What To Use For Pivot On Tire Carrier?

[az ranger]

I am starting my rear bumper build and wondered what others have used for the pivot point on a swing away tire carrier. I want it to be as HD as possible.

And what about bearings on it what has worked for you guys tht built your own.

pictures would be helpful too.

 

[dontoe]

Another option..........

 

[BulldogK5]

Rockstomper has a pivot hinge with the tapered bearings and sleeve, pretty much all you need for the pivot. Just assemble and install.

I would not recommend a swing out carrier though if you even think you might go to a bigger tire then 35's. My carrier broke off with a 39.5 mounted to it. Loud bang and then the end really lightened up. Bad - it happened on a major roadway with morning commuter traffic, good - it did not hit anybody so no one was hurt.

Check out Blazenoffroad for a fold down carrier. Jesse does quality work and i am about to order a rear carrier from him. Very similar to Dontoe's pic.

 

[Txchevy18]

Sry to hijack but does anyone have any other pictures of those flip down carriers? I really like that Idea and it looks simple enough to fab.

Thanx
COry

 

[marv_springer]

Another option..........

I agree..... I like swing ones that swing straight up/down. Built one for Robzilla that has worked well w/ many rollovers/flops. Instead of swinging down, it swings up. Used urethane spring bushings.

Marv

 

[gmc4cw]

if you do a swing out what about a spindle and hub off a front axle. thats pretty heavy duty. you could use a 6 lug hub and cut off the flange for the studs. really trick would be to weld a stub shaft inside and use a locking hub to keep everything from moving. then unlock the hub and swing the tire out.

 

[cbbr]

Heavy Duty - look here for a how to.

 

[buefchris]

I used wheel bearings from a camaro made spindles out of pipe and a 1"inch bolt though the middle .Weld-in a 1"nut on the bumper ,box it in ...call'er good ! I'd show you what I mean but I can't figure out how to post my pictures here.

 

[badmix]

Most of the fab shops here and what is on my tire carrier is jus Trailer hub and bearing assembly.

here is mine, bad angle, but might help

 

[az ranger]

I agree..... I like swing ones that swing straight up/down. Built one for Robzilla that has worked well w/ many rollovers/flops. Instead of swinging down, it swings up. Used urethane spring bushings.

Marv

Marv,

Do you have more info on how this works,

keep the ideas coming this is great

 

[greyhoundjc]

Was it the Rockstomer spindle that broke, and if so, where did it break?

I'm finishing up a tire carrier now and I'm using the rockstomper piece.

 

[cbbr]

Look over on PBB. There are a few of them (rockstomper's)that have broken. Seems like they have beefed up the design since those were made, but I wasn't willing to take a chance.

 

[greyhoundjc]

I did see that post on pirate, that's why I'm worried. Honestly, the rockstomper piece does look pretty beefy, but I wish I had come up with something similar to what you did. Your bumper looks pretty darn sweet!

 

[81jimmyslt]

They shear right off where it starts to taper down, fatigure failure.

When we pulled our carriers from production, We tested our prototype and that is exactly where it snapped off.

 

[greyhoundjc]

I'm pretty far into this project with the Rockstomper piece. Any ideas of how to make it work? I was thinking that maybe other people had let there swing arm flex too much while driving and that the flexing motion was what was eventualy causing the spindle to break. I have tried to remove as much free play in my design as possible.

 

[BulldogK5]

It was not the rockstomper spindle that broke. It was a 1000# trailer axle bearing that broke. It snapped where the grease hole went through the tapered portion. I used the rockstomper one to repair what had been damaged. I have not had a problem with it but I am extremely concerned every time I take it on the road. Although I did add some hold downs on the swinging side which it did not originally have. I can post some pics if you like.

 

[greyhoundjc]

Pics would be great! I'm just concerned now that no matter what I do for a pivot point that every time I'm on the road, I'll be afraid that the swing arm will break off and kill someone. I usually overbuild everything, but if I think that there is anyway it could be dangerous I'll just have to scrap the whole project.

 

[81jimmyslt]

It needs to have a second point of contact to fix that problem, or a better tire carrier spindle. You might be able to gusset the top like the picture above. Or hard mount a second pivot, maybe a simple bushing mounted to the corner of the body, just a thought.

 

[ntsqd]

If the first pivot is on the bumper you don't want the second to be on the body as it will work the sheetmetal until it cracks.
Do really want three points of contact though. Two points make a line, which is an axis of vibration. Three points makes a plane, and the further apart those points are from each other makes it more stable.

I'm confused, has a spindle from Rockstomper broken, or was it from some other source? I see one posting was some other source, but is that all of them? Scott E @ Rockstomper will want to know about such a failure if he hasn't already been told of it.

 

[BulldogK5]

Please keep in mind that mine was "designed" for a 35" tire. It rode that way for quite a while with no problemw that I know of. Later the size was increased to a 39.5" x 15" meaning much heavier. (As a matter of fact, the right side of the truck is noticeably lower than the left. If you do build one place the tire in the center of the truck.) It rode like this for a while until the fatigue finally got to it. Also, there was not a second point of contact that was designed to clamp it down. It was just a metal rod intended to keep it from opening.