Sorry, slight hijack, but somewhat related comment...what about a rear tire carrier that folds down instead of swinging out, folding to where the spare is under the bed when fully lowered. Would it stick out too far? Just an idea...
Cheers,
Joel
I've been trying to come up with an alternative spare tire holder rather than the swingout or interior but haven't come up with anything worthwhile yet. Can you elaborate more on your concept or throw us a quick sketch?

Joel