Rear Door Spare Tire Mount

[crotchrocket]

A lot of you have made it ABUNDANTLY clear how you feel about mounting a full size spare on the rear door. You don't need to repeat yourself. I heard you the first time

Others have asked how the PO mounted it on mine so here are a few pix:

http://pbase.com/tom4bren/090530_window_fixin_party

I probably should have made a seperate folder but all the pix were taken at the same time.

The U-channel on the outside of the back door looks like a factory piece he scrounged from somewhere. I don't know what the hub piece is that he welded to it but the studs are just press in.

Inside the door are two rather hefty plates to spread out the load so that the sheet metal isn't deformed.

I'll try to get the pix loaded in my gallery later (for some reason, they wouldn't take).

Tom

Sorry to change the subject, but who's is the grey VX with the luggage rack?

[Marlin]

Well Tom, after seeing the pics, I was going to make it a harder project than it really is. I was thinking of a custom fab for the mount, now I realize all I need to do is hit the junkyard and find an existing 6 on 5.5 spare mount. That looks like a 2 hour project...tops. Then I can get that 100lb spare off the roof, which will help in gas and prevent the risk of a future rack failure. Jack, I know you are worried about the door, but 99.9% of the time it is closed and all the weight is shared on the latch and frame of the door. When we wheel, think about how much force is applied to the luggage rack!!! Its only a matter of time until one fails, in Moab one of my rack brackets failed, I have since modded the brackets, they will never fail again, but it was certainly an eye opener. So much force on the crossbars with that weight sling shotting around up there.
I will post pics as I go along, maybe write up a "How to".

[crager34]

I am going to do this mod!!! Now... anyone know the specs and wehre to get one of those spare tire mounts? Is it an OEM item from another MFGR or was it fabbed?

WHAT WHAT!! TELL ME EVERYTHING!!

[tom4bren]

"oohh look I used the "quote" button correctly Another thing Tom seems to never do correctly..... ever."

My way uses less bandwidth, so ... PPHHHTT.

"You've NEVER been able to post pics correctly! Why start now?"

It was a size issue (something you may not have ever experienced). I need to set my camera to lower res.

"who's is the grey VX with the luggage rack?"

CSTYLES ownes that one - it's sweeet!

"How is your door holding up? Do you open it alot?"

Alla time. It's holding up great, just a little wear on the wedge shaped bracket when the door closes. I'm reeeeeal careful opening the door tho & never let it get away from me, that much weight would prolly rip the door right off the VX if it swung open too fast/hard. There is NO deformation of the sheet metal.

"is it rip on tom day?? damn, i missed the memo..."

No memo - it just naturally evolved. My warped humor is coming back to bite me in the butt.

"proton sucks"

I have no response to that.

"I may not like it for my truck Tom, but its not THAT bad really. I have considered it."

Wow, now that's a left handed compliment.

"anyone know the specs and wehre to get one of those spare tire mounts? Is it an OEM item from another MFGR or was it fabbed?"

If you can be patient, it looks like Marlin will do the leg work for you.

Tom

[CrnCnn]

"I may not like it for my truck Tom, but its not THAT bad really. I have considered it."

Wow, now that's a left handed compliment.

Tom

Well, I am a lefty.

not politically. Just a lefty.

[tom4bren]

"I wonder about departure angle? I just worry about it catching on something. I know it should be high enough but you never know."

I'll have to measure the departure angle but in just eyeballing it, I'd say the rear cladding will be sacrificed long before the spare tire.

"Well, I am a lefty."

So ... you're the only one of us in his right mind?

Tom

[Ldub]

I'm in my right mind too, you just can't tell...

I, for one, would never ever do this mod, mostly because I am sure it would really screw things up on trails like Hell's Revenge and Fins 'N Things and Steel Bender... If you aren't going to go on trails like that (wall climbing and descending) it is prob'ly fine... except for perhaps a point Chopper made sometime ago about excess weight on the hinges. Don't really know about that though...

The ultimate mod for trails like that is an open diff......

[tom4bren]

"you just can't tell"

Hey, Zeus & I are in 100% agreement for a change

"wall climbing and descending"

Yer right - those situations could be a problem - I guess I could remove the spare, roll it down the hill, pick it up when I get there ...

[CrnCnn]

I'm in my right mind too, you just can't tell...

I, for one, would never ever do this mod, mostly because I am sure it would really screw things up on trails like Hell's Revenge and Fins 'N Things and Steel Bender... If you aren't going to go on trails like that (wall climbing and descending) it is prob'ly fine... except for perhaps a point Chopper made sometime ago about excess weight on the hinges. Don't really know about that though...

Thats what I was thinking, I know there were some spots on hells revenge that would catch the tire.

[pbkid]

im pretty sure you are right justin, just by looking at pictures...the approach and departure angle would definately suffer

[LittleBeast]

"You've NEVER been able to post pics correctly! Why start now?"

It was a size issue (something you may not have ever experienced).

Tom

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[CrnCnn]

When we wheel, think about how much force is applied to the luggage rack!!! Its only a matter of time until one fails, in Moab one of my rack brackets failed

I wonder about departure angle? I just worry about it catching on something. I know it should be high enough but you never know. Also, my rack came loose in Moab last year too. I see your point.

I am going to do this mod!!! Now... anyone know the specs and wehre to get one of those spare tire mounts? Is it an OEM item from another MFGR or was it fabbed?

WHAT WHAT!! TELL ME EVERYTHING!!

I was at the junk yard a few months ago and was thinking the mount off the trooper door might work. I didnt even pay attention to the pattern or anything mostly looking into the mounting strength.

I really have thought about this. I use my door alot though cause my dog goes where I go usually. So I worry about the maine brackets.