Spare tire skid plate

[Swarty]

People who disagree are not by default closed minded...

The spare protects the exhaust.... and offers a nice transition to slide off the back. There will be no edge to catch. The leading edge is protected by the tires themselves (in general).

The diff is always the main limiting factor for drag over situations. That is not my concern. I'm mainly worried about big drops to somewhat flat. Like [MENTION=78273]Jeremy556[/MENTION] is talking about. I've hit mine a few times and the tire takes a bit of a beating.

A spare tire with a ripped sidewall is not very useful.

This is not something you encounter in light offroading.

Still just toying with the idea... I do find it interesting how people here seem a bit close minded about things they have never seen before.

I've hit the exhaust even with the spare there, bent it back open a couple times and will probably just cut it off short eventually. Now I just put the spare in the back. Not closed minded, thought about it and don't see the point. I run 285s and the tire is a good 2" below the hitch and hurts my departure angle on drops and in the rocks.

But if you want design thoughts:
If I was going to do it I'd consider that the widest part of the tire is a good 3"-4" from the edge of the tread and a good 1"-2" wider. You are going to diminish your departure angle, especially if you leave the plate flat. If you come up to a place like the northwest with a lot of heavy branches that front lip is one more thing to get caught on. I've already had branches stuck between the tire and the sway bars. To avoid this I would bend the front and rear edges to sit closer to or even wrap over the edge of the tire. To attach I'd tack weld a nut to the spare mount bracket which already self centers and just run a single half inch bolt from the center of the plate to the welded on nut. Reinforce with a short and small piece of angle that sits on the top within the rim. Don't us rubber, it'll cause dry rot on your tire unless you have a very good material. Coat the surface that mates against the tire with flat paint or garage floor epoxy and consider slotting it along this area to prevent moisture entrapment. I would use 10 or 12 gauge steel for this since aluminum will tend to gouge and stick on rock ledges and the tire will hold the materials shape.

 

[Ron4RNevada]

Why would a LED bar on a roof rack be crazy? You mean the stock rack?

Sorry to get off topic but - - - In my mind I kind of rate (in my own mind) the stuff in these things in usefullness for an off-road machine:

Most useful = 10 , moderately useful = 6, Useless = 0

10. Heavy duty LT tires, Emergency spares, recovery equipment, water, minor tools, hand air pump, axe, shovel, hand winch

9. Front and rear overhang protection / trim plates

8. Sill protection, skid plates/steps

7. under body protection, diff covers

6. Electric Winch

5. 2nd battery,

4. On board air

3.

2. different grill,

1. stickers

0. led lights, blacked out trim, cupholders

 

[Enzo4370]

You are on the right track! And I like it. But u want duel use. Instead of having it a solid flat plate. U want to have it look like a grill on a bbq. Criss cros bars all across. Or even flat bars if you wanted. That way when your camping you can take it off, yes clear the mud, then use it as a grill like a BBQ!try and make some collapsible legs for ISO it can stand on its own.
Click on link for visual. Much easier.
http://c745.r45.cf2.rackcdn.com/img/2009/spare_tire_bbq_grate.jpg

Then you would have the most awesome man grill and it will protect your spare tire!

 

[Antman]

You are on the right track! And I like it. But u want duel use. Instead of having it a solid flat plate. U want to have it look like a grill on a bbq. Criss cros bars all across. Or even flat bars if you wanted. That way when your camping you can take it off, yes clear the mud, then use it as a grill like a BBQ!try and make some collapsible legs for ISO it can stand on its own.
Click on link for visual. Much easier.
http://c745.r45.cf2.rackcdn.com/img/2009/spare_tire_bbq_grate.jpg

Then you would have the most awesome man grill and it will protect your spare tire!

If you are going that direction then re-route the exhaust inside the spare, like a loop, and cook a freakin' roast up on that thing while on the trail. BAM.

Sorry OP...:fishing:Back to the topic!

 

[Swarty]

These are awesome...

You are on the right track! And I like it. But u want duel use. Instead of having it a solid flat plate. U want to have it look like a grill on a bbq. Criss cros bars all across. Or even flat bars if you wanted. That way when your camping you can take it off, yes clear the mud, then use it as a grill like a BBQ!try and make some collapsible legs for ISO it can stand on its own.
Click on link for visual. Much easier.
http://c745.r45.cf2.rackcdn.com/img/2009/spare_tire_bbq_grate.jpg

Then you would have the most awesome man grill and it will protect your spare tire!

Love these but they are ridiculously priced.

 

[wfo9]

I've hit the exhaust even with the spare there, bent it back open a couple times and will probably just cut it off short eventually. Now I just put the spare in the back. Not closed minded, thought about it and don't see the point. I run 285s and the tire is a good 2" below the hitch and hurts my departure angle on drops and in the rocks.

But if you want design thoughts:
If I was going to do it I'd consider that the widest part of the tire is a good 3"-4" from the edge of the tread and a good 1"-2" wider. You are going to diminish your departure angle, especially if you leave the plate flat. If you come up to a place like the northwest with a lot of heavy branches that front lip is one more thing to get caught on. I've already had branches stuck between the tire and the sway bars. To avoid this I would bend the front and rear edges to sit closer to or even wrap over the edge of the tire. To attach I'd tack weld a nut to the spare mount bracket which already self centers and just run a single half inch bolt from the center of the plate to the welded on nut. Reinforce with a short and small piece of angle that sits on the top within the rim. Don't us rubber, it'll cause dry rot on your tire unless you have a very good material. Coat the surface that mates against the tire with flat paint or garage floor epoxy and consider slotting it along this area to prevent moisture entrapment. I would use 10 or 12 gauge steel for this since aluminum will tend to gouge and stick on rock ledges and the tire will hold the materials shape.

I was not calling you out... I just notice "most" people here are pretty consumer oriented if you know what I mean. If it's not stage X.... they don't want it LOL. I find some of the best equipment out there for offroading often just takes a little simple problem solving and fabrication.

Yes, most of my wheeling is in rock so that is pretty much all I worry about.

Technically the departure angle is limited by the hitch. That or the corners will always drag the most going up something. On a drop the rear tire may hit first, but the hitch will contact most often. I already have a skid for it and the tire lines up well with it for a decent transition.

I appreciate the input I will definitely take some of these ideas into consideration.

 

[wfo9]

You are on the right track! And I like it. But u want duel use. Instead of having it a solid flat plate. U want to have it look like a grill on a bbq. Criss cros bars all across. Or even flat bars if you wanted. That way when your camping you can take it off, yes clear the mud, then use it as a grill like a BBQ!try and make some collapsible legs for ISO it can stand on its own.
Click on link for visual. Much easier.
http://c745.r45.cf2.rackcdn.com/img/2009/spare_tire_bbq_grate.jpg

Then you would have the most awesome man grill and it will protect your spare tire!

I just need to find a 33" round grill for sale.

 

[jrandom]

Ever consider running a tube in your spare? Jeremy's idea leaving it flat and tubed, damage would have to be pretty catastrophic to the tire to trash it wouldn't it?

I personnally like the idea of a rear skid ever since I saw someone around here (don't recall who it was) ditched the spare and put a second fuel tank, I liked nearly wall to wall plate, you could slide off anything.

Surely someone could build an aluminum basket (like half of a hard case spare tire cover) you just drop the tire in and use the factory winch to lift and snug it up. You could beat the sh!t out of something like that, the worst that will happen is stretching or breaking the winch/cable, if even.

 

[Swarty]

Great idea

Ever consider running a tube in your spare? Jeremy's idea leaving it flat and tubed, damage would have to be pretty catastrophic to the tire to trash it wouldn't it?

I personnally like the idea of a rear skid ever since I saw someone around here (don't recall who it was) ditched the spare and put a second fuel tank, I liked nearly wall to wall plate, you could slide off anything.

Surely someone could build an aluminum basket (like half of a hard case spare tire cover) you just drop the tire in and use the factory winch to lift and snug it up. You could beat the sh!t out of something like that, the worst that will happen is stretching or breaking the winch/cable, if even.

Would also save you from needing a wrench for the skid skid plate if you ended up needing the spare.

 

[Jeremy556]

Jeremy,

Thanks for posting the photo. You know, you wouldn't get that kind of damage if you'd paid for Toyota's chrome exhaust tip accessory. :banana:

Ha, you should have seen what it looked like when I finally just cut the end off. After being smashed and bent back again so many times, it was starting to resemble those bow tie exhaust tips that were popular with the mullet crowd a decade or so ago.

Ever consider running a tube in your spare? Jeremy's idea leaving it flat and tubed, damage would have to be pretty catastrophic to the tire to trash it wouldn't it?

I personnally like the idea of a rear skid ever since I saw someone around here (don't recall who it was) ditched the spare and put a second fuel tank, I liked nearly wall to wall plate, you could slide off anything.

Surely someone could build an aluminum basket (like half of a hard case spare tire cover) you just drop the tire in and use the factory winch to lift and snug it up. You could beat the sh!t out of something like that, the worst that will happen is stretching or breaking the winch/cable, if even.

Do they make tubes for modern tire sizes? Any reasonably tough LT tire is going to be incredibly difficult to puncture when deflated, like nearly impossible without doing so on purpose, with a sharpened steel blade.

That awesome CBI aluminum fuel cell is Tony's [MENTION=77684]WarnerD9[/MENTION].

 

[jrandom]

Do they make tubes for modern tire sizes? Any reasonably tough LT tire is going to be incredibly difficult to puncture when deflated, like nearly impossible without doing so on purpose, with a sharpened steel blade.

That awesome CBI aluminum fuel cell is Tony's [MENTION=77684]WarnerD9[/MENTION].

LOL hell if I know, someone must out of the 7.2 billion people on this planet

I really dig the null pressure idea I am all over that. You ever popped the bead off landing on it? Oh and derailing thread, spracking tires, how you like those MT/R's?

Ah that's the one! [MENTION=77684]WarnerD9[/MENTION]

 

[Jeremy556]

You ever popped the bead off landing on it?

Negative, doubt it's even possible. Even with a really big, specially designed lever it isn't easy to pop the bead on soft sport bike tires, which are like inner tubes compared to LT tires.

A few weeks ago, I accidentally ran a pretty technical trail (7 on the low end of the trail damage scale) with 1 tire at no pressure as I hadn't screwed the valve stem all the way back in when airing down. I didn't notice it until the flapping sound on the way out at higher 15mph-ish speed. Screwed the valve stem the rest of the way in, re-inflated, no problems.

 

[jrandom]

"off" and "popped" are not the right terms, lost the bead inside the wheel not off of it. IE the easy to re-seat kind. No matter only curious.

 

[Jeremy556]

"off" and "popped" are not the right terms, lost the bead inside the wheel not off of it. IE the easy to re-seat kind. No matter only curious.

True. Never lost a bead, even when my gauge was broken and I was running 8psi when I thought it was at 12. I don't really worry about it though, as I have enough air volume to re-seat a bead, and propellant as a backup.

 

[LandCruiser]

Bumper

or

body

mounted

swing

away

spare

tire

carrier.

I'm sorry that the soccer moms don't like to swing the thing to the side when they need to get Jenna-Adriana-Leigh's ballet clothes out of the cargo area.

 

[STX4Runner]

Bumper

or

body

mounted

swing

away

spare

tire

carrier.

I'm sorry that the soccer moms don't like to swing the thing to the side when they need to get Jenna-Adriana-Leigh's ballet clothes out of the cargo area.

It's not about me being a soccer mom not wanting to open a swing out to access the back. It's the fact that I don't want to add a heavy ass steel bumper to the vehicle or spend $2000 for one. What's wrong with trying to come up with a different solution the the problem?

 

[LandCruiser]

It's not about me being a soccer mom not wanting to open a swing out to access the back. It's the fact that I don't want to add a heavy ass steel bumper to the vehicle or spend $2000 for one. What's wrong with trying to come up with a different solution the the problem?

Cuz there isn't one.

Every third world off roader has the spare either on the back bumper carrier or roof.

 

[STX4Runner]

Cuz there isn't one.

Every third world off roader has the spare either on the back bumper carrier or roof.

So I guess we shouldn't use sliders, aftermarket skid plates or lifts either, because the third world dosen't use those either?

 

[LandCruiser]

So I guess we shouldn't use sliders, aftermarket skid plates or lifts either, because the third world dosen't use those either?

My 76 series GXL wagon had full set of skids, factory, snorkel, factory, rear ambulance door mounted spare, factory, front, center, and rear diff lockers factory, long range fuel tank factory.

Besides the upmarket interior, it looks like any other 70 sold in the rest of the world.

 

[STX4Runner]

My 76 series GXL wagon had full set of skids, factory, snorkel, factory, rear ambulance door mounted spare, factory, front, center, and rear diff lockers factory, long range fuel tank factory.

Besides the upmarket interior, it looks like any other 70 sold in the rest of the world.

OK. You got me there! But still, I or [MENTION=106176]wfo9[/MENTION] want to figure out an alternative to an aftermarket rear bumper. I don't necessarily know his motivations, but mine were previously stated: weight and cost. Now, the Heftyfab aluminum rear probably solves one of those problems. Oh well...

At least this isn't another thread on the TRD Pro. In fact, the original direction of this thread reminds of why I used to like this forum; people wheeling their vehicles and coming up with cool ideas to make them better.