Spare Tire Swing Out Welded into Frame

[Token_Indian]

Hey,

I have been eyeing every swing out option that there is for the 4runner that isnt a full metal bumper. Between all the hitch mounted options out there I havnt found 1 that I like. Then I stumbled upon Eighty% Offroad and they actual have a swing out that is welded to frame and cuts an opening thru the bumper.

5th Gen Toyota 4runner DIY Tire Swing Out Kit
– 80% OFF-ROAD

It seems pretty well priced and you get to keep the bumper look and the spare weight of the tire close to the hatch while still maintain full towing capacity with the hitch. Has anyone on here used them or anything similar, I am just curious if this method has any draw backs beside the hole in the bumper?

Thanks!

 

[Jetboy]

Interesting. looks like they have a rear bumper similar to my design. My design is bolt-on and better designed. But I appreciate that they're doing something similar.

I like the spare tire carrier mounted through the OEM plastic. I would probably have done mine that way if I wanted a spare tire carrier on the back. Not sure why I'd want it back there unless I needed an aux fuel tank. But if I did, that's how I'd do it. Would be nice if it were bolt on. Shouldn't be terribly challenging to make a bolt on version.

Edit: as I look more at it - I would pass on this one. There's some design elements that I don't love. Specifically the use of rod ends for the hinge. It's not a great way to make that hinge. And the separation is small - if you go play very hard i think you're going to have a spare tire hitting into your hatch. There's no way that would handle the torsion loads from either hitting the tire on anything or a run through any sort of whoops. I'd say for street use only.

 

[Token_Indian]

Interesting. looks like they have a rear bumper similar to my design. My design is bolt-on and better designed. But I appreciate that they're doing something similar.

I like the spare tire carrier mounted through the OEM plastic. I would probably have done mine that way if I wanted a spare tire carrier on the back. Not sure why I'd want it back there unless I needed an aux fuel tank. But if I did, that's how I'd do it. Would be nice if it were bolt on. Shouldn't be terribly challenging to make a bolt on version.

Edit: as I look more at it - I would pass on this one. There's some design elements that I don't love. Specifically the use of rod ends for the hinge. It's not a great way to make that hinge. And the separation is small - if you go play very hard i think you're going to have a spare tire hitting into your hatch. There's no way that would handle the torsion loads from either hitting the tire on anything or a run through any sort of whoops. I'd say for street use only.

Thanks for the insight. Do by chance have a thread on your swing out or pictures so I can compare the two? I was thinking the same thing with the proximity of the tire to the rear window, but was hopeful that it wouldn't smash thru.

 

[Jetboy]

I never had a swing out. I kept my spare underneath. Why do you want to move it?

This is my minimalist rear bumper. It bolts on where the receiver hitch mounts are for the heavier duty receiver hitch (like the GX460 has). The biggest benefit of this design is that it bolts on - in about 10 minutes. The plates help slide on rocks as you drop off of them. And it protects the exhaust pipe. The basic weld on tube design has higher clearance, but doesn't do much to protect that exhaust tip where you'll drag it if you were using it in the rocks.

 

[91foxbody]

I never had a swing out. I kept my spare underneath. Why do you want to move it?

Anything over a 33'' won't fit in the stock spare spot, and departure angle is an even larger concern if the tire is wide. That bolt on bumper is awesome, though.

 

[Jetboy]

Anything over a 33'' won't fit in the stock spare spot, and departure angle is an even larger concern if the tire is wide. That bolt on bumper is awesome, though.

I fit a 34" tire with KDSS (285/75/17). 33's fit pretty easily. I've never found the spare to be an issue for clearance under the back. It'll drag a bit, but there's no where I know of you could get a 4R on 34's that it'll be an issue. With 35's - I think you'll need to move the spare or use a smaller one.

Bumper worked well. Handled many trips to moab and a few trips through the Rubicon without damaging the bumper or quarter panels. And it was easy to drop off when I wasn't going on off-road trips. It's only 6 bolts to mount. No reason to haul around extra weight all the time.

 

[honda250xtitan]

Hey,

I have been eyeing every swing out option that there is for the 4runner that isnt a full metal bumper. Between all the hitch mounted options out there I havnt found 1 that I like. Then I stumbled upon Eighty% Offroad and they actual have a swing out that is welded to frame and cuts an opening thru the bumper.

5th Gen Toyota 4runner DIY Tire Swing Out Kit
– 80% OFF-ROAD

It seems pretty well priced and you get to keep the bumper look and the spare weight of the tire close to the hatch while still maintain full towing capacity with the hitch. Has anyone on here used them or anything similar, I am just curious if this method has any draw backs beside the hole in the bumper?

Thanks!

seen a few on the old IG. I dig this design alot. I say go for it if youre in the mood of fab'ing up your own swing out that should be way more stable then say a Rigd or wilco one.

 

[4skrunner]

Rod ends for a hinge is fine. It’s a pretty light duty job for rod ends considering they are meant for suspension use. And it allows the tire carrier to be adjustable if it starts to sag for whatever reason. I think the design is fine and I’ve been eyeing this carrier for a while now


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[honda250xtitan]

Rod ends for a hinge is fine. It’s a pretty light duty job for rod ends considering they are meant for suspension use. And it allows the tire carrier to be adjustable if it starts to sag for whatever reason. I think the design is fine and I’ve been eyeing this carrier for a while now


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yea i dont see the issue. make sure theyre FK or aurora and itll be tight and quiet:llama:

shoot i like their bumper too, thats very tempting.

 

[WEAK_E90]

ive been looking into these too...

not sold on the hitch spare tire carrier other than detours of maine... but we all know how that went... :flame:

i read the instructions last night... little put off by how much additional cutting / fitment you have to do.
TIRE CARRIER/SWINGOUT KITS
– 80% OFF-ROAD

Thought it would be laid out where measure 26inches from X that would be top corner, etc. where it is... but it isnt...

You have to cut the angle for the hinge lock and many other things...
(Not saying i couldnt do the work... but for the cost + my time to put into it vs just buying an entire bumper and cutting some plastic... :noidea

Curious if anyone has one on the forum yet...

 

[Jetboy]

Rod ends for a hinge is fine. It’s a pretty light duty job for rod ends considering they are meant for suspension use. And it allows the tire carrier to be adjustable if it starts to sag for whatever reason. I think the design is fine and I’ve been eyeing this carrier for a while now


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Rod ends are great when used in the appropriate design. This is not a good design for rod ends. They are too close together. The forces are significantly higher on them than they would be by spacing them a few inches further apart. They may be able to handle the vertical movement and weight of the spare tire, they will not handle the torsional forces of the tire wanting to rotate fore and aft. They are not designed to resist loading in that direction. I'd bet that if you run that setup over whoops at any meaningful speed - you'll be looking a new rear hatch after the tire smashes the rear panel. It's just not an off-road ready design.

Space the mounting pivot points out about 6 inches and/or replace the joints with rigid bushings or bearings and it would solve the issues in the design. There's a reason everyone who designs these does it a certain way.

This is how the pivot should be done:

Or if rod ends are going to be used - this is much better:

 

[honda250xtitan]

ive been looking into these too...

not sold on the hitch spare tire carrier other than detours of maine... but we all know how that went... :flame:

i read the instructions last night... little put off by how much additional cutting / fitment you have to do.
TIRE CARRIER/SWINGOUT KITS
– 80% OFF-ROAD

Thought it would be laid out where measure 26inches from X that would be top corner, etc. where it is... but it isnt...

You have to cut the angle for the hinge lock and many other things...
(Not saying i couldnt do the work... but for the cost + my time to put into it vs just buying an entire bumper and cutting some plastic... :noidea

Curious if anyone has one on the forum yet...

its basic DIY fabrication. not 'let us baby sit you while you bolt on a spacer kit'
:fencing::fencing:

 

[WEAK_E90]

its basic DIY fabrication. not 'let us baby sit you while you bolt on a spacer kit'
:fencing::fencing:

just thought it would all be fabricated and just needing to be welded on with dimensions for exact alignment. All good, patiently waiting to hear feedback

but your right they directly state DIY

 

[Borriq]

Jetboy

I never had a swing out. I kept my spare underneath. Why do you want to move it?

This is my minimalist rear bumper. It bolts on where the receiver hitch mounts are for the heavier duty receiver hitch (like the GX460 has). The biggest benefit of this design is that it bolts on - in about 10 minutes. The plates help slide on rocks as you drop off of them. And it protects the exhaust pipe. The basic weld on tube design has higher clearance, but doesn't do much to protect that exhaust tip where you'll drag it if you were using it in the rocks.

Where can I get that for my bumper ?

 

[Jetboy]

Where can I get that for my bumper ?

You'll probably have to either build it yourself or have a welding shop build one for you. I built that myself for my own vehicle.

If there was enough interest I could probably get a production run built. But I'm 3,000 miles away from all of my welding tools and CNC cutting, so the only way I could do it is to design the computer files and have a shop somewhere do contract manufacturing. The price for that in small batches would be more than its worth I think. I'm not totally sure what the cost would be.

I might be able to do something in between where I could draw up the cut files and people could have them cut locally and make a DIY weld up option that you could also take to your welding shop of choice. Locally sourced laser cut parts might be less expensive than you think.

Not sure what else you would do beyond that or finding something else already on the market.

 

[Firesq14]

I never had a swing out. I kept my spare underneath. Why do you want to move it?

This is my minimalist rear bumper. It bolts on where the receiver hitch mounts are for the heavier duty receiver hitch (like the GX460 has). The biggest benefit of this design is that it bolts on - in about 10 minutes. The plates help slide on rocks as you drop off of them. And it protects the exhaust pipe. The basic weld on tube design has higher clearance, but doesn't do much to protect that exhaust tip where you'll drag it if you were using it in the rocks.

Where did you get this jetboy?

 

[Jetboy]

Where did you get this jetboy?

I made that. It was basically what I came up with out of some leftover tube from my rock sliders and a few other pieces of material I had laying around from other projects. It worked pretty well for being a minimalist rear protection. I'm sure any fab shop could probably build one for you.

I don't have a 4Runner anymore, but I kicked around the idea of making a few dozen of them to see if there was a market for something like that. I've thought a bit about how to fabricate it so it could break down into 3 pieces to fit in a smaller shipping box. Just never pursued it.