Tire Carrier by RTI

[Ric]

I wanted to share this with you all first, I have a friend thats starting his own fab shop, hes been fabbing for years now, but I wanted a fold down tire carrier until I get the cash for a real rear bumper, so he came up a design that not only folds down, but will fold sideways, making it easy to get in the rear window.
This is 90% done, heres a couple test pix, I hope to make a quick video when its said and done, but with a new job it might be a couple more weeks.
Heres the few pix I took so far:
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd139/Rix4rnr/2004%204Runner-new/Tire%20Carrier%202012/DSC_3119.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd139/Rix4rnr/2004%204Runner-new/Tire%20Carrier%202012/DSC_3120.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd139/Rix4rnr/2004%204Runner-new/Tire%20Carrier%202012/DSC_3121.jpg
We still need to make the license plate mount, I was thinking about something from an old FJ40 or Hilux Surf mounted on the liftgate itself, but we will see lol
If you have any inexpensive thoughts/ideas for the license plate let me know.

[troyboy162]

I think the bend to the right wont be very usefull and give the design more slop and play. I dont think I have ever needed to reach in my rear window. I just grab over the back seats.

Its already built though so maybe it will be the thing to have...who knows

[Seanz0rz]

looks good.

my experience with sheer pins: they are tight now but will loosen over time.

interested to see how it holds up over time and how that tilt feature works out.

[Ric]

Thanks for your opinions, thats why I love this place, you are honest without being rude, just very helpful :drink:
and yes, after driving around a bit, it does sway from side to side to much for my comfort, lol we thought about plating it where it swings to the side, and just have it fold down/out and not, to either side.
We also talked about just dowing a swing out carrier and just building off of the frame and last cross member, who knows lol

[Seanz0rz]

also, are those urethane bushings? or delrin? urethane will allow it to move too much. that could be one reason its moving too much.

also, on the hitch, does it fit super tight in the receiver? i had to drill and tap mine for bolts to hold the 2" tube tight into the receiver.

many of us have experiences that others don't. we've tried things that failed, tried things that worked. if we can share that knowledge with others without them getting butt hurt about it, then the world is a better place!

[corax]

If your sway is in the receiver tube itself there are a few ways you can tighten it up. Even though I don't see any problem with drilling and tapping into the receiver for a bolt to push against your hitch, I personally don't like that method. Here are two alternatives.

The simple method - less than $10 to make it yourself, or buy one here (http://blog.stowaway2.com/tag/hitch-wobble/):
http://blog.stowaway2.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/StowAway-Receiver-Hitch-Tightener.jpg

I've also seen a hitch bolt that tightens down to pull the hitch up against the receiver tube like this (http://www.cracksandracks.com/softride-25219-tightening-hitch-pin-p-776.html):
http://www.cracksandracks.com/images/Softride-25219-Tightening-Hitch-Pin-Installed.jpg
this is what the hitch pin look like. you put the nut inside the hitch tube, slide that into your receiver and then tighten the pin through the receiver/nut/into the lock on the other side
http://www.softride.com/gallery/accessories/acc_lockbolt_medium.jpg

[Ric]

thanks for the ideas :clap:

[YotaFun]

I know that you where thinking of doing the FJ licence plate holder, but if you really don't want to invest to much into this till you get a bumper built here is an Idea

http://www.amazon.com/Fasteners-Unlimited-003-70B-Licence-Plastic/dp/B000BGK17U

[4x4mike]

This is what I did to mine to cut down on the slop.

[Ric]

Now Im thinking about something like what shrockworks does on the xterra, to give you an idea:
http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb406/aggiefco/IMG_2144.jpg
http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb406/aggiefco/IMG_2143.jpg
http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb406/aggiefco/IMG_2141.jpg
but Id have the tire in the center, as not to cover the brake light, and do something for the license plate, and a different latch/pin but you get the idea lol
Thoughts ????

[Good Times]

Pros and cons to all of the designs presented.

If departure angle is a concern then anything connected to the stock hitch is going to get hung up. If it's just to keep the spare to the trail head and then moving it inside the truck then I'd say it doesn't matter. But if you're planning to use this as a mount to permanently keep the spare there then you're going to want to consider the departure angle issues. The 4th gen ass is very low so it already gets hung up on a lot of stuff so just keep that in perspective.

The last design w/ the tire mounted to the driver side is actually not that bad. The tire mount itself sits level w/ the rear bumper so it's definitely higher than your hitch which helps on the departure angle (not sure about the bolted hitch though - defeats the purpose but I see the need for the hitch so go figure).

The only concern on using that rear crossmember/bumper is that it's a very thin piece of metal. Grant it it's squared and not a c-channel so I guess it's ok but I wouldn't want that to be back there long term. I fear the fatigue on that rear crossmember might become an issue (don't quote me cuz I'm not a structural or metallurgical engineer). :)

If you really want to do it right I'd say just pony up for a rear bumper. :) I know costs is an issue (we've been been there and done that - you've done it twice with 2 4runners so I know your wallet's gotta be hurtin a lot more than any of us here!).

For an interim deal I think your concept works. I've see plenty of people do something similar. BruceTS (Bruce) has done something similar too. The only difference is that he had his tire tilt down away from the 4runner and not to the side (i.e. like a tail gate but instead a tire gate). I thought he made a thread with photos but I can't find em.

As long as it doesn't come off I think you're in good shape!

:thumbup:

[Obi..]

No Lance, AFAIK you are exactly dead on. I've *Never* liked the xTerra or 4Runner setup like that. To me it's like putting an elephant on a sheet of toilet paper. At least swap out the tube for something not so thin. Then there's the off-balance effect you need to counter.

~Mike, I like your idea, for mine I'm gonna be running a couple weld beads down the bottom channel and filing them until it fits a bit snugger. I still have memories of coming back from Rubicon with something rattling for 100 miles and me freaking I'd broke something to only find it was my receiver rocking back and forth.

[4x4mike]

~Mike, I like your idea, for mine I'm gonna be running a couple weld beads down the bottom channel and filing them until it fits a bit snugger. I still have memories of coming back from Rubicon with something rattling for 100 miles and me freaking I'd broke something to only find it was my receiver rocking back and forth.


I decided not to weld mine because I carry different items. I have different hitches, a bike rack and a cargo basket and all have different dimensions. If I modify the hole it will only work well with one item. I didn't want to modify the hitches, rack or basket because I wanted them to fit in other vehicles as well.

My little bolts are only in there finger tight. The idea is to close up the hole and keep anything from moving, not holding anything down. When I pulled a trailer it would rattle around so much I could feel the frame in the floor.

For this tire rack it could help it stand up straight and reduce wobble.