Rear Bumper Spare Tire Carrier

[tyhuck]

The time has come to begin designing a rear bumper to match my front, and an idea popped into my head. Since I put the body lift on, it looks like the truck is "dragging ass" because the receiver and spare tire are hanging down 3" lower than the body. So, I am going to unclude a captive receiver into the bumper design, so the factory receiver will no longer be needed. This will help bring the departure angle of my truck up some and help clean up the rear. That only leaves the spare tire to deal with. Then I began to think abour relocating the spare tire somewhere else.

 

I began to think about Jeeps, and it came to me. I should build a carrier as part of the rear bumper to hold the spare. I was wondering if anyone was running a similar setup, and if they had any praises or complaints with them.

 

Also, if anyone is running one on an 800 series pickup, post up some pictures of what it looks like.

[herm0016]

you can find lots of ideas on http://www.expeditionportal.com/

[tyhuck]

I have the idea in mind. I was really looking for some input as to the practicality of having the spare in this location, especially for those that still use their truck to work occasionally. My truck isnt an expedition vehicle. Its just a daily driver / weekend workhorse. I dont haul much stuff that is larger than the bed, but occasionally I may need to go buy some lumber or something. I was hoping someone has done this on their truck and can give me some input as to problems that they have encountered that I may not be thinking about, and whether or not they would do it again if given the choice.

[burton861]

Ive been thinking about relocating my spare tire also and have been doing some searching and here are a few ideas. Not exactly what your talking about, but you might like them.

 

http://gmfullsize.com/forum/showthread.php?t=198634

^this is a spare tire mounted in the truck bed, looks great but is it practical to remove your spare whenever you need to carry something?

 

http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f23/diy-mount-spare-tire-truck-bed-68422/

^ here is the spare mounted onto the front of the truck which is also great, and doesn't sacrifice too much space.

 

http://www.homeproductsnmore.com/v/vspfiles/V4_Backup/spare-tire-mount/

^ and this is just a mount to put your spare on the side of your truck

 

good luck with whatever it is you do, I'd love to see pictures of it!

[burton861]

and there is also this company who you should check out

 

http://www.tiregate.com/

[tyhuck]

The in-bed mount is useless for someone who uses their truck for hauling anything. Like you said, who want to remove the thing every time you haul something. I dont haul much compared to what the truck can handle, but I usually have something back there. The one on the front of the bed wont work because Ive got a toolbox, the side mount might work if I can figure out if it will fit a 34" tire. Im gonna look into that one.

 

I thought about the tire gate, but I stil want to drop my tailgate if I decided to head to the lumber store for some plywood or something. I really dont want to have to leave my spare at home or pull a trailer whenever I decide to haul something more than 6' long.

 

Im kinda thinking about a fold-down tire holder rather than a swing out so that I can leave it on there and still drop my tailgate. I dont know. Ive still got a while before I can do anything so Ill keep the ideas bouncing around.