Weld it Yourself 80 Series Tire Carrier Assembly Instructions

[GGM]

To not crowd things up, I wanted to make a write up on welding together our Weld it Yourself 80 Series Tire Carrier kit.

These instructions are for a driver side mount. A few things are mirrored for the passenger side version.

All the pieces included with the kit minus the hardware.

A couple tips on the design, the skinny tabs are to hold the piece in place and also shows the width of the final part. The ends of the tabs should be even with the end of the part. Also, when fully welding, burn right through these tabs as if they aren’t there.

We have fixturing to streamline this process, but the same can be achieved with some patience. It is important to get the two main plates aligned and square with each other.

The main plates should be 2.25” wide outside.

This plate will set everything else up towards the spindle. The tabs on the right side should be at the edge of the straight portion. Remember to clock the zerk fitting perpendicular with the main plates. It is very important to get the spindle sleeve as square as possible.

 

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The angled plates fit with the smaller end towards the spindle. The larger one of the two goes on the front. Almost everything on this project should be aligned as a corner joint.

The smaller of the angled plates. The top plate does cover the edge where the side plates come together. The outside edges of the side plates should meet. Again, making sure the spindle sleeve is square with the assembly is paramount.

A support plate is used above the top plate

 

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A view of these pieces tacked together, add extra tacks to the spindle sleeve to make sure it doesn’t move during welding with heat added to the part.

This portion is tricky, having a friend to help hold the pieces in place can help. The tabs of the extension pieces align with the back plate and the edges align with the top. The tricky part is getting the two extension pieces to align with the tire mount plate (we call that the cat head) while keeping the mount plate square and indexed. We have a fixture to simplify this. Take your time! Find a way to hold the pieces before you weld them, it’s going to take a lot of adjustment to get it right.

The support plate with an angle goes towards the latch side like this.

 

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Another support plate goes above the previous piece.

Now flip the assembly over, it helps to align the top of the carrier to a corner of a table. This small piece may need to be trimmed to fit. It is helpful to use a magnet to hold it while it’s tacked in place. Try to keep an even gap just over ¼” on all edges.

WARNING!! Although it is fine when tacking together, the sleeve piece is about 3/16” wall thickness. Turn your welding setting down or you will burn through the sleeve!!

 

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Add another support piece and align it with the edge.

Add two more support pieces to the bottom. They are 5 ¼” apart from edge to edge.

 

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Now for the frame mount

Something to pay attention to, these two pieces are slightly different sizes the shorter on will be used before the longer one.

Pay close attention to the orientation of this step. The mirror of this can be put together and you’ll end up with the opposite mounting side.

The edge of the top piece is ¼” from the edge. Use another piece from the kit to check this.

 

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This piece is critical to get as square as possible. Take your time in checking this. Tip, tack on both sides to keep the plate from pulling to one side.

 

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Checking that it is square

Next is the shorter side piece.

The bottom edges should align.

 

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Now it’s time to set the spindle on. The bottom of the spindle should align with the bottom of the plate.

The spindle should be square (or very close) with the side plate.

Tack the spindle into place. Add the larger plate on the back and push it against the assembly.

Check that the spindle is square.

 

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Flip the assembly over. The bottom plate lines up with the edges.

Tack the outside edges first to prevent the heat from pulling the plate up.

 

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Bumper Mount

First set the square tabs in.

Align the latch plate

Clamp

Tack the outer edges.

 

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Remove the latch plate, and weld the tabs in. Do not weld the outside as it may interfere with the bolts.

Re-clamp the latch plate and weld.

Set the triangles into the slots. Notice the hole is offset from center. It should be further out from the mounting plate.

Tack the edges and ensure they are flat. Next weld inside edges. Spatter is the enemy.

 

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Then weld the top to the triangles. You will have some grinding to do.

Weld the heads of the provided M12 bolts into the tire mount plate.

Congrats! Now you are ready to do the fun part. Get to welding! Don’t forget to adjust your welder’s setting when welding on the spindle sleeve. Take your time and enjoy!

Any questions just ask here or email me at generalgreenmanufacturing@gmail.com.

Thanks!

The forum discussion on this part is here

Bolt on 80 Series Tire Carrier Compatible with Factory Bumper

For those that need a spare tire carrier but don't want to spend thousands on a new bumper, here's the solution. These pictures are of the first prototype, minor changes may be made. This kit is mostly bolt on, a hole will need to be drilled through the bumper plastic and some of the plastic...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[leonard_nemoy]

I love it!!!! Looks like a great product

 

[Itza Beast]

Wow.. Incredible design and great instructions.. Looks very doable.. just have to take your time and double check for squareness ESPECIALLY on the spindle components.

Great job!~!

 

[BILT4ME]

For those of you that don't weld all the time and want this as a first project:

The plates will pull TOWARDS the side where the tack welds are made.
So, think about how square the plates are and if you need to "fudge" a plate one direction, you can understand which direction it will pull based on the weld, how hot the weld is, and where they are placed.

 

[GGM]

Forgot to mention, if installing on a Land Cruiser (Lexus has different bumper plastic) you'll have to cut/grind the corner of the spindle to clear the bumper plastics.

Also, we now offer this DIY kit for passenger side mounting!

 

[thegadgetguy]

Out of curiosity, how much does this kit weigh? I checked your website but didn't see a weight. TIA

 

[GGM]

Out of curiosity, how much does this kit weigh? I checked your website but didn't see a weight. TIA

The swinging portion is about 45lbs and the entire assembly is about 65lbs

 

[Itza Beast]

I saw where guys have asked about the license plate relocation. I purchased one from Amazon (was for a Jeep - had to mod the lug pattern side slightly) and then used my trailer pig tail for a power source. I used a trailer harness and some bullet connectors to allow for disconnection when the spare is needed.

This might be some help for someone...