Tire Carrier Hinge

[StaleAle]

Think about what you need in a tire carrier spindle.

1) You want some stiffness in the hinge to keep the swingout under control, you DO NOT want a freely swinging tire carrier when you are off camber and release the latch to get something out of the back or worse the latch opens while on the trail.

2) Simple, bullet proof, with very few moving parts and easy to maintain. Bearings require more frequent maintenance and they will almost always fail before a bronze impregnated bushing, that's why they use bushings on marine drive shafts.

3) Bearings are made to allow a shaft to spin freely within a collar, they are not designed for carrying latteral loads such as the cantilevered weight of a 30+" tire and wheel. Think about how much more bearing surface a bushing has on the sides of the collar than a set of spherical steel balls that are only contacting at two tiny points on opposing sides of the ball. Yes there are several ball bearings, but only a few are resisting the prying force of the spindle at any given point in time.

For a given spindle size, I'd say the bushing design is hands down stronger, easier to maintain, and safer for anyone within range of a swinging tire carrier.

 

[SAWTOOTH 55 LC]

Here's my IPOR spindle with a zerk added.Works sweet,great setup

 

[longbow]

All of what StaleAle says is correct.

The only thing I would like to point out is that the majority of bearing spindles out there for use on swing out bumpers, use tapered roller bearings just like your front spindles on your front axle, not ball bearings. Yes, it is a cantilever load and your truck is rolling on two of them (unless you are lucky enough to have full floaters in the rear as well) and they have been proven for millions of miles supporting these loads.

I did a bunch of research on the web for failed tire carriers and not one that I found was from any of the bearing systems. They all failed from broken spindles and it almost always was right at the top weld where it is attached to the bumper and receives the most torsional forces. The welding process tends to harden the steel at that point (depending on what material the spindle is made of and its carbon content) and unless it is anealed or at least tempered with heat afterward back to a softer state, it will be the point where the spindle fails from metal fatigue over time. That is why I ended up going with the Comp4x4 because their design eliminates the welding of the spindle at the top of the bumper where it receives the most torsional forces.

I would say that the bearing system is the least of your concerns as they all are proven designs. The way it is mounted to the bumper IS a major concern as well as how you latch that carrier as stated by StaleAle. I use an over center cam latch as well as a 120# air spring from a hood to keep mine under control after opening and to assist in opening it when on side hills.

Just my 2c

Don

 

[StaleAle]

Longbow's approach is spot on...be careful what you heat while welding and be sure to get and keep control of that swing arm at all times. Also, a solid support for parking the arm at the opposite end of the hinge will help to reduce the strain on the spindle when wheeling.

Don - any chance you can post a pic of how you mounted the air sping?


One last comment on bearings. Bearings in a tire carrier don't get much rotational use relative to wheel bearings and the lubrication systems for these two applications are significantly different. I think the moisture and dust that tire carrier hinges are subjected to because of their vertical orientation requires more maintenance no matter what style of pivot you use. That being said, either one will gum up on you with neglect and as Longbow points out, the construction method and technique is much, much more important. You can live with a stiff hinge, but you DO NOT want a spindle to fail while you are toolin' down the highway.

 

[longbow]

StaleAle,

Here are some photos of my bumper with the Comp4x4 hinge. I did a cam over latch that pulls down onto a phenolic pad at the other end to secure the carrier. I plan on doing a jerry can holder in the future and that is the reason for the full length swingout.

I used a 21 inch airspring that is 120 pound pressure and I kept it low profile to stay out of the way of the tailgate. It stops the swingout just past center to make sure the tailgate can open past my tilted spare tire.

For the record, I think that the IPOR hinge with the bronze bushings combined with the sleeve system of the Comp4x4 would be the best all around system out there with the least maintenance over time.

Hope that helps!

Don

 

[Biscuit]

For the record, I think that the IPOR hinge with the bronze bushings combined with the sleeve system of the Comp4x4 would be the best all around system out there with the least maintenance over time.

That's a good suggestion. I may go that route if I build my rear bumper this summer. It would have two swing outs. One for the spare and one for the fuel/water cans.