Not sure on the weight, but it's probably about the same as yours. It will be mounted to the bumper, not the body. I know about the taco frame issues and will get the reinforcement plates if I got a swing out bumper.
Your last statement is basically the reason for this post for those that have swing outs...do you think it's worth it now that you have it?
That's why I went with the Synergy latch, takes 1-2 seconds to open it up. Much much easier than threading and unthreading a latch every time...... it's a pain to unscrew & unlatch every time I need to get into the hatch. Luckily it's not on very often, I would go mad if I had to deal with it daily.....
What manufacturer is that?
I want to carry fuel/propane and an armful or firewood. The spare is less important.
I do like the storage box idea, like the Aluminess product:
A.
That's why I went with the Synergy latch, takes 1-2 seconds to open it up. Much much easier than threading and unthreading a latch every time.
I generally don't recommend tire carriers if you can carry a spare in the bed. Multiple reasons have brought me to this conclusion.
1- they are never as strong as they need to be to keep the carrier from bouncing, rattling or swaying. I have even seen them break from lack of triangulation and too much leverage.
2- departure angle can be compromised depending on the design.
3- rear view can be unnecessarily obstructed.
4- backing up into things is a problem, because you can't see.
5- weight, as you mentioned, can be a problem as well. Mounting the tire closer to the cab of the truck distributes the weight more evenly.
The strongest method of lathing a tire carrier, to keep it from rattling and to better control the swaying, is by a wing bolt which I usually make out of a 5/8 bolt with a handle welded to the head. But they are a pain to use. The latches you commonly see on tire carriers don't hold well and stretch over time.
These are opinions based on my experience. Others love them.