Spare tire carrier

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Carnage_95YJ

Carnage_95YJ

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I need some help with a unique problem and hoped some of you might have a workable solution…

My rig is a 2021 Jeep Gladiator Willys with stock 255/75R17 MT tires. I have a soft top and a Softopper over the bed - no racks. I just replaced the factory plastic bumper with a steel, slim, high clearance bumper. The 2” receiver is now located where the license plate used to be, and the license plate is on the tailgate.

The new bumper eats up about 4” of spare tire real estate under the bed. When overlanding, I have toolboxes, a fridge, and a kitchen/sleeping platform that takes up most of my bed space.

The problem is where to mount the spare? I picked up a hitch carrier that folds down to access the tailgate, but does not go far enough down now that the receiver is so high. I would also need to relocate the license plate and light to be legal.

I like the idea of a swing out - either hitch mounted or bumper mounted - but they are unrealistically expensive.

I’ll post some more photos later…E95616A6-57B5-453D-91D4-2CF9AA58C747.jpeg
 
Ubiety

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Just saw this in a Casey LaDelle video - Casey is going to buy one ;)
RiG'd Ultraswing will do the trick!

Edit - just saw that you had looked at swingouts after posting. Check this one out and watch the video. Maybe???

Like your 4 Wheel Drive sticker! Had one in the same place on my 2017 Wrangler. And that color choice is impeccable! Great minds... ;)
 
Carnage_95YJ

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@Ubiety
I did see the Rig’d swing out. Looks cool, probably would work… but it cost $900 MORE than the $650 bumper I just installed. I also saw a Gladiator bumper with a swing out ($2500) but hangs just as low as the stock bumper.
 
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Ubiety

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Just spit-balling but I wonder if you could reclaim some of the space where the spare was located from the factory. If you could come up with a spare sized container you might be able to get some stuff out of the bed? Not daily use stuff but maybe house battery or water or spare parts or… I wonder how well bed-linered plywood would hold up, maybe with some sheet metal on the outside. Or get a welder and make it metal. Dunno. I don’t like weight up high so I would not put the tire on a roof rack.
 
lhoffm4

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I made one from a bike carrier that plugs into my hitch and still allows me to tow my trailer. I picked up a hitch extender and a double hitch from Harbor Freight, then modified the bike carrier with a kit from Amazon to mount my spare. I'm planning to add a couple Nato-style fuel can/carrier assemblies to it soon, then I can cover the spare with a vinyl tire cover and possibly a trasheroo style bag to mount to the spare. The bike rack, I sourced from a junk yard (opportunistic find for $40). The HF stinger and dual bracket were fairly cheap-say less than $100 for both and the mounting bracket for the spare was around $30 or so?

I don't keep it mounted unless I'm pulling the trailer. The bike rack folds down so I can still open the tail gate on the truck. If I were not pulling the trailer, I could fold it down and still carry two bikes, plus my full size spare.

Imagination and a salvage yard make for some awesome diy projects...
 

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Carnage_95YJ

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lhoffm4 said:
I made one from a bike carrier that plugs into my hitch and still allows me to tow my trailer. I picked up a hitch extender and a double hitch from Harbor Freight, then modified the bike carrier with a kit from Amazon to mount my spare. I'm planning to add a couple Nato-style fuel can/carrier assemblies to it soon, then I can cover the spare with a vinyl tire cover and possibly a trasheroo style bag to mount to the spare. The bike rack, I sourced from a junk yard (opportunistic find for $40). The HF stinger and dual bracket were fairly cheap-say less than $100 for both and the mounting bracket for the spare was around $30 or so?

I don't keep it mounted unless I'm pulling the trailer. The bike rack folds down so I can still open the tail gate on the truck. If I were not pulling the trailer, I could fold it down and still carry two bikes, plus my full size spare.

Imagination and a salvage yard make for some awesome diy projects...
Click to expand...
I like how the bike rack allows the hitch to fold flat. The carrier I got sticks up too far. I did consider adding an extension to the hitch. I thought maybe one that would allow it to slide in & out using some of the abandoned spare tire space. Need to make a friend who can weld for beer or trade for electrical work :)
 
diabetiktaco

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The Ultraswing and Hitchgates are cool, but I agree the price is insane. They pop up from time to time used for $500 but you have to be jonny on the spot to find one. I always thought that if someone came to market with an affordable option they would make a killing.
 
madcratebuilder

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A swingout is going to last forever. Wilco or Rig'd, I think the Rid'g has better clearance but with a raised receiver it may not be a issue. I've had a Wilco Offset for 4 years, worth every penny. Swings out of the way in 10 seconds.
I want a Relentless high clearance rear bumper with swingout ($2800)
 
Jim SoG

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I just bought a used Wilco ($700) that looked new. Mounted and love it! It took me a month of scouring the CL and other places and there was a couple of them, some cheaper, some more $$ but they are there.....
I got the one with the spare on drivers side.

I got a pic in my build thread.

Jim
 
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tjZ06

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Yes, it's crazy expensive, but I love my RIG'd, and really it was still less than an aftermarket bumper + tire swing out. It's super solid, and swings nicely even with my heavy-AF 37x13.5-17". It's one more step anytime I want to get in/out of the camper while on the road (I obviously just leave it open at camp) but IMHO that's worth it to have a spare. I got the table and "side hack" cuz I'm a bit (lot) of a gadget nerd... but honestly I find the table SUPER useful. I'm always using it for something, and is great for doing a quick lunch on the trail when I don't want to set up my camp table and/or pop-up the Fourwheel Camper to have counter space. Heck, I even use it most of the time when I stop to air up just to set my stuff and "hang" the inflator portion of my Morrflate setup (did I mention I like gear?). The "side hack" provides a decent spot for my chainsaw bag. I had to get a bit creative running the mounting strap up "over" the top of the side hack, around the rotopax mount, then back to the bag so that tightening the strap pulls the saw "up" but it worked out great. Oh, and then there's also the rotopax mounted on it, which I use as a hand-wash station (great for those times when you don't want to pop up the whole FWC or use the outdoor shower hookup to just wash your hands).

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-TJ
 
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Carnage_95YJ

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Ubiety said:
RiG’d rear tire carrier for sale on OB forums in Walnut Cr CA. Kinda far from you but ya never know ;)
Click to expand...
I’m going to try the Amazon swing out and a Curt tire carrier. At least there’s free shipping and returns. I will post pics once I have assembled all the necessary bits…
 
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