2018 power wagon spare tire ideas

[jbatx2]

I picked up an 18 power wagon about a year ago. Since then, I've installed an are topper, two fsr tents, big drawer, slideout, 315/75/17 cooper sst's and a bunch of other stuff. It's been on a few trips in CO and UT since then.

It already had Rino front and rear bumpers with rigid lights when I bought it. Not bad but not ideal for much more than looks and strength... No swing out / carry options. The spare currently sits on the drawer in the bed. ...which is a pita and takes up a lot of space.

Anyhow, I'm hoping to work out some external tire carrying option that costs me less than $500 in parts. I can weld and I've build several bumbers and carriers on other vehicles. However, the issue with my pw is that it lives in Golden, CO with a buddy and i live in Austin - I can't just walk outside and start fab'ing.

Any creative ideas?

We have been trying to find a welder in Golden. That option seems as pricey as a new bumber.

The Wilco carrier seems real pricey for what it is - though it seems solid (the buddy has one on his 4runner)

Worst case, I buy a new bumber with carrier and sell the Rino. ....which would obviously cost more than 500.

...attached a couple photos for fun.

 

[jadmt]

why not just carry the spare underneath where it was meant to be carried. a 315/70-17 will fit.

 

[jbatx2]

why not just carry the spare underneath where it was meant to be carried. a 315/70-17 will fit.

Three reason.
1. It hits the exhaust
2 hangs down way below the bottom line of the bed and bumper.
3. I'd like it accessible without messing with the cable and tire winch thing under the truck.

[Edit] underneath is definitely better than in the bed. I've asked my friend to retry it in case the tire shop guy just didn't try hard enough to get it under there

 

[jadmt]

Three reason.
1. It hits the exhaust
2 hangs down way below the bottom line of the bed and bumper.
3. I'd like it accessible without messing with the cable and tire winch thing under the truck.

[Edit] underneath is definitely better than in the bed. I've asked my friend to retry it in case the tire shop guy just didn't try hard enough to get it under there

it takes some finesse but will go up there. Tire shops don't know how to do it. it does not hang down any further than stock tire. this is a Toyo 35x12.5-17 which is bigger than a 315/70-17

 

[jadmt]

 

[Regcabguy]

You can find a good half worn 315 on craiglist that will give you some elbow room down there.
The winches are designed for the weight of the stock spare. Mine failed on my 2nd gen Ram after many Baja trips.. At that time I started securing it with a ratchet strap. On my 2nd and current 3rd gen there are holes in the inner rail where the hooks go on opposing sides. They're perfectly locally. I don't have any experience with a 4th.

 

[jbatx2]

You can find a good half worn 315 on craiglist that will give you some elbow room down there.
The winches are designed for the weight of the stock spare. Mine failed on my 2nd gen Ram after many Baja trips.. At that time I started securing it with a ratchet strap. On my 2nd and current 3rd gen there are holes in the inner rail where the hooks go on opposing sides. They're perfectly locally. I don't have any experience with a 4th.

good point about the weight.

 

[jadmt]

it is not that much extra weight. wheel is the same wheel and tire weighs at most 15-20lbs more. Mine will stay in place without the winch cable and takes a little bit of coaxing to drop down.

 

[jadmt]

the cooper stt pro is only 13lbs heavier. I guess if that bothered you you can mount it on a lighter wheel as the stock steel spare is heavy.

 

[jbatx2]

the cooper stt pro is only 13lbs heavier. I guess if that bothered you you can mount it on a lighter wheel as the stock steel spare is heavy.

I'm not concerned with it.

 

[gatorgrizz27]

If you don’t want it underneath, going off the back is the only valid option IMO. It seems like with those shackle mounts on the rear bumper it would be easy to do a stinger style tube coming up off it. A torsion style garage door spring could make it easy to raise and lower, and a spring loaded pin or two to lock it in place.



If you want to mess around with underneath storage, you can often find a narrower tire that is an equivalent diameter. I have to stuff my spare in deflated, but I have OBA and a plug kit. I’d rather plug a screw hole than change a tire anyways, if possible.

 

[dogman1911]

I had a Wilco tire mount on my Cargo Glide. It was very convenient, but a 37” tire took up a lot of real estate. I just put a Pioneer rack on top so the spare will sit in the bed day-to-day but go up on the rack during trips.

The Wilco is in the far sale section, btw

 

[OLDsfords]

External would be best, but is there enough space between the slide and topper to place the tire vertical on the driver side, behind the wheel well? us a simple strap mount like desert trucks run.

If not, I'd reinforce the bumper you have, from the corner back to the frame. And run a vertical arch swing tire carrier with chared struts. They wobble less than single shear traditional swing outs. And you can leverage them well enough that you're pushing down to clamp it in stow, and lifting with a single hand to deploy.

That's alot of "swissarmy knife" action when you go to open everything, but the classic bronco guys do it.

Michael

 

[chasejj]

If you have OBA in your rig couldn't you deflate a 37" spare and mount underneath with maybe some exhaust routing work? If needed you drop the spare and air it up? I am trying to figure this out before I drop a $100K on a rig I'm planning right now. Going to AT in Prescott in a couple of weeks to look at tops. I haul a KTM moto on a hitch carrier and really do not want to deal with the spacing on the back that a big spare would force me to do. I just don't think a 12-18" receiver extension is a possibility with a 250# bike and #70 lb carrier on it. That's a big lever. I see people do it , but that dosen't make it smart. BTW- really trying to not tow.

 

[jadmt]

If you have OBA in your rig couldn't you deflate a 37" spare and mount underneath with maybe some exhaust routing work? If needed you drop the spare and air it up? I am trying to figure this out before I drop a $100K on a rig I'm planning right now. Going to AT in Prescott in a couple of weeks to look at tops. I haul a KTM moto on a hitch carrier and really do not want to deal with the spacing on the back that a big spare would force me to do. I just don't think a 12-18" receiver extension is a possibility with a 250# bike and #70 lb carrier on it. That's a big lever. I see people do it , but that dosen't make it smart. BTW- really trying to not tow.

no way to stuff a 37 underneath even if deflated to a negative psi.. If it could be done by just an exhaust mod you would be a wealthy by selling the procedure. you would have to cut the frame and figure a way to reroute the track bar.