Pacific Northwest yetti
Expedition Medic
I know on my 04, the 33 fits in the under bed OE location, with the 17inch H2 rims. Maybe worth double checking? I may have pulled a heat shield, I dont actually remember at this point.
Lee's '04 Chevy Silverado 2500HD and Radica MoonLander camping shell
- Thread starter Lee
- Start date
There is something about the GMT800 platform.
Yes it has a few issues that are well known but overall, there is a lot to like.
I've had my truck for 20 years, 150k miles and it still brings a smile to my face.
Long winded story
OK, your making me do my homework now.
I'm old school and plan to carry 2 spare tires.
I know 2 spares are going out of fashion now, Andrew SPW (4XOverland) and Ronny Dahl both are switching to a single spare.
(I prefer YouTube over TV - I'll watch what I want to watch but it's way out on the fringe apparently)
I've been in 3 situations where more than one spare was required, twice as a kid traveling with my parents and once as the responsible adult.
In the early 70's my Dad made a tent trailer from a teardrop donor trailer.
He set up the trailer to have the same bolt pattern as his Jeep Wagoneer.
I was a kid so I don't remember where we were but we ended up taking a tire off the trailer and going in to Barstow or Mojave to get 2 tires fixed, then back out to recover the trailer.
In the late 70's we lived in Australia for 5 years.
When we left Dad and I made a tour from Alice Springs (where we lived) to Queensland and back to the NT in Moms' Holden Sedan.
Dad had arranged to sell the car in Darwin and we would board a plane back to the US.
We planned to take the Barkly Highway from Tennant Creek to Mt Isa.
But 50 miles from Tennant Creek we shredded a tyre.
Dad suggested we mount the spare then make lunch and plan what to do.
The fly's where so bad we threw the tools in the boot, hooked a U-turn and retreated to Tennant Creek to replace the tyre.
I still haven't been to Mt Isa.
20 years ago my wife, kids and I lived in Japan.
I stored my toy hauler at my brothers place in Lancaster California.
After moving back to Ohio we went out to pick up the trailer.
On the way home we had 2 flats within an hour of each other.
I ended up dropping the trailer on the side of the interstate, driving in to Deming New Mexico to buy 2 tires.
Back to the trailer and back to the tire store for 2 more tires.
Note - the shelf life of tires is different between Ohio and Lancaster out in the desert.
Can a 33 fit under the bed?
Yes - but.
I spent some time switching out a spare with one of the front tires and took some pictures.
This is my current spare, it's a Cooper Discoverer in the stock size.
The tire hangs down to the same level as the OEM trailer hitch receiver, I measured 15" clearance.
And this is a picture of one of the 33s in that space, I set up a jack stand to get the phone the same height off the floor.
This is 12.5" to the floor.
So, my preference will be to carry 2 spares on the back.
Will I ever need the 2nd spare?
Will I ever need the 2.5" of extra ground clearance?
Probably not on both accounts but it will be there.
Last edited:
ExpoMike
Well-known member
Yeah, 2 spares seems like overkill and two of your examples are from tires in the '70's which were not a tough as modern offroad tires today. Seems like a lot of extra weight for the once in a blue moon situation. I would carry tire repair kit, as many times you can repair before swapping out. Also a common thing I have seen happen, folks get into rougher trails but never air down. We were in Death Valley and saw a guy who managed to get a rock the size of my fist, through the tire and inside the the wheel/tire area. He was running at full tire pressures.
Pacific Northwest yetti
Expedition Medic
I know mine sticks down, but the hitch is still lower. I do have a flatbed though, so I am not using the OE reciever. All of ours have the spares there. I do cary a hd patch kit, and a compressor though and usually air down.
No worries though to each their own.
No worries though to each their own.
I am also of the “two is one, one is none” school of thought when it comes to spare tires on certain trips, but as pointed out above, we all have different conditions and risk tolerances.
My solution is to carry a LT255/80/17 Toyo on a steelie as a spare for the LT285/70/17’s on the truck to help with clearance underneath and keep tire heights close. The spare spare for trips where I feel I need it is a loose 235/80/17 tossed on the roof .
Last edited:
I do carry a plug kit, side wall slugs, compressor.
I would not run a side wall slug on the interstate but I would get out to where I could replace the tire.
At the end of the day I have a 2 day hard slog to get home - 1000 to 1200 miles from where I like to play to where I have a job.
If I ever need to mount a spare being able to hop on the interstate and not think about it has value to me.
I have no illusions that everyone / anyone would agree with me.
In 2017 I made a trip to Death Valley.
My daughter had listened to my Dad talk about the race track and the time we forgot the family dog when we left (only made it a mile or two before he figured it out), so she wanted to go there.
At the time I was driving an Acura MDX as my company car so that is what we took.
I read in a review that said they use that road as a test for the 'off road' part of there vehicle testing.
This was during the Christmas break so there was a lot of people in the area, they kept looking at me like I was crazy.
On the way out there was a guy with a Nissan pickup that had two flat tires, I stopped to see if I could help (this guys tires where past there 'take it to Death Valley' date)
There was another guy that stopped with a well kitted Chevy Avalanche.
He swaped one of the tires out with this Nissan's spare while I plugged the other and inflated it.
The whole time this guy is playing 20 questions with me trying to figure out why some idiot with an MDX in Death Valley had the stuff to plug and inflate a tire.
The MDX at Teakettle Junction.
View attachment 847085I had considered using the stock 16" alloys with a 255/85R16.
That would give almost the same rolling radius as the 285/70R17 size I have on the ground.
But, in the end if I have the same size spare as what is on the ground I can rotate the spares and wear all 6 out evenly.
I doubt I would opt to run an odd size spare.
Also, I got myself in to the size by selecting the Method bead grip first, then the 33" diameter.
The wheels and tires are wider than I would have preferred.
I may have been a little bit too focused on wanting to try the bead grip technology.
In my job I'm used to setting a spec then creating what is needed to achieve it, not really a cost effective method for putting tires on just one vehicle.
I almost got a little more progress made.
I like the idea of bundling mods that make sense, so I ordered a 52 gallon fuel tank from Titan, an in tank lift pump from Fleece and a 2 kW diesel heater from Espar.
With a month from when all the parts arrived till the next outing I wanted to attend, I figured there was plenty of time.
After supporting the truck on jack stands and dropping the tank I did a little rust abatement on the frame, just on the areas I hope to never see again.
My Chevy truck has the frame treated with wax (I have no idea if they still do this).
The problem with wax is it eventually stops working and it is a bear to completely remove – and nothing sticks to wax except dirt.
My strategy is to de-grease with a solvent, attack the rust with a needle scaler then apply a rust converter and topcoat with rustolium.
This is not a strategy to restore the frame – just to delay the inevitable return of the rust.
The frame in the before state – it’s not that bad for a 20 year old Ohio truck…
The frame after, I treated the brackets and grill for the fuel cooler heat exchanger, the core itself was in pretty good shape.
Once I got to this stage, I started to dry fit all the new parts, in the picture above you can see the new tank straps hanging on the frame (better to find out if it fits now then when manhandling the tank).
For the life of me I could not get the lock ring to engage with the aftermarket pump in the tank.
I was using an oversized screwdriver and a hammer, like everybody dose, to set the ring but it would not click in.
(foot note: I design these systems for my employer)
So, I stopped before destroying the lock ring (that is code for it is only munched a little) and ordered the correct tool to set the ring.
Because of a project at work that is going less than ideal I spent too much time at work and not enough time in the barn over the last month.
So while waiting for the lock ring tool I decided to throw the old tank back in and go camping.
Continued below...
I like the idea of bundling mods that make sense, so I ordered a 52 gallon fuel tank from Titan, an in tank lift pump from Fleece and a 2 kW diesel heater from Espar.
With a month from when all the parts arrived till the next outing I wanted to attend, I figured there was plenty of time.
After supporting the truck on jack stands and dropping the tank I did a little rust abatement on the frame, just on the areas I hope to never see again.
My Chevy truck has the frame treated with wax (I have no idea if they still do this).
The problem with wax is it eventually stops working and it is a bear to completely remove – and nothing sticks to wax except dirt.
My strategy is to de-grease with a solvent, attack the rust with a needle scaler then apply a rust converter and topcoat with rustolium.
This is not a strategy to restore the frame – just to delay the inevitable return of the rust.
The frame in the before state – it’s not that bad for a 20 year old Ohio truck…
The frame after, I treated the brackets and grill for the fuel cooler heat exchanger, the core itself was in pretty good shape.
Once I got to this stage, I started to dry fit all the new parts, in the picture above you can see the new tank straps hanging on the frame (better to find out if it fits now then when manhandling the tank).
For the life of me I could not get the lock ring to engage with the aftermarket pump in the tank.
I was using an oversized screwdriver and a hammer, like everybody dose, to set the ring but it would not click in.
(foot note: I design these systems for my employer)
So, I stopped before destroying the lock ring (that is code for it is only munched a little) and ordered the correct tool to set the ring.
Because of a project at work that is going less than ideal I spent too much time at work and not enough time in the barn over the last month.
So while waiting for the lock ring tool I decided to throw the old tank back in and go camping.
Continued below...
Continued from above.
I recently started looking for YouTube channels that talked about overlanding in Ohio/West Virginia/Virginia to pick up some tips for places to visit locally.
Doing this I happened to find “Rubicon Matt” who was proposing a meet and greet at Burr Oak State Park in Southeast Ohio.
The timing didn’t work out great, I didn’t get my parts installed, my wife had arranged to take my Mom to Japan ( a: Mom is Japanese b: she is 89 years old, we felt better having some one go with) and Ohio has a burn ban.
But it all worked out, Rubicon Matt had added comments to his YouTube video advising us the meet and greet would be rescheduled when we could burn stuff (and the park rangers were telling him that even a Colman stove would not be allowed).
There where 5 or 6 Jeeps, 2 Toyotas and my Chevy there anyways.
I figured I had the time off, the weather was beautiful and I was going anyways, several others thought likewise.
Friday I spent the day poking around the trail heads for the ATV trails.
These where the known to me dirt roads in Wayne National Forrest.
I had heard that some of them where a little rough and not recommended for my 17’ box trailer.
I discovered smooth gravel and 30’ toy hauler trailers at the furthest most trail heads.
So, not too much adventure but now I know.
Hocking Valley canal lock #17.
This lock is next to an on-ramp for the interstate, so the earth works of the canal are pretty much erased in this area.
Having been raised in an arid place I find the whole canal thing quite fascinating.
Starting in the 1850s the area around Wayne and Burr Oak were mined extensively (coal and iron) then in the 1920s there was a lot of oil exploration.
The forest is doted with pump jacks, storage tanks and random pipes.
Wayne National Forest is unusual in that it is a patch work of random land stitched together in the 1930’s to make a “forest”.
In actuality the area is a collection of strip mines, tapped out oil fields and abandoned company towns, but its what we have locally.
I arrived at camp late afternoon.
The nice lady at check in let me know the fire ban had been lifted (but I had packed food that I could heat in the microwave, oh well).
I managed to not get any pictures of the camp with the vehicles.
On Saturday the group did a run to one of the local trails.
I opted to ride along in one of the Jeeps.
This area is known for tight under growth crowding the trails and mud holes – not exactly what my ¾ ton truck is set up for.
Covered bridge on the way to the trail:
Rubicon Matt negotiating one of the trail obstacles, it’s been dry enough to warrant a fire ban but the trail still has a little mud.
I had a good time hanging out with the crew and chewing the fat.
Maybe it was more like camping than overlanding but from the looks of the vehicles I was with – we were overlanding.
Now, back to drop the tank and ...
I recently started looking for YouTube channels that talked about overlanding in Ohio/West Virginia/Virginia to pick up some tips for places to visit locally.
Doing this I happened to find “Rubicon Matt” who was proposing a meet and greet at Burr Oak State Park in Southeast Ohio.
The timing didn’t work out great, I didn’t get my parts installed, my wife had arranged to take my Mom to Japan ( a: Mom is Japanese b: she is 89 years old, we felt better having some one go with) and Ohio has a burn ban.
But it all worked out, Rubicon Matt had added comments to his YouTube video advising us the meet and greet would be rescheduled when we could burn stuff (and the park rangers were telling him that even a Colman stove would not be allowed).
There where 5 or 6 Jeeps, 2 Toyotas and my Chevy there anyways.
I figured I had the time off, the weather was beautiful and I was going anyways, several others thought likewise.
Friday I spent the day poking around the trail heads for the ATV trails.
These where the known to me dirt roads in Wayne National Forrest.
I had heard that some of them where a little rough and not recommended for my 17’ box trailer.
I discovered smooth gravel and 30’ toy hauler trailers at the furthest most trail heads.
So, not too much adventure but now I know.
Hocking Valley canal lock #17.
This lock is next to an on-ramp for the interstate, so the earth works of the canal are pretty much erased in this area.
Having been raised in an arid place I find the whole canal thing quite fascinating.
Starting in the 1850s the area around Wayne and Burr Oak were mined extensively (coal and iron) then in the 1920s there was a lot of oil exploration.
The forest is doted with pump jacks, storage tanks and random pipes.
Wayne National Forest is unusual in that it is a patch work of random land stitched together in the 1930’s to make a “forest”.
In actuality the area is a collection of strip mines, tapped out oil fields and abandoned company towns, but its what we have locally.
I arrived at camp late afternoon.
The nice lady at check in let me know the fire ban had been lifted (but I had packed food that I could heat in the microwave, oh well).
I managed to not get any pictures of the camp with the vehicles.
On Saturday the group did a run to one of the local trails.
I opted to ride along in one of the Jeeps.
This area is known for tight under growth crowding the trails and mud holes – not exactly what my ¾ ton truck is set up for.
Covered bridge on the way to the trail:
Rubicon Matt negotiating one of the trail obstacles, it’s been dry enough to warrant a fire ban but the trail still has a little mud.
I had a good time hanging out with the crew and chewing the fat.
Maybe it was more like camping than overlanding but from the looks of the vehicles I was with – we were overlanding.
Now, back to drop the tank and ...