Your opinions... Max Tongue weight Tone's Hidden Hitch

[johnnyapollo]

I frequently use a hitch mounted carrier I bought at Northern many years ago to carry around stuff that doesn't fit in the back - it's especially great for getting pine straw from the borg - I can stack 16 bales on the back with some rope without any issues. Here's an image of one similar, only mine was for a larger tongue and didn't fold:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...8577_200308577

I've also used it to carry some fairly heavy pieces of equipment - it's fit to a Tone frame hitch, one of the first he offered.

Anyway, I once hauled a 400 pound cast iron wood planer on the back - when I put it on the carrier it bent down one corner, basically twisting the carrier (it's still like that today) - but didn't affect the hitch, welds, etc at all. Here's an image of the planer on the carrier:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3117/...78f036eb_o.jpg
That's my truck to the right - wish I had taken an image of the planer as it "leaned" over on the carrier.

-- John

[tom4bren]

Some pix of the spare tire mount on my VX are here (last 8 pix):

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

This is pretty much a permanent modification since you will drill 2 holes through the tailgate - you won't be changing how you carry your spare for different applications.

It looks to me like you will be able to use the tiregate on the VX but you won't be able to open the rear door whilst it's mounted. It should be possible to fabricate a drop mount to lower your receiver for that application but you would definitely lose departure angle though.

I'm kinda visualizing a spider bracket spare tire carrier (custom to the VX) in my mind right now that just clamps to the rear door rather then bolting through. I might just hafta go visit welder guy today to see what's possible.

The other option is what Johnny is talkin 'bout - a bigger basket that will hold your spare & the coolers & junk.

[tom4bren]

Welder guy thinks it's definitely do-able. We'll hafta take some time to make sure we take all the variables into consideration. The first step will be to get my hands on a trashed OEM rim that I can use to make sure it fits. My offset rims won't be any help to everyone else (Marlin's spare tire mount is significantly different than mine because of offset).

[Riff Raff]

Agreed; the "Tire Gate" is way cool, but it's too bad it won't fit using the TONE Hitch. It may possibly fit those who have the CURT Hitch on their VX which hangs down a bit lower. Here are some other ideas for you to consider in your quest to mount an external spare tire:

o Check-out www.JCWhitney.com and do a search for "Spare Tire". The website will show you multiple mounting systems, including versions that insert into a 2" receiver hitch. The main concern is to determine if the bracket tongue is long enough to clear the rear door "bubble hump" of the VX. Yes; the bracket/spare would have to be removed each time before opening the rear door of the VX, but it may solve your stowage problem.

o Another possible solution is to have a front-mounted 2" receiver hitch and mount your spare tire on the FRONT of the VX (very simular to pick-up's with a Camper). Fellow VX member "ORION" had a very stealth 2" receiver hitch (early version) that was hidden by his front license plate. Perhaps contact "ORION" for ideas & advice and check-out his Photo Gallery, as he is a very smart fabricator.

o If you decide to go the route of drilling holes in your rear VX door, then contact fellow VX member "MARLIN" for advice and check-out his Photo Gallery. I believe he used a NISSAN external rear door spare tire bracket (which uses our same wheel lug pattern of 6-5.5), that he found in a junk yard for cheap.

o Lastly, when choosing a "full size spare"-- try to get the narrowest and lightest tire you can find that has the same exact (or damn close) O.D. to the tires you're currently running. Having a very skinny (235, 245, 255 series width, etc) and also lightweight (P-series; not LT) external spare tire with the same matching O.D. will help minimize weight on your chosen external bracket system, and will still be kind to your TOD if the spare is ever used on the VX in an emergency.

Hope this info helps you in some way, and good luck on your mission. Let us know how you eventually solved your problem.