Bumper with swing out or no?

[RMP&O]

I have gone back and forth on this. Looking for opinions either way. If you have a swing out what do you think of it? If not why not? 2011 Toyota Tacoma Doublecab Shortbed

I have dug up what I can on the various forums this is more of an opinion poll so to speak. I specifically interested in how you think it improved(departure angel) or hindered (raised COG) your offroading ability, and any others issues you may have had or that it solved.

Thanks!

First of all do you off-road the truck? If not you don't really need a swing out. Lots of reasons to move the tire to the bumper but the main one is for imporved ground clearance behind the rear axle.

Next, do you plan to fit an aux fuel tank? If so you have to move the tire and run a tire carrier.

For me, I never off-road hardcore enough in my Taco for the imprved ground clearance to make a difference. Unless you are really wheeling it and getting in rocks it is fine in the stock location. I moved my to a carrier because I wanted an aux fuel tank. The fuel tank is designed (custom made) so that it gives me no less ground clearance then the tire under there, possibly better. As far as raising the COG or hindering the truck off-road. Not going to happen enough to ever be noticed. If we are talking about a 40" tire on a super soft suspension truck, ie buggy that is a different story. We are not talking about that though.

Take your truck out and wheel it. Do all the kind of stuff you like to do. Do you hit or touch the spare tire in it's stock location? Yes? Ok move it. No, ok leave it as is. Having a swing out is a pita for access to the bed. Not a big deal but certainly not as easy without. Keep that in mind too when considering the tire carrier.

my 2 cents

 

[rsbmg]

No offense but I didn't think a person would be on this forum if they didn't offroad, I sort of figured that was a given?

I tore the trailer plug off on the very first outing offroad and saw some rub marks on the tire and that was on just a mellow desert tour not what I would call a serious offroad excursion. Of course I am coming from a jeep and the Tacoma is still in stock form so once the suspension is on which will hopefully be within a month or so she will go out for some testing.

Ultimately I will build the truck as weaknesses present themselves but I like to hear from the BTDT people so I can plan and avoid making changes that will affect something else that I never thought about, making what I just purchases worthless to me. Learn from others.

Thanks for the input thus far all good points and appreciated!

 

[RR1]

The now defunct Downey Offroad did have an auxiliary tank that you could still use the spare in the stock location to keep center of gravity low.

Only lost a little clearance.

Note the hole for the spare tire cable.

 

[RMP&O]

No offense but I didn't think a person would be on this forum if they didn't offroad, I sort of figured that was a given?

I tore the trailer plug off on the very first outing offroad and saw some rub marks on the tire and that was on just a mellow desert tour not what I would call a serious offroad excursion. Of course I am coming from a jeep and the Tacoma is still in stock form so once the suspension is on which will hopefully be within a month or so she will go out for some testing.

Ultimately I will build the truck as weaknesses present themselves but I like to hear from the BTDT people so I can plan and avoid making changes that will affect something else that I never thought about, making what I just purchases worthless to me. Learn from others.

Thanks for the input thus far all good points and appreciated!

Everybody has different opnions of what off-roading is. I see a lot of people on this forum who only drive dirt roads. To me that is not much off-roading and doesn't warrent moving the spare. Heck man, in my Tacoma dirt roads is about all it sees. Then I have a rock crawler on 40" tires, that sees some pretty serious off-roading.

As mentioned there are other benifits to a built bumper. Mine has taken hits very well since I have had it, if I didn't have it those same hits would have beat up the stock bumper.

It sounds like you have tested and while no damage rersulted you are touching the spare in the wheeling you like to do. So if you got the cash to spend, I say get the bumper with tire carrier!

 

[Mattm94]

The now defunct Downey Offroad did have an auxiliary tank that you could still use the spare in the stock location to keep center of gravity low.

Only lost a little clearance.

Note the hole for the spare tire cable.

Northwest Metal Products

Downey didn't actually MAKE anything themselves... NWMP still makes the tanks.

 

[RR1]

Northwest Metal Products

Downey didn't actually MAKE anything themselves... NWMP still makes the tanks.

Awesome, thanks!

 

[RMP&O]

Northwest Metal Products

Downey didn't actually MAKE anything themselves... NWMP still makes the tanks.

Make sure you check into how that tank works before buying it. I looked into the Downey and was planning to buy it, they stopped offering it just a few months before I was ready to purchase. The rumors I heard were that this tank was set up in a manner that caused CEL codes which is why Downey stopped selling it. There are sensors in the fuel system and setting up an aux tank can mess with those sensors. It is best to have a simple system that will not effect the sensors in any way. Just a warning before you buy an off the shelf product that may cause problems.

 

[BIGGUY]

NWMP Fuel Tank

I had one of those fuel tanks that I bought from Northwest Offroad for my '90 4Runner. It dropped my spare down about an inch lower and if I would have kept the truck I would have put on a swing away. The tank was great. You filled it through a filler neck in the wheel well and it gravity fed into the stock tank. Your stock gauge would read full with both tanks full and when the gauge started to drop it meant that you were running on the stock tank. It really increased my range. I had no problems with any codes and my Toyota dealer actually installed it for me.

 

[BIGGUY]

what ya driving? i plan on having one so i can put water ,gas,etc on the bumper ,feel will be kinda of a pain to get to the rear door of a fj ,so i have the same question ..

I've got an FJ also. I have the All Pro swing away on mine. It holds two cans and I mounted up a set of back up lights on it too, along with a place for an antenna or dune flag for trail runs or dunes. It doesn't hold the spare which is still in the stock spot on the door. It can also be pulled off fairly quickly if needed by removing a C-clip and then lifting it off.

It opens by undoing a latch and then swinging it open and it locks open. Pull a release and it will swing back closed. It can be a pain to have to open two "doors" to get into the back of the FJ when need, like when it's raining or snowing and blowing, but I really don't have to get into the back of mine that often. I'm glad I put it on.

There is rumored to be a new design coming out that hooks to the bumper and to the door of the FJ and the tire is moved to the swing away. You only have to open the door to the FJ and the whole unit moves as one. I don't know much more about it than that though.

I am looking at getting a Tacoma when I pay the FJ off and was looking at getting the swing away for it for a couple of reasons. One is to have the spare in an easier and cleaner place to get to as I have a screwed up back and crawling under the truck is hard to do. The other reason is because I'll probably go to a slightly bigger tire with a small lift. I don't know if a bigger tire will fit under in the stock place. I know on my 4Runner I couldn't get a bigger tire than the stock one to fit. I'm also going to look at an aux fuel tank on the Tacoma.

 

[rsbmg]

I know several people have fit at least a 33 in the stock location no problem. Of course as you go bigger often times you go wider as well and that further decreases the departure angle.

I ddin't know allpro made a tire carrier I assume its just for FJ though? Depending on what I do in the truck bed I may end up moving it there also. Especially if I do some type of platform so I can put it down low and up near the front and still have room for the rest of my gear. Lots of options. I am seriously considering the stock location for aux fuel but I like the plans another member here drew up which re-designed the exhaust sytem so a tank could be installed oposit the oem one. Dont know if he ever got that done though.

 

[BIGGUY]

As I mentioned, the swing away I've got from All Pro doesn't actually hold the tire, and it is only for the FJ. I haven't noticed a swing away for any other vehicles from them, but I haven't really looked either. The rumor of a new type of swing away that actually holds the tire is about them. I didn't know if the Tacoma could hold a bigger tire in the stock area. My pickup held a 31" which came stock and I didn't care to go bigger. My 4Runner came with the smaller 28" or 29" tire and it wouldn't fit a 31" under there because of a support bracket that was to narrow. Stock the 4Runner came with the 31" mounted to a factory swing out on my year of 4Runner.

 

[BC-Luc]

Departure angle, etc... ain't exactly a real reason to move your spare. Swing-outs, imho, SUCK, and swing outs with 10 or 12 gallons of gas you have to get out to pour AND a spare, SUCK MORE. If you want to move your spare, do it for a REAL reason. 'Lookin' expo' ain't a real reason.

Not having to roll around on hot asphalt, in the snow, in the mud, or being stuck with a tire off the bead and the rear bumper on the ground to figure out how in the heck you're ever going to get to your spare... well, now you're talking. My spare is IN the bed, vertical against one side, on a solid mount. The stock spare location is taken up with 22 gallons of extra fuel, accessible by the push of a button from the comfort of my cab... but my truck surely doesn't 'look the part'...

Hey Matt,

Which tank did you install in the space of the spare?

Thanks, Luc

 

[Mattm94]

Troopy tank on custom mounts...

 

[Gerdo]

I have a swingout and they are not as convenient getting into the back of the vehicle as without a swingout. I have removed the swingout for road trips and tucked the tire back underneath. When wheeling, a swingout is the best place to put the spare. It increases the rear clearance. Some put the tire on the roof. I'm not a big fan of that, it raises the CG.

The best option? Go without a spare and don't get a flat.

 

[NothingClever]

Welp, after two weeks of 4 wheeling and camping in our 4WC, oftentimes moving every day (ergo, loading and unloading everyday), I've made a decision to keep my spare in the stock location.

For now, it's a perfect design.

If I have a flat bed installed (www.uteltd.com) and have 4WC build the lower storage boxes along the sides of the camper, perhaps then the swing out will be a good option. However, as it stands now, with a pop-up camper on the back of a Tacoma ExtraCab, a swing away would steal precious cargo space provided by a hitch basket.