Troopy swingout tire carrier project

[woytovich]

I have a Dave Gore/4Plus single carrier on my FJ40 and boy, it really looks like it might work on the Troopy.

So after much staring and measuring and measuring again and again... and multiple emails back and forth with Dave I decided to pull the trigger. Dave made some small requested modifications that we settled on and I placed the order.

Background:
I want to get the tire off the door. 1. my door is already dented from the PO backing the tire into stuff, and 2. the roughly 33" tire hits the tail light when the door is opened all the way. I tried a spacer, and that helped, but it felt like it put too much stress on the door.

While there are a couple of very nice rear bumper/carriers out there I only wanted a right side carrier: I want to be able to get in/out of the rear without having to open a carrier (I know the Cruiser Outfitters carrier avoids that issue and is awesome but is is beyond what I'm willing to spend on this, sorry Kurt)

SO... a 4Plus right side single carrier, with some minor mods, is in the works.

These pics are from an initial clamp-on test fit. It looks like it's going to work very well, and at a reasonable price point.

 

[FJBen]

I had been looking at this for awhile as well. Will be watching to see how it works out.

 

[jblueridge]

How does it attach to bumper?
Looks like turn signal lamp will not be blocked.

 

[woytovich]

It will be bolted on with four bolts at the center point, where that flat plate currently is, and around the corner so to speak on the outside of the right side frame rail. There will be a plate welded to the lower part of the swing out that bolts to the side of the frame rail. There are captured nuts there. I may also add something underneath or even on top, I'm kind of a belt and suspenders sort of guy.
I'll post more information once I get down that road.

 

[jblueridge]

Gussets for the base of the vertical post?

 

[woytovich]

Gussets for the base of the vertical post?

I don't know what you mean. Do you mean the arm that will actually hold the tire carrier part?

 

[woytovich]

I'm a crappy welder, don't judge me... Things stick together and stay put so that's all that matters in the end I guess. Once in awhile I get it pretty weld.
In any case I cut off and lowered the center plate so that I could raise the lower arm in order to keep it as far away from danger as possible. Especially the pivot end. Trying to keep it high and out of the way. I added a couple of triangular gussets to the plate.

I think I'll be adding a plate to the bottom of that center plate that will bolt to those three holes underneath.

I'm also going to add a bracket underneath to the lower arm that will bolt to this existing hole with a captured nut.

And lastly for today, this is a picture of the side of the frame rail that has the three holes with captured nuts. There will be a bracket bolted to that and welded to the lower arm.

 

[duncanrm]

That mounting arrangement is nicely overkill, I like it

As someone else has noted.. it might be worth adding a gusset to the upright - but if the wall thickness of the tube is 4-5mm it might not be necessary.. if its quite thin tube you may also need to "fishplate" the bottom where it joins the horizontal bar.

 

[woytovich]

This is a 4plus tire carrier. This is not my build in general, I'm just adjusting it to work on the troopy. This tire carrier design is well proven. I have one on my 40 as I said in the beginning of this thread and Dave has sold hundreds of days with this design. It's rock solid.

4PlusProducts | FJ40 | Tire Carriers

40 series Land Cruiser tire carriers/rear bumpers and jerry can/cooler baskets.

www.4plusproducts.com

 

[jblueridge]

I don't know what you mean. Do you mean the arm that will actually hold the tire carrier part?

Yes, just as the pic above this shows.

After I built my kit bumper with swingout, I realized the space inside the spare wheel (between wheel's dish and truck rear door) could be used as storage for some camping items like ropes and a tarp.
This would be a good time to think about that if for some reason you need more space in a troopy.

 

[lcwizard]

That mounting arrangement is nicely overkill, I like it

As someone else has noted.. it might be worth adding a gusset to the upright - but if the wall thickness of the tube is 4-5mm it might not be necessary.. if its quite thin tube you may also need to "fishplate" the bottom where it joins the horizontal bar.

View attachment 3670093

The arm is .25" wall (6.3mm). The upright is .188 (4.75mm). Any thinner on the frame or upright and the material will fail. That combo has been supporting 37's for a couple decades. We tested .120 wall in the mid 1990s on prototypes and there were failures in the material beyond the welds . A joint is only as strong as its weakest component.

 

[woytovich]

Sharing the (ugly) in-progress pics here, gussets galore... (but it's all cleaned up and in paint at the moment. Those pics later.)

In any case: here it is all mounted up: 4 center plate holes drilled and bolted on (I'll be using beefier bolts for the final install) and the side plate bolted up. I can open the swing out and put all of my 210 lbs at the end both at 90 degrees and fully open 180 degrees to the lower arm without any sense of movement!

 

[woytovich]

 

[duncanrm]

The arm is .25" wall (6.3mm). The upright is .188 (4.75mm). Any thinner on the frame or upright and the material will fail. That combo has been supporting 37's for a couple decades. We tested .120 wall in the mid 1990s on prototypes and there were failures in the material beyond the welds . A joint is only as strong as its weakest component.

Superb! Appreciate the insight and addition experience you've added.. really good!

 

[woytovich]

Done. I'm VERY happy with the way this worked out. When closed the tire clears the small door comfortably and and doesn't cover the tail light... and when opened all the way it swings out to >180 degrees before the tire touches the quarter panel.

 

[woytovich]

More

 

[woytovich]

I'll give some thought to a skid/protection of some sort for the bottom of the pivot.... someday.

 

[woytovich]

@lcwizard THANK YOU for sticking with me as I thrashed around trying to spec this out. The 40 series carrier is a beast and I am SO happy to have one on my Troopy now.

 

[woytovich]

Tire is about 33"

 

[jblueridge]

Are those oil-filled bronze bushings?