my spare tire carrier is done!!!

[Thurlo76]

so after looking at alot of pics and disigns i decided to build this. the theory behind this is that if i ever get a different truck or 4runner this can go with me and the truck wont loose any value "not having a bumper". it also can lock in the "down" position if i need to haul somthing with the tailgate down.
this took about 4 hours total and less than $20 in steal. that also incuded metal for my shackles im making. i think it came out pretty good. its beefy enough to tow my little trailor with my 4wheelers on it!!!















long story about the purple.... my gf was having a bad day so i told her she could paint it when she got home... lol o well i kinda like it! my hooks in front match!!!

 

[eighty64runner]

Looks great! Let us know how it holds up. . .

 

[Iroke17]

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[ChoochCharlie]

Man, that is great work. I like the thoughtful design allowing the tailgate to be down.
Only consideration to keep in mind would be the weight of lowering it to get in the tailgate, but this isn't a grocery-getter, it's a 4Runner. Nice.

 

[Thurlo76]

the weight isnt an issue.... im an 18 year old guy, i have 3 school records in weight lifting lol the weight was the last thing on my mind. haha plus it only weighs maybe 60lbs not that bad. if i ever go to 35's "which is the biggest the carrier will hold" that might start to be a problem

 

[Trevloc]

well since no one else has, i will go ahead and say it.

bad ass hitch cover. :hatsoff:

 

[Harold1950]

Very good looking and I bet it will work and last a long time. Do you have any drawings or specs (dimensions) you worked off of?
Can't spell the reason I had to edit it........

 

[Thurlo76]

actually to be honest i didnt have any drawings or anything. just had an idea of what i wanted it to look like. i just cut everything big and cut it down as i went. im sure i can go do some measuring and put some blueprints on here wont be for awhile though, im leaving to visit a college in NH.
i was going to find a hitch extention and build off of that but i got the extention and it weighed almost 50lbs by itself and stuck way out there. i didnt like the way it looked so i got an extra stinger that i had and welded a female end on it just long enought for another stinger.
sorry if that doesnt make sence. it did in my head. but building my own stuff saved me the 50 bucks for the extention and brought the build cost to about 20 bucks. it took me about 5 hours all together, just eyeing stuff and measuring. and i love that hitch cover! thanks for noticing! my gf bought that for me as a stocking stuffer lol

 

[Harold1950]

I do that also, get an idea and build it as I go without any drawings......looks good though and yes as scarey as it seems it makes perfect sense.................

 

[Lil Red Yarder]

Nice and clean. what about your license plate, dosn't your spare tire cover it up?

 

[Thurlo76]

im going to weld on 2 strips of metal on my tow package off to the right side. the top of the lisence plate will hit at the bottom of the bumper. but until then im just using zip ties haha

 

[Bad_Vision]

good job looks nice.

 

[Iroke17]

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[Thurlo76]

its probly about 40lbs if that.... the reciever extention i was going to build off of was probly 50lbs by itself so im glad i didnt use that.

 

[Thurlo76]

this summer i will finish it, my plans are to mount the tire to a spare front rotor and hub on it instead of just the bolts "so if i go wheeling and break somthing ill have another ready to go" i cant decide if i should bring it closer to the vehical or not. im also thinking about mounting it at an angle so its almost parrellel to rear window... any imput on these ideas???

im sorry about the spelling, i didnt get a whole lot of sleep last night

 

[Bad_Vision]

can we get a picture of the tire carrier down and the tailgate down to get a idea of clearance?

 

[Thurlo76]

how are these??? i made sure that i can fit a 35 spare on there because i dont ever plan on going bigger than 35's. there is about an inch or 2 between the tail gat and the carrier but the carrier locks in the down possition so i dont have to worry about it bouncing back up and leaving dents.

it is actually really strong, i can step up onto the tire and thenstep onto the tailgate. i can jump on the tire while its down and it just shakes the truck. im thinking it will be a nice seat when i camp or fish. just back the truck up and drop the tire, theres a nice seat.

 

[Bad_Vision]

thanks looks nice, simple easy to use and cheap to make. the only thing i would have done different is instead of using the metal plate as a stopper for the tire carrier i would have gone to the pet store and got a chew toy to bolt into the bottom end so you could drop it without holding it. here is a picture of what i was thinking, if you run a bolt through it and attach it to your set up it would not make a clunking noise when you drop it, just a cheap idea.

 

[Thurlo76]

well if you look at it now it is almost like a Y so it catches the main arm running up. that way if im driving with it down it wont sway from side to side. i am looking for some sort of spray on rubber or like a bed liner to spray on the whole thing.

but your idea is good as long as you have somthing to stop the arm from swaying side to side. but i might get like a tennis ball and cut it up and stick on mine.

 

[the_dingman]

I have a bike rack that goes in the receiver the same way, and drops the same way too. They used a pneumatic strut like that on a car's trunk, and it slows it down when you drop it. It's also *almost* strong enough to hold it in place with the pin removed at load.

Maybe an idea for an add-on.