Spare tire bolted to hatch? (1 Viewer)

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Aug 30, 2006
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Eastern Idaho
Has anybody ever tried bolting a spare tire directly to the upper hatch?

I hate the tire under the car for obvious reasons. I have 4 kids and need all four seats so the spare inside will not work. My two older kids are able to get into the back by themselves and close the hatch from inside. It is nice because I don't have to get them in and out all the time. If I put a swing out tire carrier they will not be able to do this anymore. So because of my laziness and $$$ I don't really want to go this route. The spare on the roof rack I have done, but on long excursions I would rather put other stuff up there.

So how about bolting it directly to the hatch? I know I would have to change out the struts for some much heavier duty ones and maybe beef up the strut brackets. Are the hinges beefy enough?

I would just hate to get into the project and find out it wouldn't work after drilling holes into an expensive hatch.

Thoughts??????
 
I'm not sure how you would do this, much less how well it would support the weight. I would keep underneath unless you are headed off road then, strap it to the roof.
 
:confused:

assuming the thing is strong enough (I doubt it), would there even be enough room for a biggish tire considering the bumper is in the way when you fold it down? Plus you need to open the top before the bottom and the tire would be in the way...

I would think that his crowd would have tried this long ago if there was any chance of it being a reasonable option... (and even if not... :D)
 
I'd put the thing on the roof before trying to attach it to the upper (or lower) hatch.

you'd run a huge risk of shattering the rear glass if you back into something -- the tire would stick out farther than the bumper, wouldn't it?
 
What size is your spare?

Stock and 33s I believe fit in the stock spare location below the truck, and IIRC, a 35 will fit with a little mod work down there.

There's also someone selling a Kaymar spare tire carrier for the STOCK bumper in the classifieds right now.
 
I would not guess there's enough support structure in either the upper or lower hatches. Even if there was, how would you plan to raise the hatch and hold it there with all the weight of a full-sized spare up there? My advise would be to leave it underneath or put it on a roof rack. Search this site for spare tire mods. Some have modified the stock spare tire location to raise it up a couple inches to gain some ground clearance.
 
how would you plan to raise the hatch and hold it there with all the weight of a full-sized spare up there?

Heloooo...Pulleys and springs, just like a garage door. They would attach to the outside of the hatch and run over the roof to the a-pillar.
 
ooops, didn't see you meant the upper hatch. Even less likely IMO.
 
Not gonna work. Even if it did, it would be kinda stupid.
 
Can it be done? Probably.

Will it damage the sheet metal edges and pull the upper hatch away from the body allowing water in after it rains....yes.

Do you want to trust that the hatch struts (no matter how strong they are rated) won't give out while your 2 kids are climbing into the back through the open hatch like a 100lb sledge hammer? .......?
 
As far as it breaking the glass if you back into something, I don't see it being any different than a swing out. Those spindle hinges can snap like a twig if you backed into it resulting in a smashed up hatch. I may toy with the idea of having a seperate hinge above the hatch hinge maybe bolting it to the OEM roof rack holes yet still have the weight of the tire on the hatch when it is opened. The hinges would be the white dots in this high tech picture:

Spare_Tire.JPG


Just trying to think "out of the box." Personally I think spare tires are slightly overrated. In the nine years I have been wheeling, I haven't absolutely had to use a spare tire yet. I have always used plug kits.... even helped stitch up a sidewall tear with bailing wire and plugs until it held air. It got his vehicle home(airing it back up occasionally.) But, I have always been taught to be prepared. I know that once I leave the spare at home, I will need it......
 
This is a terrible idea. Sorry to be so blunt. If one of the struts failed, someone could die. How would you lift the gate? You'd have to have a lot of pressure in those struts to assist in lifting the gate.
 
As far as it breaking the glass if you back into something, I don't see it being any different than a swing out. Those spindle hinges can snap like a twig if you backed into it resulting in a smashed up hatch. I may toy with the idea of having a seperate hinge above the hatch hinge maybe bolting it to the OEM roof rack holes yet still have the weight of the tire on the hatch when it is opened. The hinges would be the white dots in this high tech picture:

Spare_Tire.JPG


Just trying to think "out of the box." Personally I think spare tires are slightly overrated. In the nine years I have been wheeling, I haven't absolutely had to use a spare tire yet. I have always used plug kits.... even helped stitch up a sidewall tear with bailing wire and plugs until it held air. It got his vehicle home(airing it back up occasionally.) But, I have always been taught to be prepared. I know that once I leave the spare at home, I will need it......

I've backed into buildings with my slee bumper -- smacked the tire, no damage to the bumper or body -- a cracked emblem on the upper hatch lid is all I got. Get a good bumper with a good swing and you won't have issues.

As for spares being overrated...well that really depends on where you wheel and your luck. I've blown tires on the Rubicon and in Death Valley. You never know when or where it's going to happen. A friend of mine blew his tire just after doing the Golden Crack in Moab - that was on slickrock slab...but he happened to find the one spot in a 300 yard radius where a tire could get pinched.

If you choose to run without a spare, carry a GOOD tire repair kit and hope you don't slash a sidewall.


I don't think anyone's trying to knock you for thinking outside the box, but to be honest, others have already looked in and outside of this particular box ;)


You asked for opinions, you're getting them. If you disagree, go ahead and do it. Mount your tire wherever you want.
 
I'm surprised the posts so far haven't been very critical of this idea. I'm all for thinking out of the box but this isn't a good idea at all.

After all, you never said what the "obvious reasons" were for not mounting underneath. If you are running 33's and you do the mod to raise the height of the spare, it's pretty practical. Only hassle is raising the lowering the tire with the crank (mine slips out of the "socket"). Given you think spare tires are over-rated anyway, it shouldn't matter if it's tucked under.

Forgot mounting anything to the roof rack mounting holes... they aren't gonna hold s***te.
 
This is a pic from the Japanese brochure for the FJ80:

tlcspareen1.jpg


Oops, nevermind...just re-read you wanting to put it on the upper hatch. I also don't think that it would support it.
 
This is a pic from the Japanese brochure for the FJ80:

tlcspareen1.jpg


Oops, nevermind...just re-read you wanting to put it on the upper hatch. I also don't think that it would support it.

to do that, you'd need to locate the braces for the rear quarter panel corner as well as the tire swing. ;)
 
Well, the reason for me posting it on this forum is because I was doubting my own opinion on the whole idea. Otherwise I would have just done it. I have already compromised with having the 33" spare underneath and moved to the roof every once in a while. I have plans to move to a true 35" tires soon, so that is why I am bringing this up. Either I am going to have to go with the lesser of to evils and use a swing gate, or find a skinny 35" and try to shove it under the vehicle somehow.

Thanks for the honest opinions.
 
no problem. it's a problem that we all have to face at one time or another.

at some point, you're just gonna have to suck it up and pay for the $2k tire carrier.

:meh:

there aren't many other (good) options.
 
You can put a skinny tire behind the rear seats and still use both rows

I saw the thread about that and I like the idea. In fact, I would like to go with a skinny 35" tire. I like the pizza cutter look. There wasn't much mention about ride quality on the highway. Once the Blazer sells, this will become my main offroad vehicle so mud terrains are on the agenda. I am just not sure if the SSR radials will be too extreme for me. I will still drive this on the highway a lot.
 

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