Larger Spare Tire Spacer

[Raddic]

Well I finally purchased the matching 33x10.50 spare but I need to put some kind of spacer on the spare tire mount. It is a 76 so it is a plate style. Not sure if I should shim where the wheel attaches to the bracket or where the bracket attaches to the plate. What have you guys done?

 

[Nothinghead]

I added some square stock between the bracket and plate to clear the depth of the spare. It also allowed me to raise it a few inches to clear the height.

Sent from the monkey house.

Edit: I have no idea why that first picture is there

 

[Raddic]

I added some square stock between the bracket and plate to clear the depth of the spare. It also allowed me to raise it a few inches to clear the height.

Sent from the monkey house.

Edit: I have no idea why that first picture is there

Thanks for the pictures. What size tire are you putting on there? Looks like just 1" square tubing.

 

[Nothinghead]

Yup. 1" square stock I had lying around. The tire is a 265/75 but hopefully the 33s I'm about to buy will also fit.

Sent from the monkey house.

 

[lcwizard]

Well I finally purchased the matching 33x10.50 spare but I need to put some kind of spacer on the spare tire mount. It is a 76 so it is a plate style. Not sure if I should shim where the wheel attaches to the bracket or where the bracket attaches to the plate. What have you guys done?

that's weird, all the 76's I've run into had a tube style carrier

 

[cruiserkev]

"that's weird, all the 76's I've run into had a tube style carrier"

My 5/76 has the plate style carrier while my 11/76 (titled as a 77) has the tube style one. The change must have happened with the new model year as there were a few more differences like the rear vent windows in the hardtop and differences in the seatbelts that I have found.

 

[73tlcv8]

I installed one 1" sq tube spacer like Nothinghead, only just as long as the bracket and left the bracket in the same location. I carry a 31 x 10.5 spare and it just fits with this arrangement. Your 33 may require moving the bracket up a little.

 

[Raddic]

Yup. 1" square stock I had lying around. The tire is a 265/75 but hopefully the 33s I'm about to buy will also fit.

Sent from the monkey house.

When I hold up the 33x10.50, it looks like adding 2" would be plenty for a tire that wide. Still go back and forth on where to shim. I like how simple it would to shim it where you did, between the plate and the bracket. But I like the idea of doing it where the wheel sits on the bracket because you would not see it when swing the carrier open. But I would like to see if that's possible.

 

[crashn]

If your new tire overall size is 2" larger than the older tire then the mount point only needs to move up 1" to be mounted in the same spot.

 

[brandon61]

Used 1 1/2" aluminum square stock for our 31x10.50 spare,

 

[cruiserkev]

On my 76, I have an old Wild Country 33x12.50 spare on an 15x8 whitespoke that Alan Wesley gave me many years ago. It's mounted on my plate style spare carrier now and fits ok in the stock position. The wider rim helps to get a few more threads for the lugnuts to catch on to. I do want to switch back to a stock rim with a 34x9.5 trx swamper as a trail spare eventually as I am on 35's these days, but am worried about the larger tire sticking out too much on the drivers side. I have hooked my 33 spare on tree trunks a couple of times around here on tight trails as it sticks out about 3 inches out already from the rear qtr. panel. Bent the crap out of my original spare mount. Anyone else have this problem? Found a spare carrier from a late 74 at the last Moonshiners swap meet, armored it up a little and mounted it. Works good but it still sticks out too far for me. I may have to move the mount over an inch or two as well as out from the plate part to make a stock rim work. I like the above idea with the aluminum blocks and may have to try that.

 

[FJcovet]

I have 255/80/R17's on stock steel FJ Cruiser rims. I cut the stock spare holder vertically and welded in 3" of steel plate cut to match the angle. It does stick out just a bit on the passenger side. If I did it again I would have used less than 3". Mine rattles around a lot with the weight that far out.

 

[Raddic]

I have 255/80/R17's on stock steel FJ Cruiser rims. I cut the stock spare holder vertically and welded in 3" of steel plate cut to match the angle. It does stick out just a bit on the passenger side. If I did it again I would have used less than 3". Mine rattles around a lot with the weight that far out.

I like this option best. Think I will fab a new bracket with the proper offset. Going from my stock one to the 10.5" I need 7/8" extension added to it.

Thanks for all the input.

 

[spotcruiser]

I've just used a couple of washers on each stud over the years and that has worked OK with the tube-style carrier.

As far as catching the larger-than-stock spare on trees, I extended my tube-type carrier 3 inches. It's rock solid and works well for the current 33s. I'll probably build a different carrier if and when I go to larger tires, though.

I do want to switch back to a stock rim with a 34x9.5 trx swamper as a trail spare eventually as I am on 35's these days, but am worried about the larger tire sticking out too much on the drivers side. I have hooked my 33 spare on tree trunks a couple of times around here on tight trails as it sticks out about 3 inches out already from the rear qtr. panel. Bent the crap out of my original spare mount. Anyone else have this problem?