Spare Tire Position When Offroad

[Sundog7121]

Been thinking a lot about where to put spare tire when offroading the trails of Southwest Colorado this summer. I've come up with 4 options.

1. Stock position - not good - reduces rear clearance.
2. On rear - not good for me - would require new bumper assembly, cost prohibitive.
3. Inside rear, on top of sliding tray. Possibility, but it takes up a lot of room. I'd probably make a tray to fit over the tire that could hold cooler, etc.
4. On roof of truck - thinking of an x-shaped mount that would clamp onto stock crossbars at outer end, with tire mount in the middle of the x.

I know tire and wheel are really heavy. Too heavy for roof? My "plan" would be to put spare in offroad position only when going offroad - the rest of the year it would be in stock position underneath.

I'd really appreciate any input on this.

:yo::yo:

 

[Semi-Hex]

All that I could say is that in the stock position I high centered twice in the snow. I was really surprised that this happened. I will have to do something with where the tire is now, but have no idea what yet.

 

[Intruder]

I've wheeled with mine under the truck for 2 years now and never really had any issues. As soon as someone makes a good rear bumper with a swingout tire carrier I'll go that route though.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

Depending on your age, strength and others to help, getting a spare on the roof is not easy without damaging the rest of the 4runner. A stock size and type tire will not be as bad but a bigger heavier off road tire will be a hassle. I am 58 and tires seem to get heavier every time I deal with them. If you are a 24 old year bodybuilder then the roof may work. I have used the stock mount on my 03 without a problem off roading all over the desert. I can see where it could be a problem getting it out if you ever cut a tire with the back axle down in a washout. Most of my dragging the tire problem went away when I put the lift on. It would drag a lot on washouts etc. stock height. My hitch seems to take most of the abuse when I do drag on rocks, also flattened my exhaust pipe tip one time. I changed a flat tire on my friends 4th gen off road with the tire in the stock location but luckily it was on realitively flat ground.

 

[1engineer]

Been thinking a lot about where to put spare tire when offroading the trails of Southwest Colorado this summer. I've come up with 4 options.

1. Stock position - not good - reduces rear clearance.
2. On rear - not good for me - would require new bumper assembly, cost prohibitive.
3. Inside rear, on top of sliding tray. Possibility, but it takes up a lot of room. I'd probably make a tray to fit over the tire that could hold cooler, etc.
4. On roof of truck - thinking of an x-shaped mount that would clamp onto stock crossbars at outer end, with tire mount in the middle of the x.

I know tire and wheel are really heavy. Too heavy for roof? My "plan" would be to put spare in offroad position only when going offroad - the rest of the year it would be in stock position underneath.

I'd really appreciate any input on this.

:yo::yo:

For a temporary position when off road it's best to put it on the roof. Tire/wheel weight is about 80 lbs give or take depending on tire and wheel. I would not make anything special for the roof mount as a simple method will suffice. Get a half sheet of 1/2" plywood and two portable sawhorses (more on these later.) Move crossbars close enough together so the weight of the tire sidewall will be directly above each crossbar.This means they will be a few feet apart from each other. Lay the plywood up there and position the tire so when you strap it down the weight will be over the crossbars. The straps will keep the plywood and tire in place. Simple. This way you have a portable way to mount the tire and then use the plywood and sawhorses as a table while camping!

 

[harper7]

As stated rear bumper with swingout is best like Mikey's work of art rear bumper that also gives better breakover angles by relocating the rear frame cross section forward.

For underneath ,it would be best to use a pizza cutter tire close to the same diameter and type tire if your putting in underneath. The rear hitch receiver on a stock bumper is the low point in the rear unless you have the fancy chrome tailpipe extension and then that would be.I have plenty of scrapes on the bottom of the reciever to prove it and I have a 285/70/17 BFG AT tire as my spare with no scrapes on it.

The reciever can be unbolted from the frame to gain clearance but then you leave the bumper cover or spare as your lowpoint and you'll probably rip it right off as it's only plastic held on by plastic fasteners. If your high centering on the tire in the snow then you'll be catching/high centering on the bumper cover or receiver anyways as they determine the breakover angles .

I personally don't think I could get my spare tire 7-8ft feet in the air as it's not the weight so much but how big and awkward a truck wheel is. I'm not weak as I actually work with my arms turning wrenches for a living but it's a real chore just to load a set in the back and I'd never even attempt the roof as it's way up there. Maybe 2 people and even then it would be awkward .I'd pay good money to see the video of the engineer putting truck tires on his roof!

No real need to worry about Ouray trails anyways ,it's Moab that has the steep angles that you'll drag azz alot of places.

 

[JB.]

Been thinking a lot about where to put spare tire when offroading the trails of Southwest Colorado this summer. I've come up with 4 options.

1. Stock position - not good - reduces rear clearance.
2. On rear - not good for me - would require new bumper assembly, cost prohibitive.
3. Inside rear, on top of sliding tray. Possibility, but it takes up a lot of room. I'd probably make a tray to fit over the tire that could hold cooler, etc.
4. On roof of truck - thinking of an x-shaped mount that would clamp onto stock crossbars at outer end, with tire mount in the middle of the x.

I know tire and wheel are really heavy. Too heavy for roof? My "plan" would be to put spare in offroad position only when going offroad - the rest of the year it would be in stock position underneath.

I'd really appreciate any input on this.

:yo::yo:

If you're referring to the standard trails in the Ouray area, there's hardly anywhere this would come up. I've done nearly all of them in a stock 4th gen (lower than 5th) with the spare in the standard position and never thought it needed to go elsewhere. Didn't do Poughkeepsie Gulch, though, but, for instance, it's no kind of issue on Black Bear which I presume is still considered the 2nd most difficult (this was many years ago, though, YMMV).

If I were going, I wouldn't think twice about leaving the spare where it is. I certainly prefer that to reducing side stability by putting it on the roof.

If we're talking about different trails, I apologize for the thread clutter.

 

[mikey's2010SR5]

My solution... Thanks Harper 7 for the kind words.

 

[Keemonrunnin]

CBI makes these tire carriers. Fold Down Tire Carrier: BASIC MODEL, Cbioffroadfab
Check out snow&surfs threads. He had one made for his 5th gen.

 

[proquip]

Harper - is it possible that your lift and taller tires have increased your overall departure angle, effectively shielding the tire, even though it's a 285/70/17? Just wondering...

Back to the OP, I personally like the idea of pizza cutters for the spare. If offroad ability is a major concern, get an aggressive spare. I see you have stock sized tires (265/70/17) - you could go as narrow as a 235/80/17 (Duratracs and BFG ATs are offered in that size, along with many other options - same overall height). That would pull up the spare about 5/8" which may eliminate the concern. Also, a pizza cutter would be far easier to fling on the roof if you decided to go that route (both in terms of weight and bulk).

For underneath, it would be best to use a pizza cutter tire close to the same diameter and type tire if your putting in underneath. The rear hitch receiver on a stock bumper is the low point in the rear unless you have the fancy chrome tailpipe extension and then that would be.I have plenty of scrapes on the bottom of the reciever to prove it and I have a 285/70/17 BFG AT tire as my spare with no scrapes on it.

 

[agjake01]

I like 1E's idea on top. It'd still be a pain to get it on and off though.

What about taking that idea and book hinging a second sheet of plywood on top of the first sheet with the tire mounted on the top piece. Fasten them with cables to each other and then attach the tire to the top sheet with a standard OEM T-bracket and lowering cable. You could then flip the tire by opening the book hinged plywood with a rope pull of some sort and lower the tire to the ground.

I don't know if you could fab hinges and cables that would be strong enough. Just a thought on the fly.

 

[harper7]

Harper - is it possible that your lift and taller tires have increased your overall departure angle, effectively shielding the tire, even though it's a 285/70/17? Just wondering...

Good point that a lift and taller tires does give you a better departure angle. When I went to Moab in 2010 though I was running 305/65/17's which are a little smaller diameter then then 285's and my SAW rear springs are less then a 2 inch lift in the rear. I just bought some Toytec Superflex rear springs for some more lift to put on as I'm adding some weight to the back real soon.
Still drug the hitch receiver rather then the spare on steep inclines. I thought about making some type of thin steel plate back there as armor for the spare tire but kind of fell by the wayside as I haven't seen a reason as of yet. I do keep my spare aired way down too as I have onboard air to fill it if needed. Knock on wood ,no flats for the last 3 1/2 years I've had it.

They also make hitch receiver rollers so it rolls instead of drags too but I don't know how good that would work .Like this one and I've seen others.........Ultra-Fab Steel Roller for RVs with 2" Trailer Hitches Ultra-Fab Products Motorhome Accessories UF48-979020

 

[Sundog7121]

You guys are awesome, and your answers are food for a lot of thought.

JB - It's exactly the Ouray trails we're talking about. For some reason I got the idea that I had to move my spare from underneath.

Mikey - your solution would be also my perfect solution. Not in the cards (wallet) though.

Harper7 - while pondering the removal of the spare I realized that the hitch receiver would make a great hook for a carrier landing. A rear skid plate does makes sense.

1engineer - more great thinking. Thanks! Just south of here (Farmington area) many of the oil/gas service pickups have the spare on a rack at cab-top height. But they also can stand in the bed to get it down.

All- thank you so much for the ideas. Right now I'm thinking maybe I'll just leave it be. :juggle:

 

[agjake01]

One last idea would be to modify a hitch bicycle rack to hold your spare. I have this swing down model and have loaded it with 4 heavy bikes with no problem. Take the top arm off, bolt on your spare and you'd be good to go. Even swings down for hatch access. Paid $85 for it at a sporting goods store.

Good luck!

 

[eddiebx]

Would having a hitch mounted holder decrease departure angles even more? Having the base sticking out from the receiver seems like it would cause even more drag coming off steep hills.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

Would having a hitch mounted holder decrease departure angles even more? Having the base sticking out from the receiver seems like it would cause even more drag coming off steep hills.

Yes it would. That thing would take a beating. My friend keeps leaving his receiver hitch on his Tacoma with a lock and forgets to bring the key when going of road. In the rocks in the desert it hits a lot and holds the back end up or else is plowing in dirt.