How did the spare tire/cargo rack perform?
It was just fine, no problems. I carried some firewood (2 grocery store bundles and then about 10 4x4x18" doug fir construction cutoffs), the rucksack for trash, and a 2.5g water jug out back. Not sure of the total weight, but I'd guesstimate around 85 lbs. As long as I keep the weight at about that point, I don't think it's gonna give me any issues. I'll experiment with the next few trips; obviously whatever is out there gets really dusty, so I might play with different containers/duffles/etc to keep whatever is back there clean (if need be). It is nice having the extra room in the cab. Since I sleep in the cab, I also figured I could leave the rack near-empty and then load things on it overnight to keep things off the ground while I sleep (bugs, animals, mud, etc). Normally I set a few things on the hood and roof when I set up my bed.
I have the spare and 2x 5gal NATO cans on the roof...no rack, just crossbars and some 1 1/2" 14ga punched angled steel in between the crossbars. That setup took a real beating in the narrow brush through Pleasant Canyon, but it all held fast. I went slow and watched it through the moonroof to make sure. lol.