fellas.

First off shout out to @Offroad Grind on youtube, Steven did great fab work in making this idea functional.

My main desire in this design was to retain the body lines of the truck without getting anything too bulky or too slim (like an ultra-high clearance bumper) and I also wanted the functionality to hold a full-size spare that wasn't from a tow hitch receiver. I also wanted to keep the rear plastic step piece to really tie in the "stock" look and make it feel OEM sort of. which reminds me I gotta plastidip that black as the cheap rustoleum paint job is flaking. we were able to relocate the tow hitch as well, no tow rating and just for a bike rack from time to time.

So I researched all of the aftermarket options out there and nothing seemed to fit the bill just right so I couldn't pull the trigger on something I wasn't 100% of.

I have attached the progress pics of the design from my janky iPad sketch to fab to completion.

I can get more pics if anyone wants. overall super happy with the way it came out.

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more pics

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here's a quick detailed summary of what was used in the build:

"used 10ga for the plate steel portion. 3/16 would have been too heavy for that and weighed 50% more. The swingarm itself is 10ga and the 2x2 for the tire carrier post is 3/16”. Tire plate is 1/4"
The hinge is a bushing actually that’s oil-impregnated brass I believe. I’ve been using those for a while now. No need to lube it ever from what I understand. If it’s an axle that’s constantly spinning then bearings would be better but for a swingarm, the bushings work great" -Steven from OffroadGrind

That looks like a really smart tire/bumper solution. If this was available for mass production it would likely sell fairly well.

Any particular reason you went with a center mount location on the tire carrier as opposed to offset to either side?

How are you handling flex between the body and frame there? The bumper sides are body mounted and the bumper/swingout are frame mounted. It is hard to tell from the photos if there is room for movement there.

-Charlie

sort of how the 5th gens have those low profile front bumpers that slide in, I was thinking something like that for our 3rd gens in that middle section of the rear bumper!

for the tire position, I just liked the center position the best. I have some plans to throw in a table and mount a hi-lift jack in the future. you could definitely customize it to offset it to either side.

I'm getting a slight flex! ill post pics. its nothing drastic but I do notice it and could be a point to improve if anyone else attempts to build something similar.

obviously more flex on the passenger side due to the weight of the bearing for the swingout. if the bumper sides were the same color it would be less noticeable haha

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