Interior Tire Carrier and Storage Platform (1 Viewer)

[FlightMedic178]

Finished product:

In an effort to get a better departure angle and rear ground clearance I moved the spare to the interior of the truck.
A swing out bumper didn’t appeal to me as I’m in and out of the back of the truck constantly.

I don’t have a need for the drivers side 3rd row, so I removed it and for the last few months I installed upgraded cargo hooks and used ratchet straps to hold the tire which actually worked great, the tire would not budge, even in extreme conditions. The down side was securing the tire at a perfect 90* was tough due to the carpet and padding, leading me to want a more permanent solution.

My other issue was finding a way to secure of all my tools and recovery gear. To fix that, I thought about making a shelf but I’m not very seasoned woodworker but also didn’t want to spend the $1000+ on the commercially available storage systems. Then, when taking my kids to the local surplus store for costumes I had the idea of mounting ammo cans. That idea morphed into ammo cans stacked and mounted together on a platform.

A few weeks later and I’m done.

 

[FlightMedic178]

The platform is mounted to the truck using 4 threaded holes (connected to the frame) where the 3rd row was mounted.

The track mounting system on the platform allows the tire to be secured closer to or father away from the wall depending on what else needs to be stored. Also, open channels on the track system allow for more hooks easily installed or removed.

The ammo cans are incredibly sturdy. They are solid on the platform as well as to each other. I removed the vertical can lid, cut off the hinges and permanently mounted a strap to hold in all the gear.

I’m extremely happy with how it turned out.

I was able to secure all this gear:

Into the area slightly larger than the 3rd row seat that previously lived there.

 

[FlightMedic178]

A few more pics:

 

[Willie G]

Ingenious! Well done!

 

[DPA200]

Very cool !

 

[JLH]

That's really slick!

 

[Tommy Dwyer]

Nicely done!

 

[tampacruiser95]

Love this, I am going to follow suit. Where did you buy the track mounts?

 

[Markuson]

The platform is mounted to the truck using 4 threaded holes (connected to the frame) where the 3rd row was mounted.

The track mounting system on the platform allows the tire to be secured closer to or father away from the wall depending on what else needs to be stored. Also, open channels on the track system allow for more hooks easily installed or removed.

The ammo cans are incredibly sturdy. They are solid on the platform as well as to each other. I removed the vertical can lid, cut off the hinges and permanently mounted a strap to hold in all the gear.
View attachment 2117236View attachment 2117237View attachment 2117239
I’m extremely happy with how it turned out.

I was able to secure all this gear:
View attachment 2117241
Into the area slightly larger than the 3rd row seat that previously lived there.
View attachment 2117242

Nice!
I did something very similar with a large ammo can on its side...to keep stuff from flying around and to mount something g on top. Worked a charm & your post reminds me that I might return to a similar use soon.

 

[CJ3Flyer]

So well done! Room for 3rd person, a small cooler and some day gear. Bravo!

 

[FlightMedic178]

Love this, I am going to follow suit. Where did you buy the track mounts?

Home Depot for the track mounts. They are in the ratchet strap section.

 

[FlightMedic178]

So well done! Room for 3rd person, a small cooler and some day gear. Bravo!

Thanks! That was the plan. The other cool option is I can get the spare back under the truck in just a just few minutes if I absolutely need more storage space.

 

[tampacruiser95]

Home Depot for the track mounts. They are in the ratchet strap section.

Thanks!

 

[speyrod]

Very wll done, are you using the hub portion of the wheel for storage? One thing I would consider is rivets vs nuts and bolts.

 

[FlightMedic178]

Very wll done, are you using the hub portion of the wheel for storage? One thing I would consider is rivets vs nuts and bolts.

Yes the air compressor is secured to the inside of the wheel and my portable jump starter is secured on the floor between the tire and the wall.

thanks for the suggestion but I don’t have any experience with riveters. All nuts and bolts have lock washers and I’ll be keeping an eye on them.

 

[Rigger]

Nice work!

 

[CruiserFan88]

This is awesome! I got some new tires and want to stay on top of rotating all 5. Also having issue on our mountain property bottoming out and riding the spare at a couple creek crossings. AND, wanted to pull out third seats to reduce weight as I don't need the 3rd row. This solves all of my problems. I can get to the spare way easier while still losing about 80lbs of weight and no more scuffing the rim down the rocks in the creek.

Seems like a super cheap solution, hats off for taking the time to come up with such a simple and clever design. In addition, it appears to be completely reversible and you can still use one third row seat.

From your pics it appears for just the tire mount I will need:
A hardwood board 3/4-1" in thickness
Speaker Box Carpet or similar fabric/felt
A Snap Loc Anchor Kit (or similar)
A Snap Loc strap
4 bolts w/ washers

Am I missing something obvious? Are the two inward threaded holes that the board is bolted to already existing or did you have to drill those?
I haven't had a chance to go and look at the truck and the seats are still in, I don't remember there being holes in the floor under the mat. Also, if the OP or anyone else that has completed this can take the guess work out the bolt length/size, that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[FlightMedic178]

This is awesome! I got some new tires and want to stay on top of rotating all 5. Also having issue on our mountain property bottoming out and riding the spare at a couple creek crossings. AND, wanted to pull out third seats to reduce weight as I don't need the 3rd row. This solves all of my problems. I can get to the spare way easier while still losing about 80lbs of weight and no more scuffing the rim down the rocks in the creek.

Seems like a super cheap solution, hats off for taking the time to come up with such a simple and clever design. In addition, it appears to be completely reversible and you can still use one third row seat.

From your pics it appears for just the tire mount I will need:
A hardwood board 3/4-1" in thickness
Speaker Box Carpet or similar fabric/felt
A Snap Loc Anchor Kit (or similar)
A Snap Loc strap
4 bolts w/ washers

Am I missing something obvious? Are the two inward threaded holes that the board is bolted to already existing or did you have to drill those?
I haven't had a chance to go and look at the truck and the seats are still in, I don't remember there being holes in the floor under the mat. Also, if the OP or anyone else that has completed this can take the guess work out the bolt length/size, that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

No drilling was required but I did cut the plastic latch trim to use one of the bolts from there.

Although I should have, I did not take note of bolt size.

 

[CruiserFan88]

Yes, and I also had to trim a small amount from what I believe was the floor air duct to be able to get the front inward bolt completely exposed and out. The area that needs trimming does not impair the duct in anyway but i didnt see a way around this. The bolts are size M10x1.25 and I went with 50mm in length for the new figuring I have plenty layers of carpet/mat/weathertech to fill or take away if needed. 40mm is too short but 75mm was excessive. I got everything at Home Depot so thats what I had to work with. I haven't fabricated the platform yet but laying it out, it already looks tight.

 

[CruiserFan88]

So the front latch bolt used to secure the board is recessed unlike the other three bolts therefore a 75mm bolt is required. I did not notice before. After fabing up the board laying down the carpeted mat and weathertech mat, I believe the 75mm arent so excessive after all and will be switching to those. After all finishing touches are done its going to look great. If you weren't across the country FlightMedic178 i'd buy you a beer! Thanks again!