Spare Tire Dilemma: Tips on how to mount spare?

[NC Rover]

Problem #1 - The current spare is much bigger than the stock spare. Therefore it does not sit on the rubber bumpers on the hood....sits outside of them on the paint.

Does anyone have an suggestions on how to get around this problem without drilling new holes in the hood and moving the rubber pads further apart?

Problem #2 - The stock bolts that hold the spare to the hood are now very short due to the wheel being higher up off of the hood. The thread size is obviously something you can't find at the local hardware store.
Anyone using another method to this?

I'm just curious how those with bigger wheel sizes have gone around this problem. Pictures would be a huge help!

thanks :thumb-up:

[LaneRover]

The military spare carrier has llloooooonnnngggg bolts - at least mine does. That would solve your bolt problem but not your tire rubbing paint problem though.

Brent

[greenmeanie]

#1 Remove the existing pads. Replace the round pad with a neoprene or other such material strip/block that will extend out radially far enough to support the tyre. Use original holes with fender washers to secure in place. You might need something sticky to hold them down if you ever run without the tyre in place though.

#2. You could redrill the hole and tap it for a common imperial or metric thread size and then it's of to the shops for you.

Cheers
Gregor.

[NC Rover]

The military spare carrier has llloooooonnnngggg bolts - at least mine does. That would solve your bolt problem but not your tire rubbing paint problem though.

Brent

Any idea where I could find a set of these military bolts?

[LaneRover]

Any idea where I could find a set of these military bolts?

Not sure if our hosts cary them but the bolts from a rear door carrier might work. I would take a stab at going to a real good hardware store with one of the current bolts, match the threads and get some that are just the size you need.

The military carrier works more like the rear door mount with bolts that go through the lug nut holes on the rim rather than gripping the inner hole of the rim.

Brent

[madp]

Does anyone know the size of the bolts that hold on the spare tyre? I have the same problem and I just came across this website
http://www.britishfasteners.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=BTF&Category_Code=40
which stocks the BSW (Britsh Standard Whitworth) bolts, I just don't know what size to order.

[galen216]

NC Rover if you plan to off-road the truck at all you will hate the big spare on the bonnet. Most times mine ended up in the back because I could never see over it.

If I didn't have a large dog mine would be right behind the seat.

[adkrover]

I had a similar problem with my rear door tire carrier. When I added a hitch receiver, it added a piece of steel to my rear bumper that hits the tire so the bolts were no longer long enough. To extend the rear bolts (they are the same thread as wheel studs) I welded 2 lug nuts together and welded a wheel stud into one end. I could then thread the other end onto the existing bolt and installed the wheel onto the extended wheel stud. Maybe it wouldn't work on the bonnet. I also have the bonnet style carrier but don't really want to be looking over the wheel all the time so I don't use it. Maybe some day I can save up for a nice swing away Defender rear mount.

[KevinNY]

I went with a swing away rear carrier, it will hold a 35" tire.

[Tim Smith]

The military spare carrier has llloooooonnnngggg bolts - at least mine does. That would solve your bolt problem but not your tire rubbing paint problem though.

Brent
Actually it would solve his paint problem. He could just set the spare on the bolts upside down with the nuts already on and set at the right height. Then all he would have to do is get 3 more nuts to hold the spare down, sandwiched between the two nuts on the long bolts.

He would also want to keep the treads nicely oiled up or else it would take ages to get the spare tire off in an emergency... Don't ask me how I know this. :p


Any idea where I could find a set of these military bolts?
Off a military hood... sorry, not sure if the bolt mount can be found as a standalone item any more. At least I've never seen it.

[leafsprung]

http://www.pangolin4x4.com/tirecarrier/tirecarrier8.jpg

[LaneRover]

He could just set the spare on the bolts upside down with the nuts already on and set at the right height. Then all he would have to do is get 3 more nuts to hold the spare down, sandwiched between the two nuts on the long bolts.

And then start a roadside 'Amazing Floating Tire!' attraction.

That would definitely work, but with a big tire does it impede your vision even more? I like the idea that Green Meanie mentioned with making longer 'bumpers' for the tire to sit on out of neoprene or something like it. Maybe a combination of the two would work best.

Brent

[Tim Smith]

I went with a swing away rear carrier, it will hold a 35" tire.
Yes, I'd love one of those. I'm going to try and make my own one day so I can also toss the high lift, off-road gear and speedy med kit off the back.

Mounting the tire off the back also helps balance the weight of the truck too which makes a big difference with an 88" that has a 33" spare and a warn with about 100' of wire wrapped around the drum welded to the front.

I just figured this out and can't believe how much better it rides with the spare tossed in the back.

[Tim Smith]

... That would definitely work, but with a big tire does it impede your vision even more? ...
Yeah I know. This would only make sense to a degree.

I had a hard enough time seeing past an only slightly larger than normal spare tire while driving down the road. Forget about it off road.

[greenmeanie]

Ike,
Do you have pictures of those bumperettes from the side? Are these wrap around to protect the rear quarter panels? Finally, do they come without the carrier?

One of my concersn with a 109 is that the overhang is greater which seems to amke the rear quarter panels more vulnerable to damage.

Cheers
Gregor

[leafsprung]

Mounting the tire off the back also helps balance the weight of the truck too which makes a big difference with an 88" that has a 33" spare and a warn with about 100' of wire wrapped around the drum welded to the front.

Generally nose heavy cars climb better because the weight transfers to the rear when climbing anyway . . . Thats why mogs are so excellent at climbing

[LaneRover]

I actually loved having my spare just behind the bulkhead of my right hand drive 109 P-up. Not for any safety or vision reasons but when I had the top off and my dog was with me you really couldn't see where the steering wheel was! So it really looked like she was driving!

Brent

of course if I let her drive I would never let her off her leash..... :P

[leafsprung]

Gregor,

Heres another pic:
http://www.pangolin4x4.com/tirecarrier/tirecarrier.jpg

They are kind of a one off - non production item.


-Ike

[Tim Smith]

http://www.pangolin4x4.com/tirecarrier/tirecarrier8.jpg
I remember seeing that before Ike. Certainly is nice work.

Although it looks great, do you find that it is weak laterally on the top by only being mounted to the truck on the bottom? Curious as I've been thinking about this a bit lately.

[leafsprung]

do you find that it is weak laterally on the top by only being mounted to the truck on the bottom?

No. You cant see it in the pictures but the spindle is 1.5 inch solid round stock. A hole was machined all the way through the bumperette and the round stock passed through the hole and welded along its length. The bumperette is tied into the cage supports underneath the tub using seven 3/8 grade 8 fasteners (per side). The cage supports span the length of the rear cross-member (which is reinforced) and are secured using twelve grade 8 3/8ths fasteners (per side). I can jump up and down on the carrier (220lbs) in open position while the tire is on it (33 on wolf rim) and its rock solid. It the closed position you could probably recover the truck from the tire carrier. The mantec is a coat hanger in comparison.

[Tim Smith]

No. You cant see it in the pictures but the spindle is 1.5 inch solid round stock. A hole was machined all the way through the bumperette and the round stock passed through the hole and welded along its length. The bumperette is tied into the cage supports underneath the tub using seven 3/8 grade 8 fasteners (per side). The cage supports span the length of the rear cross-member which is reinforced and are secured using twelve grade 8 3/8ths fasteners (per side). I can jump up and down on the carrier (220lbs) in open position while the tire is on it (33 on wolf rim) and its rock solid. It the closed position you could probably recover the truck from the tire carrier. The mantec is a coat hanger in comparison.
Wow!

You've just ended any guessing I might have had about the design. :thumb-up:

[greenmeanie]

Gregor,

Heres another pic:
http://www.pangolin4x4.com/tirecarrier/tirecarrier.jpg

They are kind of a one off - non production item.


-Ike

Cheers Ike,
It gives a man ideas. I'll need to work on my welding skills a bit though.

[S11A]

This one seemed interesting in that you could use it with tailgate, fuull rear door, hard top or soft top:

http://www.safari-equip.co.uk/index.php?page=46

The eye on the left of the carrier goes over the tailgate pin. This is nice in terms of bot having any point fastened to the tailgate or door, but I am somewhat concerned that it might not be the most solid third point... Any thoughts?

[Erin]

I'd like to chime in on the hood mount. You could use a u bolt that goes through the exsisting holes and make a bar out of stock to secure the tire. Thats the route I went. I suppose re-tapping the stock captive nuts would be easy enough as well.
Later,
Erin

[leafsprung]

This one seemed interesting in that you could use it with tailgate, fuull rear door, hard top or soft top

The same is true of the one I made. I think anyone can build one better than the ones that are commercially available, they are generally lame.

[pvkd]

Ike,

This is really nice work! I love proper welded tuff stuff.

Paul

[ShootingCar]

I am thinking of placing my spare on the hood. As a relatively short person at 5'-6" and with short family members at 5'-3", etc. is there a visibility issue with installing the spare on the hood from a safety point of view.
I realize that the tire width may make a difference. So I could go with a narrower spare. What's the opinion?

Thanks,
Jeff

[Tim Smith]

I am thinking of placing my spare on the hood. As a relatively short person at 5'-6" and with short family members at 5'-3", etc. is there a visibility issue with installing the spare on the hood from a safety point of view.
I realize that the tire width may make a difference. So I could go with a narrower spare. What's the opinion?

Thanks,
Jeff
Yes.

I have "curbed it" a number of times and hit about 3 deer with my spare on the hood in the last few years. This was entirely the fault of my spare tire being on the hood!
:p

[ShootingCar]

Tim,
are you being serious or are you just using the spare as an excuse? With all the deer we have up here in Wisc. I can believe that would be easy to happen here. But didn't know if this was a common excuse the series owners use for such problems.

Like SeriesCanuk, I too am new to being a Land Rover Owner and am just starting to learn about this stuff. Thanks for your experience here. I also have appreciated Leafsprungs insight as well so far.

Jeff

[Tim Smith]

Tim,
are you being serious or are you just using the spare as an excuse? With all the deer we have up here in Wisc. I can believe that would be easy to happen here. But didn't know if this was a common excuse the series owners use for such problems.
It's not that bad Jeff.

I'm about 5' 11" and can generally see fine when on the road. Off road however, I do find that it gets in the way and if the trail gets at all technical, then it's just got to come off. Otherwise, you should be fine.

By the way, the deer didn't cause any damage and I think one of the times I curbed it, it centered the steering again.
:p

[ShootingCar]

Thanks Tim for the insight.
yes, I think that I am probably going to end up eventually with it on the back, somehow. It's in the bed right now. So I will probably pass on it being on the hood especially with my 5'-3 wife and daughters too.
Leafsprung's ideas of the manly rear tire carrier have me thinking. This is a dangerous place to find ways to spend money.

Jeff

[S11A]

Ike's design looks more elegant (and sturdier by far), but this one is the same idea:

http://home.neb.rr.com/hppics/Bmprgate.jpg (http://home.neb.rr.com/hppics/Bmprgate.jpg)


My one thought would be that this design looks like it would block vision to the rear since the tire sits so high. I would hazard a guess that the tire could be lowered a bit without interfering with the departure angle or trailer hitch.

Here is another variation:

http://www.webejeepin.com/images/Glenns_Jeep/tire-carrier4-lg.jpg

Except that that one looks like a new "wing" was added to the house. That is one way to get more storage, but besides the looks issue, if you put much weight out back like that the handling is going to be severly affected.

Another variation:

http://www.quadratec.com/products/12052_40X_PG.htm

I am looking for a pic of the dual tire carriers I have seen on the back of some expedition vehicles, but am just posting interesting designs here... Here's another one that has some good info for those considering trying this themselves. The design shows one tire on one half of it, and a couple of jerry cans on the other half. I am guessing that a second tire could be mounted instead of the jerry cans:

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/720785-post1.html


It would be good to have two spare tires but the drawback with putting them on that sort of carrier would be that if I go with the roof rack and ladder, then I am not sure that the ladder and second spare could co-exist...

[S11A]

I think Ike needs to produce his design. Show of hands?

[Tim Smith]

Thanks Tim for the insight.
yes, I think that I am probably going to end up eventually with it on the back, somehow. It's in the bed right now. So I will probably pass on it being on the hood especially with my 5'-3 wife and daughters too.
Leafsprung's ideas of the manly rear tire carrier have me thinking. This is a dangerous place to find ways to spend money.

Jeff
No problem but mine is just one opinion. I'm sure others will have their own ideas.

By the way, I have found that with an 88" the balance of the truck on the road seems much nicer with the spare (33" BFG) tossed in the back. It could be something to do with the winch and wire spool mounted to the front too, so your experience may vary.

For me, since I've figured it out, I'm going to keep the tire in the back until I figure out my own rear mount for the thing.

Cheers,
Tim