External rear spare tire carrier?

[airheadpilot]

Hey, sorry for all the questions - I'm just excited to have found a forum of other Suburban owners.

I'm interested in an external rear carrier for my spare tire, similar to what I've seen for 4Runners, Broncos, and Land Cruisers. What I'm picturing would be a metal frame that mounts on the right side of the truck with a pivot and holds the spare tire roughly in the center of the tailgate. Maybe a jerry can of gas too! It would then need to be easily swung out so that the tailgate could be opened. Does anyone know where such a thing can be bought ready-made and installed? If anyone has fabricated one, what issues/challenges did you run into?

Thanks!

Andrew in Belmont, CA /forums/images/graemlins/burb.gif

 

[tx_sub]

check out 4x4iron.com they have some bumpers with swing out carriers. you can buy them assembled or the kit to assemble them yourself if you have a welder. i have heard many good things about 4x4 iron's products.

 

[ratzila]

DP90K5 builds some fine bumpers with the spare tire carrier on them. You should pm him with any questions.He has built several for people on this site. /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif

 

[darkshadow]

i am going to build a bumper mounted carrier, i would not want to mount that much weaght on the body.

if you want a body mounted one check the yards and rape one off of said trucks and make it work for you. /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif

and lets see some pics of your truck!

 

[woody9]

In the old days, (when i lived in Colo and 4 wheeled... ) there were a few shoppes that would custom make 'em. That way you could add/subtract options as you wanted 'em. /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif

Steer clear of those that tie into the body. /forums/images/graemlins/shame.gif Once you bounce a swing-a-way a few times, you tend to get ripples & torn holes! /forums/images/graemlins/doah.gif /forums/images/graemlins/weld.gif /forums/images/graemlins/doah.gif
Best i've seen was one that incorporated a front hub bearings/races into the hinge. It was a 'low-riding' style, and bulk of the 'across' part was only a few inches above the bumper. /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif Much better arrangement!!
Also had a spindle/bearings/hub/lock-out as the tire-mount. /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif Sure seemed a slick way to carry 'em extra parts that always were needed 275 miles from no-where! /forums/images/graemlins/peace.gif

 

[airheadpilot]

Thanks for the advice all. I checked out 4x4iron.com and they seem to have a pretty good-looking product. I'm not too skilled at fabrication yet, so I'll probably opt to get one of their ready-made units. Thanks also for the advice about body-mounted racks - that hadn't occured to me, but sure makes sense.

Pix of the bu-hweemoth coming soon.

Andrew in Belmont, CA /forums/images/graemlins/burb.gif

 

[muddysub]

i like this a lot its different and you'll never see another truck with something like this in your home town.

 

[airheadpilot]

I gotta admit - that's pretty cool. Looks like it hinges straight down, though, so it might be difficult to drive around with the tailgate down if you were carrying something longer than 8'. The thing I like about the sideways swingers is that you could swing it out 90 degrees and hook it to the tailgate it some way I haven't yet figured out.

Thanks for the picture, though - what a great shot, even if it IS a jeep... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Andrew in Belmont, CA /forums/images/graemlins/burb.gif

 

[stu454]

Check out these guys http://www.kenmtn.com . I plan to get a rear spare carrier for the Tahoe soon.

 

[airheadpilot]

Thanks Stu. I checked out their website - it's definitely another good-looking product. Got yourself a little bit of water there. Hope your wheel bearing seals are in good shape! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Andrew /forums/images/graemlins/burb.gif

 

[muddysub]

what i wanna do is start with the 4x4iron.com rear bumper (the big one) order it with the shackle loops and mount the tire carrier from those. i could make it latch to the upper door hinges... hmmmmm
time to start drawing. /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif

 

[tx_sub]

about the door hinges, assuming barn doors, is that where you make adjustments for the door alignment? the idea sounds good. just curious what you would have to do in there to keep everything aligned adn be able to adjust down the line. but i've never torn into that part of the truck...yet. just a few things to consider.