hitch-mounted rear tire carrier... practical for daily use?

this is my current setup: 115lb wheel/tire mounted in the roof basket:



and it is the biggest PITA to get it up there by myself. it is currently my only option. the tire does not fit in the OEM spot under the vehicle, and it's definitely not practical for my spare tire to take up my entire trunk.

nobody makes an off-the-shelf rear bumper with tire carrier, so one would have to be custom made. i just don't have the time to drop off my vehicle for a week or two, to have the bumper/carrier designed/fabricated/installed.

then i found this:

http://cbioffroadfab.com/v-web/gallery/TIRE-CARRIERS











what is everyone's opinion on this setup? obviously, i will lose departure angle (the minivan does get wheeled as often as possible), and it will be a chore to swing down and lift back up the wheel/tire every time i need access to the trunk, but it is admittedly easier to mount/dismount the spare, than the current setup on the roof. there's also the whole COG thing, but the effects are arguable.

would this be a nuisance to everyone? it is my daily driver. this hitch-mount setup would afford greater convenience if and when i need my spare tire, but i presume it will get annoying having to lower/raise it EVERY time i need access to the trunk.

There is also this option from TireGate. At least it swings to the side and out of the way.

I haven't added a swingout to my Tacoma for the same reason you stated, even though it would also be very handy for mounting my hi-lift and shovel. I use my truck for work and open my tailgate several times a day.

But I think I will build one eventually, right now the tire is underneath and I have no place to mount my hi-lift.

That looks like it would be a major pain in the neck. Every time you wanted to get into the back of your car you would have to lower and then lift 115lb tire! I think you need to honestly consider the primary use of the vehicle. If 90% of the use is on road shuttling kids groceries etc it would be silly to install a hitch carrier. Secondly, even if it is used for off road trips frequently, how often do you need to get at the spare? As long as you CAN get the spare down, leave it where it is, or prefferably figure out a way of fitting it back under the vehicle, where you won't have the COG and MPG hit of having it on the roof.

alexrex20 said:

this is my current setup: 115lb wheel/tire mounted in the roof basket:

and it is the biggest PITA to get it up there by myself. it is currently my only option. the tire does not fit in the OEM spot under the vehicle, and it's definitely not practical for my spare tire to take up my entire trunk.

nobody makes an off-the-shelf rear bumper with tire carrier, so one would have to be custom made. i just don't have the time to drop off my vehicle for a week or two, to have the bumper/carrier designed/fabricated/installed.

then i found this:

http://cbioffroadfab.com/v-web/gallery/TIRE-CARRIERS

what is everyone's opinion on this setup? obviously, i will lose departure angle (the minivan does get wheeled as often as possible), and it will be a chore to swing down and lift back up the wheel/tire every time i need access to the trunk, but it is admittedly easier to mount/dismount the spare, than the current setup on the roof. there's also the whole COG thing, but the effects are arguable.

would this be a nuisance to everyone? it is my daily driver. this hitch-mount setup would afford greater convenience if and when i need my spare tire, but i presume it will get annoying having to lower/raise it EVERY time i need access to the trunk.

Click to expand...

Addressing just the CBI part, from an engineering stance I would be happier if the latch pin were further away from the pivot bolt. And if the pivot bolt were not a bolt, that's bad practice.

I want to say that I've seen tire carriers that mount in the same place that swing sideways rather than down. Just like a rear bumper with a tire carrier would. That would be something that you could have made and not loose the use of the vehicle except for some short periods of time for design and final fitting.
EDIT: Just looked at the Tire gate link. That is one, but I've seen one of a different design.
In any case I see this as still being a potential PITA to open the back hatch, but a better option than having to lower and lift the tire each time.

If I were to do it, I would do a swing out like the Tire Gate previously mentioned. Lifting the spare up and down to get to me food sounds like a boot in the ***. If you are doing any off cambered work at all, I would get that 115lb ground seeker off the roof.

I made something almost identical to that as a temporary tire carrier and gas can holder for this summer because I didn't have time to design and build the swing out tire carrier that I want. Let e tell you, it is a major inconvenience to have to un-pin the tire and lay it on the ground to get to stuff in the back. I only used it on two different trips and was glad it is only temporary.

I agree with the points made, but want to add one more. Depending on the weather where you live, a downward dropping tire could simply be a mess to work with. I'm picturing muddy slush all over. Very different beast then a side opening carrier.

Pete

thanks for all the great replies everyone. it seems the general consensus is for me to just leave it on the roof.

7wt made a great point about the off-camber issues of having a big tire on the roof, but i think a rollover situation is not likely, because i have a pretty good feel for the rollover point of my minivan, and i try to stay as fay away from it as possible.

the swing-away tire carrier looks tempting. for the price, i think i could have a local shop fab me something for much less dinero. (same with the CBI style.)


...apparently Kennesaw Mtn makes a rear bumper/carrier for my vehicle. they want a pretty penny for it, though.

doesn't look bad though:

Can is boldly suggest another alternative?

Carry a couple cans of SUV-sized Fix-A-Flat in the vehicle, along with a good quality patch kit, and leave the spare at home.

I know quite a few guys who have abandoned their spare tires in favor of relying on a repair kit.

Search the Kennesaw name on the net before you do much considering of their product.

don't use kennesaw! a friend went thru a nightmare with them.

tiregate is easy and best quick solution. the roof doesn't seem ideal for several reasons plus it's getting a lot of UV up there.

I would never run without a spare on an offroad truck. Rip a sidewall and you are totally stranded.
In the city, yeah you can get away with no spare.

Just to throw my $.02 in - I got my rear carrier from Kennesaw and had a very positive experience. I acknowledge there is lots of bad press on them on the net but my purchase from them went pretty smoothly. They delivered very close to on-time, and the product has held up very well thus far. When I got the bumper they had forgotten to weld on the D-rings. I brought this to their attention and the rings arrived in the mail within a week and then they reimbursed me the cost to have a local shop weld them on. No problemo.

That said, their product does arrive in need of some fine finish work. Nothing some time with a four inch sander disc cant fix, along with some fresh paint.

i've heard lots of bad press about Kennesaw, but a buddy a mine got a front winch bumper from them, and absolutely swears by them. he didn't have any issues, although the bumper doesn't exactly have the fit/finish of something like an ARB.

the same goes for Rocky Road sliders... Rocky Road gets such bad press, but i've had nothing but good experiences with Glen and his products.

bad news spreads much faster than good.



i think i'll keep my tire on the roof for now...

Check this site for some ideas.

www.kaymar.com.au

The issue of carrying a full tire repair kit rather than a spare is valid. 98% of all punctures can be repaired with a plug kit and a small compressor.

If you have been following the tire repair clinic I've been doing in JPFreek you'll see that even more complex repairs are relatively straight forward, if you have the right equipment, see JPFreek magazine page 91-93. Obviously the advantage of the spare is it's quick and simple.

If anyone is interested in a Hitchgate we have one at the shop that we bought for a project but it was never used. We'd be happy to move it at a very reasonable price, we can arrange shipping, shoot me an e mail or PM if you are interested.