Spare tire?

[jream2008]

Sooooo... On just about any off-road vehicle, all the way from rock-crawlers to huge Unicat expedition vehicles, the spare tire(s) is a fairly prominent feature. Yet, I rarely, if ever, see them on truck campers, even those on this forum, which are probably off-road a fair amount.

The ideas I have heard are (a) stock spare, (b) custom tire carrier off the back, or (c) mounted in front of the grill.
(a) the stock spare doesn't seem like it would work very well if you had to mount a 32" spare on your truck with the rest being 35"s, much less 37"s. And I doubt you could fit a large off-road tire in the stock spare location.
(b) seems like it's doable, but you'd have to have a fairly short camper (no 8.5' campers hanging off the back), and it would probably be really expensive. And then you obstruct the camper entry. And you have no place to put bikes. Ugh.
(c) seems like a really dumb idea, especially if it's a large off-road tire.

Thoughts? Pictures?

Thanks!

 

[Trikebubble]

I havea Hitchgate on my Tundra. I have a FWC Hawk, so the camper sits flush with the truck bed. My Hitchgate holds my full size spare, 2 fuel cans (or 1 water and 1 fuel), my Hi-Lift, Shovel, Maxtrax, and my Trasharoo. Yes, it's a it's of pita in the fact you have ti swing it open every time you want to access the camper...but I use it to hang lots of stuff off when camping, and I like having the Trasharoo there to stow lots of stuff, including garbage.

 

[SixLug]

a) all depends on the truck. Guy I know has a Tundra with 35s and with a little trimming of some small brackets under the bed, the spare fit in the stock location.
b) agreed, couldn't have a camper extending past the back bumper. But just like a good front bumper, yes, a back bumper will be expensive. You could also do one of the hitch mounted swing away tire carriers as that is typically cheaper than a full rear bumper. And I'm sure you could come up with a mount that used the spare tire mounting point to hold bikes out past that. But you are talking about 4' of stuff behind the rear bumper. So stick the bikes in front of the grill.
c) Could also cause cooling issues, although it is occasionally done.
d) side of the bed mount? Would create a blind spot, but shouldn't stick out THAT much further than a mirror. But a lot bigger than a mirror overall so parking in tight spaces could be a pain.
e) roof rack in front of the camper cab over if you have room, but lots of weight up top.

I'm thinking I will have the same dilemma, but a rear mounted carrier I think is the best solution.

 

[codename607]

What type of truck do you have and what size tire?

 

[thirdminor]

Running F350 with 35s. Added front reciever and mount spare.

 

[zoomad75]

A buddy and I built my own. Just fit into the trailer hitch receiver and swings down. It works ok and it doubles as a step to aid getting in.

However, after the 2nd day on the trail lowering and lifting whenever needing to get into the back sucked. The Trasharoo is unusable when the tire is down. Plus if you've been running dirt for any length of time the tire and trasharoo is going to be covered in dirt, which means you are getting dirty to lift it back into position.

I've used this setup for the summer and will be building a complete bumper to have the tire swing out rather than drop.

 

[IdaSHO]

35's fit in the factory location on many trucks now days.

 

[jream2008]

Thanks for the replies guys!

I haven't purchased my vehicle yet, but I've been leaning towards a Ram 3500 and either an Alaskan or Hallmark. I had been leaning towards the 8.5 foot - a little more space in the Alaskan, and a wet bath possibility in the Hallmark. But the 8.5 foot would probably not work unless I can put the spare in the stock location. I had been thinking of getting the AEV Prospector treatment on the truck (I current have a Jeep JKU with all the AEV mods, and love them), but obviously 37-41s would not fit in the stock location. So, either milder tires and the 8.5 is a possibility, or 8 foot and a nice swingout or custom bumper/carrier.

BTW, nice rigs - both of you!

 

[jream2008]

BTW, it's all complicated because I'm trying to have it all - rig that is small enough to get off the beaten path, but capable enough to lug around my family of 4 (with my 14 y.o. son approaching 6' already!). I should probably just give up that idea and concede that we'll need something bigger, or we just take the Jeep along with us.

 

[thirdminor]

Flat tow the Jeep.

 

[Motafinga]

My old 91 obs ford runs bfg atko2 285/75 -16 (33 inch) and the full size spare fits stock location. I haul a moto off the rear and don't have room for a swing out spare holder. But like someone said the modern trucks probably have even more room for a large spare.
I'd personally rather have it down low anyways for low cog

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

following, looking forward to the ideas. On my Chevy, my 34 spare would fit in the stock spare location.....if i still had the mount there( pulled if after i put the flatbed and cat back system. ) I probably need to just re do all that. The stock spare winch was toast, and put a new one on. I am not a fan of the spare tire winch setup.

 

[locrwln]

I carry my 35" in the factory location.

Mine was originally a short bed and would only fit a 33"ish tire. I extended the frame and a 35" fits with no problem.

I've had swingouts on several vehicles and I would avoid it if at all possible, they become a hassle every time you want to get into the rear of your vehicle.

Jack

 

[Chorky]

Since I carry 2 spares, 35"ers, and plan to do a 45 gal rear tank, I will have to do a carrier. Plan to have one from buckstop bumpers. They do have an option for a tire carrier, and I have talked them into doing 2, one on each side. Obviously it will make getting into the back (or a future camper) more difficult, and not optimum, but no other good options. I suppose you could mount it up front like some older trucks, but that would get in the way of a winch, lights, and restrict air movement through the radiator. I have seen some put them on the roof, but that's a bad idea imo. Like others have said it all depends on your set-up.

 

[kpredator]

we carry two spares. One factory location
Took the seats out of the extra cab and use
That space for second tire,tools extra storage
Word of advice check to see if you can get
Tire out of factory location with the camper on.
Seen a couple rigs that couldn’t