Alternative Spare Tire Locations

[ryandc]

I've done some searching, and unfortunately haven't been able to find much information on the topic. I'm looking to move my spare from the undercarriage to any of the following, in order of preference:

-- Rear hatch (I'd prefer this, but I doubt the struts on the hatch can take the weight)
-- Swing-out mount
-- Roof rack
-- Interior

In the searching I've done, the only alternative I've seen is the swing-out mount, which is usually available as a bumper install and costs in excess of $500. Rear hatch seems like it'd be viable if I could put some heavy-duty struts on it and find a way to mount the wheel to it. The stock roof rack doesn't look like it'd work very well, and having 40+ pounds of mass up there can likely be felt while driving. Interior can be done (that's how pretty much every Jeep Cherokee stored its spare for a decade), but it eats up a lot of space.

Anybody come up with a good solution? My 4Runner's a 99 SR5 4WD 5-speed, and it's running on the stock split 3-spoke 16" rims.

 

[Dephcon]

Mount it up on the front bumper like they did in the olden days... Or rig out a hood mount like the Rovers\Landcruisers used too.

 

[Konkordmusk]

Is there a reason you'd like to move the spare? Are you going with bigger tires and would like the spare to match or...?

 

[ryandc]

A couple reasons I want to move it. It's difficult to get to, and requires the custom Toyota jack-handle-extension thing (not sure what the official name is) to lower it. My truck doesn't have that or the Toyota-issued jack. My current solution is a portable scissor jack and lug wrench in the small side compartment in the cargo area. I can swap tires just fine with it, but lowering the spare is problematic.

So I've taken to just chucking a wheel & tire in the rear area on long road trips where there's a possibility of a flat. I run snow tires in the winter and all-seasons during the rest of the year, so I'll just grab a wheel/tire from the opposite set and into the trunk it goes.

If I want to actually use the stock location, I'd have to invest $20-$80 in Toyota gear that largely replicates my current setup. If I can just spend $100 or so to move the location of the spare, then I can save myself some headache (getting under the truck in the winter is a somewhat unpleasant experience) and rotate the spare out as part of my normal winter/summer tire rotation.

 

[BlazeRunner]

You can use a long 3/8ths ratchet extension to raise/lower the wheel from stock location if you don't have the tool. I have a set that I picked up from harbor freight for like $10 iirc.