I'm working on a spare tire carrier for my flatbed. Needs to be strong enough to hold a 44" to 46" tire. Anyone have some good pics or ideas? I really don't have any preconceived ideas, so I'm looking for anything.

Larry, are you putting a roll cage on the flatbed? If so can you attach one to that? Steve Rickard has a pretty good design on his trail rig but I don't seem to have any pictures of it handy. Perhaps Keith does. Send a link to your SF site so I can see what you got going.

One of these days, probably after I get a job I want to build one for my Bronco that hinges off the rear bumper. I have a pretty good design in my head but it is not built yet. Nathan (the nag) has built one already. The design that I want to build has the tire pivoting down to the ground as opposed to swinging side to side.

dc

SF link is in my signature.

A roll cage is in the plans, but not for a while yet, gotta recover from the latest build first. The tire will definitely mount there when the cage is done.

I've got a 44" wide frame to work with and about 44" front to rear clearance depending on configuration. I'm undecided about whether to mount flat on the deck or at an angle. A tire and rim weigh 156 lbs, so something to lift it into position would be nice. I've considered hingeing the carrier off the deck frame (Dan R came up with that one), or building an angled frame with a boat winch to pull the tire into position. I want to make sure I've got enough room to mount a full size cooler and my wife's step stool on the deck with the tire. They could sit on top of a flat mounted tire, but would have to fit under an angled one.

Now that I sit here thinking about it, a hinged frame that could be winched to an angled support might work. Hmmm.... That would leave more room under the tire than a solid support as well. The idea is forming, forming...

I like the idea of the angled frame and boat winch. HF has their little 12v winch for sale at 50.00 all the time so you might want to consider that as well.

Yes it sucks to lift my 37" spare in/out of the bed of my Bronco every time I need to use the full bed. IIRC mine weighs about 110/120#.

dc

SF link is in my signature.

A roll cage is in the plans, but not for a while yet, gotta recover from the latest build first. The tire will definitely mount there when the cage is done.

I've got a 44" wide frame to work with and about 44" front to rear clearance depending on configuration. I'm undecided about whether to mount flat on the deck or at an angle. A tire and rim weigh 156 lbs, so something to lift it into position would be nice. I've considered hingeing the carrier off the deck frame (Dan R came up with that one), or building an angled frame with a boat winch to pull the tire into position. I want to make sure I've got enough room to mount a full size cooler and my wife's step stool on the deck with the tire. They could sit on top of a flat mounted tire, but would have to fit under an angled one.

Now that I sit here thinking about it, a hinged frame that could be winched to an angled support might work. Hmmm.... That would leave more room under the tire than a solid support as well. The idea is forming, forming...

Im gonna build mine out of 2x2 1/4 in a triangle with a brace going under to lay the tire at an angle(basically there will be 3 different peices of 2x2) but its to hold my 36. It will resemble pre-runner style.

Im gonna build mine out of 2x2 1/4 in a triangle with a brace going under to lay the tire at an angle(basically there will be 3 different peices of 2x2) but its to hold my 36. It will resemble pre-runner style.

I'm starting to lean in this direction. It's just that a 42" tire will hang out like a sail :shocked I need to mock it up and see just how bad it is I guess.

1/4 wall is a lot for a spare tire carrier. I'm planning to make mine from 11ga tube and 1/8 wall angle/channel.

1/4 wall is a lot for a spare tire carrier. I'm planning to make mine from 11ga tube and 1/8 wall angle/channel.
I may run 3/16... but theres no way im running 11ga... thats crazy... especially a 156lb sail

11ga is weak in sheet form, but when it's put into square or round tube it's much stronger than you might imagine. 11ga is 0.120" which is what most roll cage tubing is.

was not aware... I have some at home and I thought it looked weak... specially next to all the 1/4" stuff I made my bumper out of.

I say lay it flat, butted up against the tool box. Use some of that angle iron to act as a "cage" around it. The cage could be made to the size of your cooler, and then you would basically have a 4 point box sitting around the diametr of your tire. hinge one side of that so you can open it to get the tire out, and then close it and use some sort of cam lever or postive locking device (hitch pin or something) that would hold the tire tightly to the deck. This would solve your tire and cooler mounting issues

I say lay it flat, butted up against the tool box. Use some of that angle iron to act as a "cage" around it. The cage could be made to the size of your cooler, and then you would basically have a 4 point box sitting around the diametr of your tire. hinge one side of that so you can open it to get the tire out, and then close it and use some sort of cam lever or postive locking device (hitch pin or something) that would hold the tire tightly to the deck. This would solve your tire and cooler mounting issues

This is exactly what my first design was, even went out and bought the metal for it. I was hoping to use a large bolt to secure the tire to the deck, but there's so little room between the deck and the gas tank I figured I'd start looking at other options. Using the box lid to clamp the tire down may work if I stiffen the box frame, sounds like that may be the way to go next.

DD quote: The design that I want to build has the tire pivoting down to the ground as opposed to swinging side to side.

Have been thinking the same thing Dave.

As plug mentioned, lay flat, but now that I'm thinking for your flatbed, are there going to be any sides? just roll bars going back? I'm thinking you could use the room of not laying a monster like that flat, but rather have it to one side, butted against part of the cage, depending on plan there, and have a steel arm securing it. Now, the arm could be made to be with a channel, and so when you unlocked it, instead of all the winch stuff, you slide the arm/tire mounted toward the back, and then if it had a way to pivot toward the ground, the arm would actually be the piece doing all the steadying of the massive tire. you just need to keep it from slamming down to the ground, and need to be able to just push it upward to secure back on the truck.

well, if you really wanted to bolt it to the deck. weld a piece of 2x2 between two peices of flat stock. Pull the wood bed, drill some recessed holes that would allow the bolt heds to be "inside" the wood, and then mount one end to the deck and the other could be 2 or 3 lugs/bolts. It would be bolted down, but you still wouldnt have a place for the cooler.

I say lay it flat and lock it in there. Its not like you swap tires on a regular basis do you? Oh, and let the air out, it will be a little lighter at least.

This is the one I devised to hold one of the hitch hauler bumper racks...that way our storage rack can be removed and left at camp.
http://pics.montypics.com/ak4x4/2005-09-14/1126763477_tire_carrier.jpg

well, if you really wanted to bolt it to the deck. weld a piece of 2x2 between two peices of flat stock. Pull the wood bed, drill some recessed holes that would allow the bolt heds to be "inside" the wood, and then mount one end to the deck and the other could be 2 or 3 lugs/bolts. It would be bolted down, but you still wouldnt have a place for the cooler.

I say lay it flat and lock it in there. Its not like you swap tires on a regular basis do you? Oh, and let the air out, it will be a little lighter at least.

I was thinking of a tie down in addition to the cage. I wasn't planning to put sides on the cage, but if I did, that would keep the tire from sliding side to side while the lid held it down. Another trick would be to let the air out, put it in the cage, then air it back up. That would snug things down real good :twotu: Any plan that puts the tire flat on the deck will also include a tire cover made from expanded metal to tie stuff down on.

I don't swap tires often, in fact I haven't mounted a trail spare in 7 or 8 years. But, I'm planning to run a little rougher trails now so it may happen more often.

I like the idea of a swing up carrier to help get the tire on the bed, so I'm looking into how to incorporate that into this design as well. The entire cage/mounting frame could swing down over the back, the tire could bolt inside, then swing back up again. Still not sure if I could manhandle that by myself though, that's a lot of bulk. The 156 pounds isn't a big deal, I can throw that around pretty easily, it's the size and shape that make it tough. That's where the winch idea came from BTW. If you can figure out how to leverage a manual winch, like those on boat trailers, it makes it easy to get that tire 4 1/2 feet off the ground and onto the flatbed.

OOps...just noticed my sketch was out of line Larston...I forgot you had the flatbed now...DOH! :doh0715:

I was thinking of .............

If you can figure out how to leverage a manual winch,,..................

sounds like we are thinking pretty much the same thing with dek mounting option. what about making a basket like for roof tops that is the same size as the deck? similar to the one I used to run ontop of my rig

http://www.supermotors.org/getfile/167120/fullsize/rackon1.jpg

You ould use like 1.5 square as the little legs in 4 corners. With the addition of a few small ammo cans, you would have a lot of lockable/safe storage, and then a rack for your soft gear and coolers above the tire/ammo cans.

As for flipping it up, if you went that route, what about some big fawkin struts similar to on a camper top door?

ok dont clown on my ms paint skills.....
http://www.supermotors.org/getfile/244728/fullsize/carrier.jpg

i got another side view i can upload as soon as SF lets me. you can mount it off the side, off the back. my deal is that i dont want to have that summanab!tch any higher than i need to. i want to wheel, not power lift a tire like a strong man. plus if i am changing a flat, i will most likely be pissed already.

i just thought of this too. i like the idea of the winch assisting it all the way up and onto the bed. maybe incorporate mechanical locking with a bit Y shaped screw down deal like Baja stuff

http://www.supermotors.org/getfile/244729/fullsize/slider.jpg

Lots of cool ideas axaviere. I've thought of the hinge down idea a bit and think it would work. The trolley idea is pretty neat, but it looks a little more ambitious than I was wanting, at least for now.

Thanks to everyone for their input. Got a couple new ideas and I think I know what I want to do. I'll post up some pics when I get it done.

If you can make a handle that extends far enough forward from the hindge, rotating that tire in place might not be too bad... but your limited to how far forward a handle can go, and how do you get it on there in the first place since its mid-air. id rather hike it up on the bed and set it on an angle or flat

you get the tire on the carrier when its flipped down and right there about waist level. the winch aids in the pulling up the tire to the bed. but even if its without the winch, i can see it being easier to lift and just press it up and over til it hits the bed.

i have another drawing, i just cant log onto supermotors. anybody else??

here we go
http://www.supermotors.org/getfile/245220/fullsize/carrier.jpg

ok dont clown on my ms paint skills.....
http://www.supermotors.org/getfile/244728/fullsize/carrier.jpg


Ax, I just comed up with an idee....I likey the pivot down concept, what about mounting (wedling) a horizontal tube on top of the bumper, then mounting two 6 inch verticle tubes right and left on the tire frame itself, you could put another slightly cmaller tube THROUGH the horizontal tube, for a pivot, and then put a smaller tube THROUGH the two verticles and into the bumper itself to "lock" in place, a good idea might be to tap and drill zerk greasable fittings here and there.

You could make something like:
_______
]

to add to the base of the tire carrier, which would act as a stop against the bumper, so that when the tire carrier is down, it would be a support for the weight of the tail gate?

I can not weld, aint got no metal cutting stuff, and aint got the sense to use autocad or stuff to post drawings.

Just a thought as I sit here.....

whaddayathank?

I have the same idea of the carrier swinging down. I am planning on letting the tire swing down to the ground that way you can just roll it off and on. I'm planning on just pressing it up onto my tail gate, I'm also working with a 35". But I'm still working on how to make a mounting point to keep the tire latched.(not to the gate). Just my 2cents.

just factor in that you may not always be in an ideal spot to swing it down. this concept was just a day dream for larstons flat bed. but anything that you would use for a bko would have to attach to the bumper and not the stock one without mods.

anything number of pivots will work ghost, you could get big thick hinges too and make them work. and a stopper is a good idea. with no to CAD animate that drawing its just a trial and error thing to get it right. but its a good start. i was thnking a water proof in/out switch for that little winch recessed into the bumper. hell i could lift a 44"... really. about a foot. im just thinking, why make it rough on yourself?

Here's what i made for mine. It holds my 3-way and to hitches.
The wheel sits flat on the round plate and the tire also rests on all 4 corners.
I had to brace my bed from underneath but a flat be would be sturdy.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v422/facn8me/5570302a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v422/facn8me/d36f74ee.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v422/facn8me/90fe19b3.jpg

I like Ax's idea. I can tell you that lifting this 38 is a PITA! But I think I'd rather have this than having to swing it down and lift it up each time I want to access the tailgate. Which of course isn't a problem for a flatbed
http://www.supermotors.org/getfile/224423/fullsize/IM001205.jpg

norm i am in proces of making mine like yours except think i am gonna mount my jerry cans on the outside of my tire, or to the side so that i can lower it about 6-8 inches below where your is at to help keeping more weight towards the ground, do you think that your is a problem at time. The jerry can would have a small cage or frame around it to keep it from gettng smashed as well.

I like mine because if I'm not carrying the extra cans then I can move the tire inward towards the tailgate. I used two pieces of telescoping tubing and drilled them so you can move the tire in and out as needed. PM me if you have any more questions or check out my superford site so we don't steal Larston's thread here. I just posted the pic as an example of what a heavy POS the tire can be.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v422/facn8me/d36f74ee.jpg


Thats a great idea... Im gonna use a version of that. :rockon

That multi mount is sweet! Nice engineering on that one.

Like Big Norm says, these tires aren't something you're going to just flip up and latch, they're beasts. I'm going to incorporate a place to hook my comealong to pull the tire up onto the bed. Between that and a high lift jack it should work out for one person to do it.

The thing I don't like about the flip up carrier is that it has to be large enough to fit around the tire. For a 35 to 37 inch tire, you could come up with something manageable, but on a 42 to 46 inch tire, especially 44's and up, the carrier would almost stick up above the cab because the tire is so wide :shocked I did draw up some designs in AutoCad of mouting the tire on an angled mount. Even at 30 degrees, which would leave some room for a cooler under the tire, the tire would stick above the cab about 6 inches. Kinda scary in a rollover, not to mention aerodynamics. Flat is the way to go for this one.

Now if I can just get past a run of emergencies I could get into the garage and get it built :banghead

Use your mechanical engineering guru stuff and make a multi link, pnuematic powered contraption. Build it so all you have to do is roll it to the carrier and the pnuematic stuff will lift it up. :toothless

what about going to a semi truck trailer place, and gettting once of the winch deals they have on the sdie of the trailers. yould could use an old tow strap (or new one for that matter) and use a hook to snatch the wheel at the hub. then, weld the pick end of a pry bar into the end of your hilift handle to use it for the winch (they use a special prybar typically, but you could weld then together so you only need one bar). You could use a hilift to either jack the tire up like you are talking, or mount a roller along the back of the bed to help get it up.

I was also thinking about how to secure it. Go to Home Dep and get a piece of schedul 40 pipe, threaded on one end. Then get a female flange and mount that to the flat bed. On the other end of the pipe, weld a round piece of 1/4 thats as big as the mounting surface, or just a piece of thick flate stock (so it looks like a T). Then, you could thread that into the flange, and it would hold the tire down. With the tire removed, all you would haev would be a short piece of flange attached to the deck.

I like it! Good idea Damon!

Well I finally got off my ass and threw the spare on the flatbed and took some measurements. I'm going to use the cage design with an expanded metal top that will lock closed. The retainer for the tire will be a chunk of 2 X 3 tube I have laying around that will stick up 3 1/2 inches above the deck and have a 3/4 inch nut welded inside of a plate covering the end of the tube (captive nut). It will be relatively easy to work the tire over that when it's loaded. I will use a plate with couple bolts welded in to cover the wheel mount flange on the rim, and a 3/4 by 6" bolt in the middle to hold everything tight. I'm going to put a T-handle on the bolt head so it can be tightened by hand. I plan to weld a couple lengths of chain on the riser so I can lock the tire to the deck. The cage will have a piece of pipe welded onto the front frame to give a spot to attach a comealong to pull the tire onto the deck. The lid of the cage will hinge forward to load the tire, then lay back over the tire and lock on both sides (it's nice that Master has same-keyed lock sets available.) This will give two layers of locks so I will have a better chance of the tire staying put when parked in Moab or some other popular spot :toothless

A quick trip to the steel shop tomorrow and start welding tomorrow night :popc1:

cool, looking forward to it.

:chili:

I finished the spare tire carrier and cover up this afternoon. It's a monstrosity, but it needs to be to fit the tires. It's almost tall enough to be tough to use, but I can climb up on the tire and reach it easy enough. The mount is a 3" square tube with a captive nut inside. The cover is built so I can hook a come-along into the front frame to pull a tire up. I haven't tried it yet, but that's the theory :popc1: There's enough room around the tire to provide some more storage for small things and I may be able to hang a high lift and a Max Axe on it. The platform is big enough for a cooler, water jug, sleeping bag, tent, etc. for long trips.

Here it is with the lid open. You can see the crossmembers the tire mount is attached to. It is welded into the frame and is reinforced by the decking. It'll take a lot to tear that mount out.
http://www.supermotors.org/getfile/247902/fullsize/LidOpen.jpg

Here you can see the sealed decking and how the mount comes through. The lid will be held down with locks on both sides. The other end of the lid is held in with welded in piano hinge. I think it'll be strong and secure.
http://www.supermotors.org/getfile/247903/fullsize/TireCover.jpg

The cover frame is built from C-channel so there are plenty of places to hook straps into. The channel is also very strong once everything is welded together and boxed. I can stand on top of it and shake the whole truck without moving the frame.

Now to test the tire loading theory...

cool. What about putting struts on the lid to help lift it up for you?

Why not use that area you just made to store your camping stuff and make a regular swing away carrier in the rear. It would free up alot of room. Won't solve the having to lift the tire though.

Would this work for your app?

link to carrier (http://www.rjrproducts.com/spare-MENU.asp)

http://www.rjrproducts.com/graphics/spare-carrier.JPG

http://www.rjrproducts.com/graphics/spare-carrier.JPG

Don't know if I'd trust this one to hold the size tires I'm running. Looks good, though.

Why not use that area you just made to store your camping stuff and make a regular swing away carrier in the rear. It would free up alot of room. Won't solve the having to lift the tire though.
I got enough stuff hanging off the back end now :toothless I do hate stacking stuff on the back of the rig like this, but by far the most it'll carry is a small cooler. I can only think of three or four four wheeling trips that will require more than one day on the trail (Rubicon, Fordyce, White Rim, for instance), so room for camping gear isn't too big a concern.

cool. What about putting struts on the lid to help lift it up for you?
That's an outstanding idea. I was thinking of some sort of prop, but a set of tailgate struts from a minivan would work great. That lid only weighs about 20 lbs, it wouldn't take much.

once again that tronco is looking sweeet

I got enough stuff hanging off the back end now :toothless I do hate stacking stuff on the back of the rig like this, but by far the most it'll carry is a small cooler. I can only think of three or four four wheeling trips that will require more than one day on the trail (Rubicon, Fordyce, White Rim, for instance), so room for camping gear isn't too big a concern.
Let me know as far in advance as possible whenever you decide to do the Rubicon. I'd love to make that trip. The 'con is only like an hour and a half from me.

Let me know as far in advance as possible whenever you decide to do the Rubicon. I'd love to make that trip. The 'con is only like an hour and a half from me.

For sure, but don't hold your breath. It'll be a while :toothless

This is the one I devised to hold one of the hitch hauler bumper racks...that way our storage rack can be removed and left at camp.
http://pics.montypics.com/ak4x4/2005-09-14/1126763477_tire_carrier.jpg



this design with the trailer spindles is very nice, but those spindles have been known to break off.

Looking good Larston... are you planning on adding any tube to the rear bed?

Looking good Larston... are you planning on adding any tube to the rear bed?
Lots of it, full cage with frame tie-in, but that's for another build session :thumbup Hell, by that time it may even get back-halfed :shocked

Lots of it, full cage with frame tie-in, but that's for another build session :thumbup Hell, by that time it may even get back-halfed :shocked
That would be sweet. I always draw back halved F-150's in school.

i know it is not on buggy but i do have a swing down tire carrier

http://www.supermotors.org/vehicles/registry/showmedia.php?id=144975

anyway i used 7/8 inch pillow blocks for my pivots. mine will swing down to the ground.

btw if someone can point me in the direction of a cheapish 500ish lb winch i will be so happy

nathan

Nathan, what are those pivots exactly, Ive never heard of pillow blocks.

Also, what about HF for a cheap winch?

it is a smaller version of what is on long driveshafts.

i also have seen smaller versions in HVAC systems with squirl cage style fans

i actually got mine at the same place i had build driveshafts for me back in abq.

you can get them with round or hex holes

nathan

That's a cool tilt down, never thought about going that way with it. I always thought of it as tilting from bed level.

nice work bro i like the route you went with it:thumbup

Here you go Damon, this link should work (well maybe)
http://www.surpluscenter.com/sort.asp?UID=2005110312213641&catname=powerTrans&keyword=PBPB


dc

Nathan, what are those pivots exactly, Ive never heard of pillow blocks.

Also, what about HF for a cheap winch?

this one makes for easy handling...:thumbup

Leaves plenty of room to get into the bed, too. Nice setup :thumbup

thanks dave, I get it now. Its like a carrier bearing.

I know this idea will only work for NON-flatbeds, but this is a quick idea/sketch, and I'm sure there are plenty of things that wont work for this, its just a quick idea/sketch...

http://electrosonica.com/datapage/albums/Bronco/p1010059.jpg

Plus im bad with graphics editors, and i dont have a scanner, so i drew it, then took a picture, so quality is poor.

Go ahead and give me your input :)

-Alex

PS: My main concern, is will the tire swing be able to support the weight of the tire as it moves further out?

Northern's got a zillion pillow blocks, not sure if the link will work but just keyword search their site if it doesn't:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/NTESearch?storeId=6970&N=0&Ntk=All&Ntt=pillow%20block&Nty=1&D=pillow%20block&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Dx=mode+matchallpartial

That's a cool tilt down, never thought about going that way with it. I always thought of it as tilting from bed level.

it does have serval issues, my main problem is the weight of the tire and carrier. i also have a storage box in my bed that only opens if the tailgate is down. well the pillow blocks have a little play in them and sometimes i will hit the tire carrier on big rocks i knock it out of alingment. when this happens it is really hard to get the pins out to swing the thing down. now if my tools are inside my box (which they are) this becomes a big problem. fortunantly Dave had a couple of 3/4 wrenches and since then i keep a 3/4 wrench and 3/4x7/8(7/8 will get the lug nuts off making it easier to mess with the carrier) in my glove box. i think i have been lucky when it does come out of adjustment is is surprizeingly easy to get back where it needs to be.

i have been known to tell people they can use my air tools if they lower my spare to get into the tool box and raise it up when done.

one of the reasons that i had to do a swing down was that my rear bumper is minimel i could not realistically put a swing arm on it without completly blockeing my tailight or re-designing the bumper. my swing down ataches to my hitch and the pins go into a bracket welded to the bumper.

nag