Liftgate Mounted Spare Tire

[quickdraw]

Hey all- I've been toying with an idea for a while on my 80 and I'm in the process of purchasing a 200 which would likely require a bumper and swing out purchase.

I've never loved the swing outs from a day-to-day standpoint for simple access and I'll daily the 200. I'm curious if upgrading the liftgate struts to carry the extra load would allow for a custom fabricated spare tire mount, ladder, and maybe a maxtrax mount on the lower tailgate section.

Imagine something like the westcott ladder with the tire mounted directly to the right on the liftgate.

Given the cost of of rear bumpers these days you'd have a lot of fab dollars to work with.

Has anyone attempted/completed anything like this?

 

[eatSleepWoof]

The struts would help you lift the hatch, sure. But you're talking about adding potentially 100lbs of weight on to that ladder - will the attachment points of that ladder handle this extra weight, as you're bouncing on trails?

While I agree that swing outs are a pain in the ass on a daily driver, I can't help thinking this is a bad idea. I'd keep the spare where it belongs, or in the cargo area.

 

[quickdraw]

The struts would help you lift the hatch, sure. But you're talking about adding potentially 100lbs of weight on to that ladder - will the attachment points of that ladder handle this extra weight, as you're bouncing on trails?

While I agree that swing outs are a pain in the ass on a daily driver, I can't help thinking this is a bad idea. I'd keep the spare where it belongs, or in the cargo area.

Yeah, this is what I'm worried about. Was hoping someone had some first hand knowledge of something like this to tell me I'm crazy or perhaps it's doable.

FWIW I would mount the tire separate to the ladder, direct onto the door frame in some manner. I think that could shift the load to the door and struts with that method. But again, not sure.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Yeah, this is what I'm worried about. Was hoping someone had some first hand knowledge of something like this to tell me I'm crazy or perhaps it's doable.

FWIW I would mount the tire separate to the ladder, direct onto the door frame in some manner. I think that could shift the load to the door and struts with that method. But again, not sure.

The middle east market had a 200-series option for a spare tire swing out. If I remember correctly, it mounted to/through a piece on the side of the quarter panel, and swung towards the hatch. Kind of a middle ground between a full swingout bumper and doing what you're envisioning. Might be a retrofit option for you, if this is important enough to warrant the work & cost.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Some photos and part numbers in this thread: Toyota wheel carrier and winch for LC200 - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/toyota-wheel-carrier-and-winch-for-lc200.299578/

 

[quickdraw]

The middle east market had a 200-series option for a spare tire swing out. If I remember correctly, it mounted to/through a piece on the side of the quarter panel, and swung towards the hatch. Kind of a middle ground between a full swingout bumper and doing what you're envisioning. Might be a retrofit option for you, if this is important enough to warrant the work & cost.

Thanks. I'll do a little digging and see what I can come up with there

 

[quickdraw]

Some photos and part numbers in this thread: Toyota wheel carrier and winch for LC200 - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/toyota-wheel-carrier-and-winch-for-lc200.299578/

Ahh, interesting. Thanks for sharing this. If I were to go down this path, it would be to simplify access and avoid having to open the swing out, then the liftgate

 

[TeCKis300]

Negative ghost rider. There' no way for a 100lb wheel/tire package to hang cantilevered off the upper hatch. Struts would be the least of your worries. There's simply not enough structure to deal with those kind of loads, let alone the dynamic loads @eatSleepWoof is correctly pointing out.

 

[quickdraw]

Negative ghost rider. There' no way for a 100lb wheel/tire package to hang cantilevered off the upper hatch. Struts would be the least of your worries. There's simply not enough structure to deal with those kind of loads, let alone the dynamic loads @eatSleepWoof is correctly pointing out

Harrumph...

If you'll humor me for a moment, these swing outs with attachments are in the 5-6k range. That would cover good but of fab work. However, I'm not a fabricator and I don't have a sense of this.

Would you be able to reinforce the liftgate to carry the load within some budget similar to the cost of a swing out?

 

[TeCKis300]

Swing outs are attached to the frame of the vehicle which is strongest core structure of the vehicle. Even there, failures have and do occur when exposed to high or cyclic loads. Even with all that structure, these heavily reinforced swing out mounts flex.

Mounting such thing to the upper sheet metal part of the cabin structure, on a hinged hatch, is not possible. There is no reasonable load path to provide enough structure and support IMO.

 

[quickdraw]

Swing outs are attached to the frame of the vehicle which is strongest core structure of the vehicle. Even there, failures have and do occur when exposed to high or cyclic loads. Even with all that structure, these heavily reinforced swing out mounts flex.

Mounting such thing to the upper sheet metal part of the cabin structure, on a hinged hatch, is not possible. There is no reasonable load path to provide enough structure and support IMO.

Good to know. Thanks

 

[tbisaacs]

You can fit a 295/70/18 in spare location. Skip the swing out if you don’t need it.

 

[quickdraw]

Just spotted this for the GX which is obviously hinged differently. Early concerns about structural rigidity and seem speration but the longterm review I just watched seemed pretty happy with it.

Thread 'ACC Rear Door Tire Mount'

Mar 16, 2019

For those not on FB they released a mount to carry your spare on the rear door. Many of us have been waiting excitedly for this offer. https://www.accgarage.com/gx470/becky

• subspd
• Replies: 164
• Forum: GX470 / Prado120

• 

Becky (GX470) — ACC Garage

Please call the front office for payment on product.

www.accgarage.com

TIRE

This is everything that you would need, to equip your GX470 with our JW Offroad 3.5" Spare Tire Carrier with the Center License Plate relocation mount. This 3.5" version will allow you to run all wheel setups even 35" Tires! The 3.5 version is recommended for wheels with a positive offset ...

www.jwoffroad.com

This is kind of what I had in mind. If it's even possible, I'd want to beef up hinges, improve structural support and upgrades the struts

 

[quickdraw]

You can fit a 295/70/18 in spare location. Skip the swing out if you don’t need it.

Yeah, thinking about that but would like a aux tank.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Yeah, thinking about that but would like a aux tank.

Some folks remove the third row, store the spare vertically in the cargo area, leaving enough room for a custom set of drawers or other storage on the side. Or place the spare horizontally, with a storage platform above it.