Hi guys,

I finally finished my spare tire swingout! My original plan was to build Bandit Runners awesome bumper design but my schoolwork and college apps caught up with me so I didn't have the time (or space) to start a project that big. I still plan on building the full bumper as soon as I get the chance (maybe this summer when I have more time), but in the meantime I needed a way to carry my spare tire. I decided on making a tow hitch mount swingout design as it wouldn't be too complicated and would be pretty easy to fabricate.

Here's the final results I think it worked out pretty well! Lmk what you think!









I run 255/85R16 Toyo Mud Tires for reference.

I started off with some measurements on the truck and designed a 3D model in SolidWorks. I placed a picture of the rear of the 4Runner behind the model to get an idea of how it would look installed. I think it worked out pretty much exactly to the plans.







After being happy with the CAD I started building it. I'm lucky enough to have access to a milling machine so some of these parts were made on a Bridgeport, but everything could easily be done with handtools as well. The hardest part was bending the square tubing for the tire carrier beam and gas can holder. These two parts could have been made from two pieces welded together; however I wanted to attempt making the bends. It took some time with a cuttoff wheel making cuts in the tubing and bending it into place with a press. Any gaps in the bends were filled in during welding. The 90 degree bend was very easy, but the other one was rather difficult and took a few tries going back and forth between the grinder and the press to get it right.









I don't own a welder so I had to take the parts to a buddies house to weld everything up. All the welds are super simple and only require short beads, nothing complicated. Structurally the entire build is very solid and weighs about 85 pounds.

The gas can holder is bolted onto that side beam. I bought the can and the holder on eBay for 30 bucks. The holder is pretty solid but I ditched their cover mechanism and stitched on a leather belt.

The canister is pretty crappy though, but eh what can you expect for 30 bucks

For those wondering the license plate cover is from a Landcruiser.

If I were to redo this build I would make a few changes.

First I would have the tire sit a bit closer to the trunk. This image shows the gap that I would like to be smaller.



Next I would make it a dual swingout. It was important that the tire be on the driver side because it allows more visibility looking back, but it was also important that the swingout would not open into traffic. This puts a lot of torque on the pivot point when open. It's definitely strong enough to hold it but a dual swingout would be a more elegant solution.

Overall I think the project was successful and will work rather well for its purpose! Let me know if you have any questions.

This has to be the nicest hitch mount carrier I have seen. Nice job.

Were you able to mitigate the wobble that some of these tend to have?

Thank You!

I did originally have quite a bit of wobble but I fixed it easily. First I used steel shims from mcmaster.com to get the fitment very tight, that way there is no place for it to wobble in the receiver. The shims make it difficult to fit into the hitch but I used a bit of motor oil to lubricate it and with a few pushed and taps with a hammer it was easy enough to line up. Next I made a clamp from some 3/8 steel and some 1/2 inch treaded rods. The pic shows how it sits clamping the swingout to the hitch.



Now it doesn't wobble!

Very clever!

Nice work on the hitch swing out. I need to get this done so I have the ability of carrying around a full size spare as needed. I've thought about building my own but also considered buying one from Detours of Maine since their hitch swing out tire carrier is already rated for 35" tire.

Do you know how much those cost? I'm curious because Wilco sells one for about $1000! You can pretty much get a full bumper for that much lol. I built mine for around $300 btw.