I had an IPOR and just got tired of opening the swing out to get in the back. So, I sold it sawzalled my rear cross member and have ordered a 4x4 labs rear without swingouts.... i can add them later if i want. I'm using a slee pole and so far i'm happy. i'll be really happy when my 4x4 labs bumper arrives. Anyway, if space isn't a huge issue and you get in the back with any frequency at all i say go no swingouts.
To Swingout or Not
- Thread starter 80t0ylc
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
i like the swingouts...removable design like the kaymar but i guess they're all removable to an extent. i hate having it underneath as it robs so much clearance. i could live with a drivers side tire/hi-lift swing out for a DD basis..and go dual for fuel cans on extended trips. if i had an extra couple Gs to burn, itd either be a slee rear or 4x4 labs rear for me...something with an integrated hitch. no point in an aftermarket bumper if you still have to use a bolt on receiver for towing. im planning on doing a wild yoats style swingout with the oem bumper.
I like the idea of a swing out tire carrier and made one for my old 4runner and once it was on I really didnt think too much of it. Although my homemade latches and hinges did contribute to the lite rattleing but thats not what bugged me it is the lack of visinility out the back window with only a 32 grantid the 4runner rear window is smaller now i run my spare in the back and will run it on the roof when i get my rack
So after smacking my undercarriage spare too many times and reading this thread I have made my decision
Going to remove the spare from the undercarriage
Rely on my AAA membership for town driving in case of a flat.
Put it in the back or on the roof for expeditions.
I doubt I will ever have more than me and 2-3 others so I have the space
Would be nice if my tires were skinny Rover style and I could put it on the hood thou
Going to remove the spare from the undercarriage
Rely on my AAA membership for town driving in case of a flat.
Put it in the back or on the roof for expeditions.
I doubt I will ever have more than me and 2-3 others so I have the space
Would be nice if my tires were skinny Rover style and I could put it on the hood thou
Unless I missed it, I didnt see anybody mention the effect of a spare on the roof making the 80 top heavy. I'm upgrading to 35's this week and will have a spare and still dont know where I will put it. Hasnt happen to me personally but there have been 2 times where I've been pushing on a friends truck to help it from tipping over. 90lbs or so on the top of a lifted truck might be the deciding factor. Maybe Im overthinking it.
of course, not only that, but getting the spare off and on the roof is no fun either if you're into big sizes... And obviously you don't want to throw it off the roof cuz they have a way of bouncing back right into your door...
- Thread starter
- #27
No, not at all. Ya gotta hash these things out in advance. That's the main reason this thread got started - to help people see as many options as possible and not have regrets later. Some other considerations about a roof mounted spare, besides COG: 1. hefting the spare up and down from roof rack when needed, 2. roof racks usually have weight limitations and storing spare up top would prolly take up half of that not to mention the space itself, 3. security from being stolen, 4. what to do with spare when roof rack is not used (only if rack is not mounted permanently) 5. and lastly how to secure it from moving around or just not be a hazard during a quick stop or accident.
It's true, it first seems that spare tires are not as high on the priority list as they once were because tire quality and tire life has improved so much. It's only when you need it that the "true color" of the decision that you've made will show.
Edit: I see Eric has beat me to the punch with my first consideration mentioned. Thanks, I'm quickly coming to the conclusion that I'm not as young as I once was every time I lift one of my wheels.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2011
- Threads
- 5
- Messages
- 42
- Location
- Central Coast NSW Australia
- Website
- www.holdmypic.com
Has been a very interesting thread. I still vote the rear tyre carrier though, Mine is right smack bang in the middle. and visiability is poor, between the tire and very dark tinted window it is very hard to see out the back, that's why I'm mounting a reversing camera to a mirror monitor running permantly.
My tyres are 33" and my spare is 31" which needs to be updated, plus I'm thinking of running 35" tyres including the spare so visiability will be even worse. So a camera mounted high looking down will give me everything I've lost. Mounted another reverse camera just above towbar whilst in reverse which will be perfect for reversing and seeing how close you can get to other cars and objects without hitting or guessing how far you are.
I see the biggest complaint is, its a pain to move the tyre carrier to get to the back, well I need the 3rd row of seats (not all the time though) and there isn't much room behind 3rd row of seats, so I've got tools and spare, and as for shopping I place in behind 2nd row of seats by putting seats down from back door, too easy.
I'm surprised that no one has come up with an auto open and close tyre carrier yet (could even set it to a button on your remote for you alarm, if you have spare button etc, could use air, electric, or even electric over hydralic, I couldn't imagine it would be too hard to do
my 2cents
Jas
My tyres are 33" and my spare is 31" which needs to be updated, plus I'm thinking of running 35" tyres including the spare so visiability will be even worse. So a camera mounted high looking down will give me everything I've lost. Mounted another reverse camera just above towbar whilst in reverse which will be perfect for reversing and seeing how close you can get to other cars and objects without hitting or guessing how far you are.
I see the biggest complaint is, its a pain to move the tyre carrier to get to the back, well I need the 3rd row of seats (not all the time though) and there isn't much room behind 3rd row of seats, so I've got tools and spare, and as for shopping I place in behind 2nd row of seats by putting seats down from back door, too easy.
I'm surprised that no one has come up with an auto open and close tyre carrier yet (could even set it to a button on your remote for you alarm, if you have spare button etc, could use air, electric, or even electric over hydralic, I couldn't imagine it would be too hard to do
my 2cents
Jas
Here's my 2 cents. I live in WA and came from a state that is always sunny (Hawaii). I had a flat on a rainy day in the winter with cold rain & slushy snow. It wasn't a great experience. That's when I decided to get something that was easy to get to. I saw that the JDM 80s came stock with a swingout tire carrier. There was this guy in Canada that just rolled his HDJ81 and was looking for a heater system for a L hand drive 80. Long story short, we swapped parts and i don't regret installing it. Even though not installed, I still kept the underneath tire carrier for overland expeditions. I vote YES for the swingout tire carrier.
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2004
- Threads
- 274
- Messages
- 23,205
- Location
- Chandler, AZ
- Website
- www.tontorecreationalliance.org
Mine rode strapped down in the back for years. Wanted to make a carrier, but wasn't wild about the designs that require unloading gear to remove/unbolt the spare. Made one where the spare rolls in from the back, works great. It also holds the Puma compressor, simply open the slider window, plug in the hose and click it on. The other rig is azTony's and a shot of the water can (or whatever) shelf. Both bolt into the stock 3rd row holes.
I'm just curious about the inside mounted carriers and if you have any experience with putting a nasty blown tire back inside while on the trail?
I was really leaning towards a rear carrier, but I am interested in the inside mounts. Gonna look at an angle on this.
When I bought my cruiser the spare was mounted on the roof rack and a 35 on a steel wheel is not easy to man handle up and down, so I pulled it down and strapped it flat in the back, but at that size it IS the cargo area, so a vertical inside mount has my interest peaked.
I see the points about the constant opening if one needs to access the rear hatch, but I don't think I am in there enough that it would be an issue, but you never know until you are there.
Interesting thread, I look forward to seeing more input.
I was really leaning towards a rear carrier, but I am interested in the inside mounts. Gonna look at an angle on this.
When I bought my cruiser the spare was mounted on the roof rack and a 35 on a steel wheel is not easy to man handle up and down, so I pulled it down and strapped it flat in the back, but at that size it IS the cargo area, so a vertical inside mount has my interest peaked.
I see the points about the constant opening if one needs to access the rear hatch, but I don't think I am in there enough that it would be an issue, but you never know until you are there.
Interesting thread, I look forward to seeing more input.
Lets see, THE CONS:
less visibility than under mounted
slightly higher COG
one more thing to open when getting in the rear of the vehicle
costs more than using stock carrier.
THE PROS:
Now you can have an aux fuel tank instead of stinking up your vehicle with gas
no gas cans flying around in an accident
no wheels inside the vehicle in a rollover
better to get rear ended or slide backwards into a tree with a large tire on your
rear bumper
you dont have to climb under the truck to get your spare on or off.
you dont have a muddy tire in the cab with your luggage and camping gear after you replaced a flat
its easier to get your spare off when your in three feet of mud, alot easier
you have a bit of a wind break when using your tail gate as a table.
you can put your spare tire chains on it instead of in the cab.
your COG is much better than a roof mounted spare, and probably better than a cab mounted spare.
youve moved more weight to the rear of the vehicle, taking it ever so slightly towards a 50/50 weight distribution.
it looks cooler.
and the number 1 reason: cause thats what I did!
less visibility than under mounted
slightly higher COG
one more thing to open when getting in the rear of the vehicle
costs more than using stock carrier.
THE PROS:
Now you can have an aux fuel tank instead of stinking up your vehicle with gas
no gas cans flying around in an accident
no wheels inside the vehicle in a rollover
better to get rear ended or slide backwards into a tree with a large tire on your
rear bumper
you dont have to climb under the truck to get your spare on or off.
you dont have a muddy tire in the cab with your luggage and camping gear after you replaced a flat
its easier to get your spare off when your in three feet of mud, alot easier
you have a bit of a wind break when using your tail gate as a table.
you can put your spare tire chains on it instead of in the cab.
your COG is much better than a roof mounted spare, and probably better than a cab mounted spare.
youve moved more weight to the rear of the vehicle, taking it ever so slightly towards a 50/50 weight distribution.
it looks cooler.
and the number 1 reason: cause thats what I did!
Mine rode strapped down in the back for years. Wanted to make a carrier, but wasn't wild about the designs that require unloading gear to remove/unbolt the spare. Made one where the spare rolls in from the back, works great. It also holds the Puma compressor, simply open the slider window, plug in the hose and click it on. The other rig is azTony's and a shot of the water can (or whatever) shelf. Both bolt into the stock 3rd row holes.
This is a cool setup, but that brand new 35 has to stink to high heaven, especially baking in the AZ oven that is your 80. I like this idea nonetheless, very slick
I absolutely LOVE my dual Hefty swings 
Apart from gaining more clearance from the stock spare location, it leaves you plenty of room for a rear winch
Yes, the spare does hamper rear visibility (especially if it's on the passenger side), but an inexpensive rear view camera system solves that problem easily
As for the swings themselves, I'd suggest using a short arm rather than a long arm design
It's less weight on the spindles and they have a shorter opening radius, which can be VERY important if you park on the street like I do
Apart from gaining more clearance from the stock spare location, it leaves you plenty of room for a rear winch
Yes, the spare does hamper rear visibility (especially if it's on the passenger side), but an inexpensive rear view camera system solves that problem easily
As for the swings themselves, I'd suggest using a short arm rather than a long arm design
It's less weight on the spindles and they have a shorter opening radius, which can be VERY important if you park on the street like I do
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2004
- Threads
- 274
- Messages
- 23,205
- Location
- Chandler, AZ
- Website
- www.tontorecreationalliance.org
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2004
- Threads
- 274
- Messages
- 23,205
- Location
- Chandler, AZ
- Website
- www.tontorecreationalliance.org
I have never had that problem, but I wheel in the desert, not slop!
I do carry plastic (dollar store tablecloths, mainly for working under the rig, containing spills, etc) so if ever were a problem, would roll the tire onto the plastic, wrap it up and tie it down.I love my swing out with the stock bumper. i work as an electrician out the back of the 80 so Im always opening and closing it but its on a sprung gate catch so there is no hastle of the latch ( there is a latch for when im on the bumpy stuff) only cost £40 to make including the atv trailer hub used as the pivot
Luckily, I have never had a 35" tire in my rig!
Oh, that's right. I forgot that 37's don't stink
