Tail gate tire carrier or roof top mount and why.

[Rubyredfozzy]

Ive seen both methods and can think of my own reasons why one is better than the other. I have a subaru so my roof isnt that high off the ground. Is the view out the back window more important or is the rattle worth the ease of access to the tire. Im interested in your experiences.

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[4xFar Adventures]

Height makes that decision a little easier, but how tall is too tall when you have a muddy, 85 pound wheel and tire to lift? You can toss the spare off the roof, but be careful where it will land. Are you near a dropoff? Mr. Murphy (and his law) will take over and ensure you tire rolls down that hill. You obviously don't want to slide it down the side of the vehicle because of the possibility of scratched paint and broken glass.

Rear door works well, but there are visibility concerns. Also, the tire might be too tall if you've gone up a few sizes and may not clear the bumper. You might be able to flip the tire carrier for a little more clearance. Stock size with a factory carrier on the door is ok. But are the hinges up for the task of a bigger tire and maybe a steel wheel, and a full Trasharoo?

Regardless of where the tire is mounted, if it's rattling, it's probably not secure. For a strap-it-down-on-the-roof setup (I do this for my classes when students will practice plugging a tire and breaking/reseating the bead), I use 2 ratchet straps rated to a WLL of 500 lbs. each.

 

[maxfederle89]

I know for me, before I had to use my vehicle for work and carry ladders on the roof, I had my spare mounted on my roof basket and strapped down. I liked the option because it was cheap and the only viable way to carry it. But if I had my way I'd have a tire carrier bumper. The prohibiting factor is cost. $180 roof basket and some straps vs. $1200 bumper with tire carrier.... So that's why I did what I did.

Edit: And I assume you have a Subaru wagon? I drive a Jeep WJ.

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[Wawa Skittletits]

Its been the plan and ideally I’d like a rear tire carrier but it hasn’t been an issue having it on the roof. I do 5 tire rotations so I regularly have to get that wheel down and put another back up and I’m thankful for my weight conscious planning. My Subaru is lifted 3.75” in the back but I use the steps inside the doors to retrieve the wheel. It’s not overly difficult but it’s certainly not easy and definitely a tad awkward.

I would sacrifice rear window visibility for ease of access on a custom swing out but also because it would allow me to get my gas/water off of the roof as well. In the meanwhile the far less expensive roof option works just fine.

 

[Rubyredfozzy]

I love your rig.

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[Jeremy M.]

If you can afford the rear tire carrier I’d prefer that. It’s easier to get to and offers other benefits as well, lower GC, higher clearance, and additional options.


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[Wawa Skittletits]

I love your rig.

Thank you! It’s been a great escape vehicle.

 

[Chevy Chasin Vacation]

Current setup is on the roof rack of our Tahoe, I bought a $40 tire strap from Rhino Rack but the weight of the tire up there broke the welds on our cheap rack, so I just recently reinforced the whole rack with scrap tubing from my work. New problem is that the factory cross bars on the Tahoe are too weak and the rack slides front to back and side to side on the trails, plus the size of the tire doesn’t leave much room for anything else. We want a rear tire carrier from Wilco but the $900 price tag is a bit much at the moment..


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[tsteb112]

I know for me, before I had to use my vehicle for work and carry ladders on the roof, I had my spare mounted on my roof basket and strapped down. I liked the option because it was cheap and the only viable way to carry it. But if I had my way I'd have a tire carrier bumper. The prohibiting factor is cost. $180 roof basket and some straps vs. $1200 bumper with tire carrier.... So that's why I did what I did.

Edit: And I assume you have a Subaru wagon? I drive a Jeep WJ.

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Hey man look into building a tire carrier with the stock bumper for WJs. I’m planning a build for one. Look up roamingtimber on here and he has a thread on it.


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[maxfederle89]

Hey man look into building a tire carrier with the stock bumper for WJs. I’m planning a build for one. Look up roamingtimber on here and he has a thread on it.


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Indeed! I have seen it in the past and @roamingtimber did a fantastic job. However, my fabrication skills are lacking and I don't have a welder. If I did I would design and build a lot of accessories for my rig.

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[tsteb112]

Indeed! I have seen it in the past and @roamingtimber did a fantastic job. However, my fabrication skills are lacking and I don't have a welder. If I did I would design and build a lot of accessories for my rig.

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Lol in all fairness he didn’t know how to weld either. Luckily I have a friend that does and our entire off-road club does too. I’m going to buy the pieces I need then do something similar to it


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[maxfederle89]

Lol in all fairness he didn’t know how to weld either. Luckily I have a friend that does and our entire off-road club does too. I’m going to buy the pieces I need then do something similar to it


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Roaming timber also built a Flatlands 4x4 bumper for his WJ. You're right too. MIG welding is easy to learn. I did some in highschool. I just need to buy a welder a jump 2 feet into it...

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[tsteb112]

Roaming timber also built a Flatlands 4x4 bumper for his WJ. You're right too. MIG welding is easy to learn. I did some in highschool. I just need to buy a welder a jump 2 feet into it...

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That was for the front though if I remember correctly. They sell blue prints for $30 that can be loaded into a CNC machine. Front and rear bumpers


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[tsteb112]

Ive seen both methods and can think of my own reasons why one is better than the other. I have a subaru so my roof isnt that high off the ground. Is the view out the back window more important or is the rattle worth the ease of access to the tire. Im interested in your experiences.

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Sorry to kinda get off on a tangent, but if you build your own tire carrier and get a heavy duty latch, there won’t be any rattles


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[vegasjeepguy]

By placing the spare on the roof you lose a lot if not most of your storage space. Essentially the roof rack is your spare tire carrier. A rear mounted spare would be occupying space you would probably never use.

 

[maxfederle89]

By placing the spare on the roof you lose a lot if not most of your storage space. Essentially the roof rack is your spare tire carrier. A rear mounted spare would be occupying space you would probably never use.

This is the conclusion I've come to. And when I'm hauling ladders for work I take my roof basket off and don't even have my spare. That damages my calm. Rooftop is convenient and cheap but rear mount is having your cake and eating it too

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[Wawa Skittletits]

By placing the spare on the roof you lose a lot if not most of your storage space. Essentially the roof rack is your spare tire carrier. A rear mounted spare would be occupying space you would probably never use.

Mine takes up less than half of my rack but I get what you're saying. At the same time theres only one more item I'd like to throw on my roof and space isn't the reason it's not. Like most things in life spare tire location is on a case by case basis.

 

[vegasjeepguy]

Not being familiar with the vehicle, why is there a need to relocate the spare from where it is normally stored?

 

[Wawa Skittletits]

Not being familiar with the vehicle, why is there a need to relocate the spare from where it is normally stored?

Larger than stock tire no longer fits in the well.

 

[vegasjeepguy]

Larger than stock tire no longer fits in the well.

Ah... similar issue with a Jeep because the spare tire mount on the rear of the vehicle is not designed to support heavier and larger tires.