What do you carry on your bumper?
- Thread starter Funrover
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4000lbsOfGoat
Well-known member
I haven't had any trouble with my spare tire "on top" of my Taco (with the exception of a couple small tears in the cover caused by wayward branches...) The spare is well within the load rating of my rack and the weight is really close to centered between the axles. To be fair though I *only* carry the spare and a set of MaxTrax on the roof. If you've got other uses for your roof then maybe it won't work for the spare.
Cayenne-958-TDI
Active member
Our Wilco Hitchgate has served us well these past 8 years and 112k principally off-road miles. As we have gotten 765 miles to a tank of diesel water is our limiting factor. We carry two 5gal Scepter cans, one of two spare tires, Trash-a-Roo with some fire wood to weigh the bottom down, and Maxtrax. Like that we have visibility out back when the window is clean, the weight is balanced, and have access to the 2" receiver for towing and stabbing our winch. We can also stab the winch up front enabling winching in both directions. No issues in the hot desert or the frozen Arctic.
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Funrover
Expedition Leader
I like this!
I did mount a spare to the roof at one point. Never again, it really throws of the COG and my comfort level in the rocks/off camber sections
krick3tt
Adventurer
T4X4 bumper with swing out tire carrier and depending on the trail and the day lots of dust. Mounted the two Nato cans under the LR to keep COG low and replace the tire pound for pound. Thought it might be a hassle to get in the rear but after two or three openings with the swing out carrier, it is now just as easy as before. Just had to create another habit.
roving1
Well-known member
I have this one thing called nothing on my bumper. 
I did this crazy thing where I kept the spare where it is supposed to be and put the water and fuel as close to the front as possible.
I get why wagons/SUVs put some stuff on the back because they just don't have room.
But putting the spare on the back just so you can run a tire that is only a little bigger than what you could probably stuff in the normal location with no or a little effort has never made sense to me.
I did this crazy thing where I kept the spare where it is supposed to be and put the water and fuel as close to the front as possible.I get why wagons/SUVs put some stuff on the back because they just don't have room.
But putting the spare on the back just so you can run a tire that is only a little bigger than what you could probably stuff in the normal location with no or a little effort has never made sense to me.
roving1
Well-known member
Sure there are and I never said there wasn't, and those reasons apply to what percentage of people that move it?
By far most people decide on a tire size and just run it not even considering for a moment that maybe sticking to a 1" size lower than their dream tire or not running a 13.50 wide tire would save them hundreds of lbs of extra weight and complexity and $$.
I am very comfortable with my "assumptions". By far more people move the tire that don't need to or won't just admit it's for aesthetics or because they are prioritizing tire size above all else.
4000lbsOfGoat
Well-known member
Comfortable with your own assumptions or not, it's hardly fair to make sweeping statements about peoples' motives for carrying spare tires in certain places...
85_Ranger4x4
Well-known member
My tire size (31x10.50-15) is a factory tire size for a later Ranger and not horribly huge at all, no way it would fit on the stock carrier. If I didn't despise the POS winch things I could easily fab a channel iron crossmember and add a winch carrier... I just don't like them though (although if you keep your eyes open they are kind of like the easter bunny for sprinkling spare tires around the countryside)
roving1
Well-known member
I am being tongue in cheek and glib for sure, but is it any different than the generalization that a carrier and two gerries is a great idea and best practice that everyone should aspire to?
Look, all I am saying is there is a lot of poser pressure in this regard. There are lots of reasons to do it or not but the point is to think it through. I'm not talking about people that have a SUV or camper and no good interior space for this kind of storage or have a really small OEM space for a tire or need the space for suspension or shock mounts or are running a second fuel tank or any of the many valid reasons.
I am talking about if you have an open truck bed and options for other locations, I am talking about making honest assessments if you really need 33 vs 32 or 37 vs 35 inch or 13.5
inch wide tires to do what you need to. I am talking about paying someone $100 bucks to fab or modify a mount in the OEM location vs $2500 and 300 lbs mounted 4 feet behind the axle.
You seem to feel most people are thinking it through and I don't. Simple disagreement.
As far as most people's motives they are happy to tell you in person or in forum posts they did it to run X size tire most of the time or for looks or both so it's not like it's a huge secret and I am projecting wrong assumptions out into the universe. I don't think it automatically just because it is there it depends on the vehicle and what's going on with it.
LOL. True enough but all the failures I have ever seen were because of corrosion, doubly so if it was a Toyota lol.
Funny aside, Toyota replaced my frame on a 2wd Taco and they replaced everything including brake lines and the rear leafs, except the damn tire carrier. So I had this brand new frame and rusty tire carrier. So I took it apart and cleaned and painted it and lubed up the cable. A month later Toyota decided they would replace the whole carrier too and sent me a letter.
85_Ranger4x4
Well-known member
The spare currently under my dd was found laying in the middle of the highway with the little carrier thing and a short chunk of cable under it. Nice tire, rim even matched my flavor at the time.
The carrier on my F-150 somehow jammed so I couldn't get the tire down. It was a bloodbath getting it down, luckily it was during a tire rotation/check and I didn't really need the spare in the middle of nowhere.
The carrier on my F-150 somehow jammed so I couldn't get the tire down. It was a bloodbath getting it down, luckily it was during a tire rotation/check and I didn't really need the spare in the middle of nowhere.
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