Nullifier said:
nice set up and great detail. What has really baffled me on the xterra rear bumpers is how the aftermarket units keep the crappy plastic rear corner pieces instead of triming them back, to offer a tougher steel corner wrap. Outside of that this is a great build! :clapsmile
True, but thats nothing that can't be fixed!! I have already had to make some modifications to make it safer:
Okay, here was a little project that needed to be done, and should be done for anyone who has the Skid-Row swing away tire carrier. Believe me when I say that this thing can become a serious death trap on the trail and on the road.
More than a few times I have had the little bugger swing open. Sure it was generally when I had jumped the truck or rammed in to a big rock.... but regardless, it was dangerous.
The other issue was keeping the damn thing open when parked on a hill. This is the most annoying thing of all.
First; KEEPING IT CLOSED
Simple enough, just drill a hole through the swing-away, the rubber, and the support. Make sure to drill the hole to match the size of the pin you will use. I used a pin courtesy of the US government, normally used on helicopters.
You might notice the lanyard. It is bolted inside the bumper, and hooked to the "keyring" on the pin. Although it looks like a normal keyring, it's not. The thing is "gorilla keyring" style, reallllllly beefy.
Second; KEEPING IT OPEN
Okay, this one was a little more difficult, requiring a mill, welding, aluminim, DOM tubing, and some real fancy engineering work.
First we took a piece of thick steel, shaped it to the holes near the hinge of the swing-away, creating a large hole for the bolt head, and drilling two small holes for securing to the bumper.
A second thick plate was added to the edge of the plate that hangs over the bumper (where the big pin goes). These were welded together cleaned tested, then the plate was powder coated black.
For more added strength, a piece of DOM tubing was milled down and shaped to the corner of the inside swing-away. The tubing was then welded on, and painted.
The system works GREAT!
Your truck is a huge inspiration to us mostly-stock Xterra folk!
