Spare Tire Mount Directly on FWC

[Stan@FourWheel]

More pictures . . .

 

[UglyScout]

You can get a front receiver hitch for your Tundra and a very simple hitch based spare tire mount for not too much. Then when you don't need it -- off it comes.

 

[White Dog]

Thanks for the photos Stan and thanks for the comments and suppliers list from others. The more I study this problem, the easier it is to see a solution that will meet my needs. But I do have all winter to ponder the possibilities since the first hurdle is to get the Grandby on the back of the Tundra and that won't happen until next spring. The second hurdle is to buy a good welder which has been on the 'wish list' for a while.

 

[UglyScout]

The second hurdle is to buy a good welder which has been on the 'wish list' for a while.


Get a name brand (Miller, Lincoln, Hobart, etc) 220v MIG welder for your first welder. And be sure and get one that you can upgrade easily/cheaply with a spool gun for aluminum. You will be some much happier than buying a 'starter' 110v machine, and it should be the last welder you need to buy. Bzzzzzzzzzz.....

 

[generubin]

Hmm...I just had a thought about a second spare solution. After looking at all those catastrophies waiting to happen from Stan's pictures. How about this? It is essential to have an equivalent diameter for your spare but width doesn't matter. What if you had two relatively narrow spares and then just extend the chain on the factory mechanism. Then you crank up both spares sandwiched together. I think you'd still be higher than the rear differential. you'd lose some departure angle but let's face it, a Cougar hanging out the back of a 1/2 ton truck ain't going to be doing any challenging trails anyway.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

I don't come up with these ideas.

But I do try and make a point to save pictures from what I see on the web and what customers have showed us over the years (their own designs).

Then I can at least share something with the good folks on WTW to give them ideas.

It would be a real shame not to talk, not to share ideas, and not to share pictures.

I feel that it is my duty to help foster a positive & creative attitute to WTW members & lurkers, instead of putting down every weird idea that I might not agree with.

I suppose I could just go about my day and not bother sharing any of the information I have gathered over the years, but I don't see any benefit to that. The WTW members and lurkers deserve more.




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Hmm...I just had a thought about a second spare solution. After looking at all those catastrophies waiting to happen from Stan's pictures.




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[Overland Hadley]

After looking at all those catastrophies waiting to happen from Stan's pictures.


Not sure where you are coming from with this? Could you explain?

I do know that the PowerWagon is a well build rig, I think that it has Aluminess bumpers. No "catastrophes" waiting to happen there.

 

[generubin]

Stan, Sorry, no offense meant. What I was referring to is the camper with the swing out mounted to the corner of the camper. I could imagine a good washboard road ripping the entire corner off of the camper. Your pictures are appreciated but they remind me how complicated things can get to carry one extra spare. Almos seems easier to find space inside the camper or maybe underneath. In Africa, my 2nd through 4th spares were just the tires without the wheels. Save weight and easy to throw in and out of the van once we reached camp.
Gene



I don't come up with these ideas.

But I do try and make a point to save pictures from what I see on the web and what customers have showed us over the years (their own designs).

Then I can at least share something with the good folks on WTW to give them ideas.

It would be a real shame not to talk, not to share ideas, and not to share pictures.

I feel that it is my duty to help foster a positive & creative attitute to WTW members & lurkers, instead of putting down every weird idea that I might not agree with.

I suppose I could just go about my day and not bother sharing any of the information I have gathered over the years, but I don't see any benefit to that. The WTW members and lurkers deserve more.




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[White Dog]

This has certainly turned into an interesting discussion with lots of ideas (and views) I hadn't expected.

Two thin tires stacked together, novel approach with merit although I wonder what that bit of cyberspace controlling the brake system on my truck would think of mismatched tires. Even my full sized spare that matches the rest of the tires says 'Temporary Use Only'. When I questioned the service guys at my dealership about the label, they said that it was mostly a 'lawyering up thing' but there was a tiny bit of concern the the steel rim on the spare may act differently than the aluminium rims if mismatched, confusing the computer controlling the brakes. Goodness knows what would happen if the tires weren't identical.

I certainly appreciate Stan's photos. I always find it interesting to see how different folks have solved the same problem. To bad there wasn't some way of finding out how these worked out for the owners.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

no worries, no offense taken

just wasn't sure what you meant either



and I agree, attaching a full spare tire to the jack bracket is NOT the greatest idea.

But I don't think these customers are doing much hard core off roading, so they have probably been lucky


I think you go places most people don't

I'm always amazed at the places and adventures you have been on



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Stan, Sorry, no offense meant.




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[Overland Hadley]

....but there was a tiny bit of concern the the steel rim on the spare may act differently than the aluminium rims if mismatched, confusing the computer controlling the brakes.


Interesting.

 

[krj]

White Dog.
I've got an '03 Tundra with a front mount receiver. Think I paid $180 shipped. It took all of a half hour to install & required no drilling. While I was at it I removed the skid plate and cut a hole in it to allow access to the oil filter from below - think I like that mod better than the hitch!
Good luck & have fun.
KRJ

 

[ntsqd]

I can't see how a different metal would confuse the ABS computer. I can see the different Moment of Inertia between a steel wheel and an aluminum wheel would make for a different maximum deceleration rates, but the ABS computer makes adjustments many times per second. That it couldn't compensate for the minor difference doesn't seem reasonable to me.

My first thot on seeing that swing-away attached to the jack plate was similar to Gene's. Not going to live like that for very long on a rough road. My second thot was that it was a pretty clever smooth road solution. However, the latch ideally needs to be load bearing as well and I don't see a good hard point in the rear of these campers to attach that to.

Something to look for with any of the swing-away spindles sold is what the diameter is. Few are greater than 1" OD and based on previous observation of crawler types snapping them off that isn't big enough. It's true that few here are swinging 37" tall tires, but it's equally true 'there' that their annual vehicle use mileage may only equal the distance of one driver on a single trip here.

I didn't visit the links posted, but I have seen a spare carrier that inserted into a receiver hitch and folded down rather than out to either side. If those are still available I can see it working as a step when lowered. One that I saw had a gas strut "counter-balance" so that you had some help in lifting the tire up.

 

[White Dog]

This is a great forum. Lots of folks with experience and ideas.

I wonder about the effect of a front mounted spare tire on the airbag system should I ever have an accident. The reason I mention this is the comment by ARB in their promotional material about the effort they put into the design of their bull bars to make sure this system still functions properly. If I decide to go this route, I think I would also talk to my insurance company as well to make sure they won't use the spare as a 'cop out' for collision repairs.

Any thoughts on this? Has anyone had the unfortunate experience of a front end collision in a late-model pickup with a spare mounted on the front?

 

[Overland Hadley]

It is definitely something to consider.

Personally I would not do anything that would change the crush rate, and thus change the point at which the airbag would deploy. It is VERY important that the airbag deploy at the right time during a crash.

 

[White Dog]

My thoughts as well. I suspect Toyota along with all manufacturers spends a considerable amount of time and money to make sure these systems work. I can imagine the look on the designing engineer's face if you asked him if he thought a spare in the front is a good idea. While I respect the opinions of others to use this type of mount, I kind of view it as an experiment. It may or may not be safe. However, there is only one way to test the theory. If the theory is rejected, the consequences can be pretty stiff.

ARB seems to have tested their front replacement bumpers for SRS compatibility. I wonder if other manufactures do the same?

 

[Overland Hadley]

ARB seems to have tested their front replacement bumpers for SRS compatibility. I wonder if other manufactures do the same?


No, ARB is the only one that crushes at the same rate as the factory bumper.

I forget how long an airbag is deployed, but it is something like milliseconds. Not much room for error.

 

[White Dog]

No, ARB is the only one that crushes at the same rate as the factory bumper.

I forget how long an airbag is deployed, but it is something like milliseconds. Not much room for error.


Just for the sake of clarity, here is what Wiki has to say:

" . . .the decision to deploy an airbag in a frontal crash is made within 15 to 30 milliseconds after the onset of the crash, and both the driver and passenger airbags are fully inflated within approximately 60-80 milliseconds after the first moment of vehicle contact. If an airbag deploys too late or too slowly, the risk of occupant injury from contact with the inflating airbag may increase."

Not much room for error indeed.

 

[generubin]

Why don;t you just throw the second spare into the camper or your extra cab area? It is only for this one trip.

 

[craig333]

I'm with Gene on this one. Even though I"ve had this happen

I wouldnt carry two spares in most places. Maybe running the white rim trail. Dunno.