little more of a chore. No biggie.
- limits what other stuff you may want to put on the back
- can't see sh** out the back. My wife bought me a reversing camera for Christmas - yet to be installed. For me, I try to keep my right rear side view as unobstructed as possible when packing the truck and I pick parking spots very carefully.

If you buy one get a good one that bolts to the bumper. Make sure you bumper is big enough for the weight. Get one that is VERY securely attached at the swing point, has grease nipples all over it and has a good locking mechanism. Mine also locks in the out position to stop it swinging around in the wind/on a slope. You get what you pay for.

When you connect it to your truck, make sure you torque the bolts properly and recheck the bolts every time you've been off-road. There is a lot of weight cantilevered off the back putting stress on the fasteners.

[mcm4090]

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk196/JohnTahoe/Bumpercloseup1.jpg

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk196/JohnTahoe/Bumpercloseup2.jpg
.
I like how it swing out on both sides.:friday: