High-Clearance Bumper without Tire Carrier... Issues?

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Manhattan

Manhattan

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Instead of highjacking Ben's thread on the Dissent rear bumper...

I was looking at the back end of the 100, thinking about what it'll look like with a high-clearance bumper and without the receiver hitch - and all I saw was that spare tire.

The resonator and tail pipe can be addressed by an exhaust shop, e.g. rerouting, etc. But that spare... that damn spare. I really would like to keep the tire in the factory spot - the truck sees a whole lot more daily-driver duty than trail duty. But, clearly don't want to use the side of the spare tire as skid plate.

Anyone done that - install a high-clearance bumper and leave the spare under the truck? Is it as susceptible to damage as I'm thinking it's going to be?

IMG_9726.jpg
 
might as well get a bumper with swing out for spare , and just not run the spare holder unless you need to. Plus a tire only so big will fit under there and soon you will want 35s....
 
@Yeti... I'm mostly with ya on this. I am 90% certain I'll stick with 33s, but even with the 1.5" clearance gain doing the spare tire mod', the spare tire is still the low point. Leaning more toward the swing-out.

It's funny... I swore this truck would stay stock or close to it. It just creeps in... "oh, just 275s and a TB crank"... "Sliders just make sense"... "okay, maybe springs and TBs... well, and UCAs...". "Damn, did you see that bumper Ben made... "
 
But then where will all my gear go? Tires gotta stay outside, at least for me.
 
Travis351 said:
I just strap the tire inside the truck when off road...
Click to expand...

The only problem for me (and I carry my spare inside on my 80) is that if you change a tire in a muddy/wet/generally nasty environment, you get to bring all that inside. Like it or not, most of the Cruisers in the US (still on the road) at one point in time, had a nice interior. Its honestly a big part of the draw over and above any jeep made product if you are driving a 60, 80, 100 or 200 series. A nice uber reliability, comfy ride and amazing offorad prowess. So on my 100 the tire is going on the bumper. Tires down below get neglected and are rarely ready to rock when you need them. Keeping it where you see it everyday is a huge plus.
 
I think you're correct that any of the high clearance designs will leave the spare ridding pretty low. I think with a very narrow spare and the minor bump you can get from raising the spare would still leave it hanging low. I think for the spare to stay down under you're better off with the more conventional bumper designs. For me a high clearance rear with the spare on the swing was a huge improvement over tail-dragging the stock hitch all over the place.
 
also think about the other benefit of swing out for spare -- highlift jack holder, trasharoo holder, mounting point for back up LED light as bright as the sun ! etc..
 
Crawled under the 100 to look at doing the spare tire mod... But the charcoal canister (thanks SmoothLC) is in the way.
Looks like I can move the mount up about 1/2". Hardly worth the effort.
IMG_9746.jpg
 
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I think there were some pics of Hundys with spares under and no swing out in the 4x4Labs bumper thread. Also there's a few guys here who simply take off the swing outs when not wheeling, then it goes back on for adventures. I can't recall the last time I needed to change a truck tire while driving on the streets.
 
What about making a 1/8" steel plate cut to the diameter of the spare? After raising it with the mod (for those w/o A/C there) and cutting the exhaust so it comes out in front of the rear tire, I think one would have a fair balance between clearance, protection for the spare and stock functionality.

I was even thinking of eliminating the spare cable lift completely. Since I can get under there and catch the spare as I lower it, welding a heavy-duty stud in the right place could get the spare even higher and, from my assessment, get it to a complimentary departure angle. To do this right a cross beam w/ the stud on it would have to be welded into a good position using the frame rails as the main brace points. A couple chains with appropriate mounting hardware could be added for redundant security. Tack on the aforementioned steel disk and you have the stock look with a meaningful percent of trail functionality.

While it's a lot of trouble and expense, I want as much expo/trail capability as possible without sacrificing day to day function (not having to use a swing out to access the rear) and low-profile looks. Thoughts?
 
I think the 1/8" plate (or HPDE, aluminum...) is a solid option - just using the wheels's stud holes to mount would do it. It wouldn't take a lot to keep the tire from getting cut. But, you'd want to give some thought to drainage - that plate snug to the tire - could (would) collect a lotta mud/crap.

As goofy as the winch is, it does work. And, the thought of laying on my back (on the side of a road, trail) and trying to put the wheel in place, hold it with one hand, and thread the holding stud (or other means)... would be damn tough.

Short of finding a very narrow 33 (and there are none for 18" wheels), the swing-away is looking like less like an option, and more like the way to go.
 
Having owned a jeep, I can say the only thing I miss is the bumper mounted spare. Not only is it much more convenient when needed, but it means that the spare is not missed(more like I am just too lazy to lay on the ground when getting gas) when I check the rest of the tires.
 
Manhattan said:
Crawled under the 100 to look at doing the spare tire mod... I guess it's only for trucks without rear AC.
Looks like I can move the mount up about 1/2". Hardly worth the effort.
IMG_9746.jpg
Click to expand...
That is strange, I have rear AC and I don't have any of that under my hundy.
 
Charcoal canister . . .
 
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