Spare Tire Rack Modification

I decided to modify the spare tire holder on our 2720sl after a wrestling match to remove the tire for balancing and after seeing the holder's indentations in the tire's side wall. Apparently, some members' spare tires have been permanently damaged by the supporting framework after long term storage in the rack. I read about the modification sometime back in a post from another member. I'm not sure if what I did exactly conforms to the original recommendations. I'm attaching some photos of the simple modification. I used two, 3 x 3 inch steel plates that were 1/8 inch thick to increase the length of the rack's vertical metal supports by 9/16 inch (on only the curb side). I chose to drill the holes BEFORE cutting the vertical supports. Just be sure you allow for the gap you wish to produce before aligning and drilling your holes. If I had it to do over again I would have produced an 11/16 inch gap. There was still a slight compression of the sidewall when I remounted the rack. It was not enough to do damage -- but it still offered some resistance to remounting. I really can't imagine why the factory doesn't make the modification. The bars' compression on a fully inflated tire's sidewall is unnecessary.
I used 5/16 inch, stainless steel bolts with both lock washers and castle nuts. I didn't want anything to vibrate loose over time. Of course, I painted the raw metal pieces before I mounted them in place.
Oh, one of my three tires required quite a few weights to provide proper balancing. Now I've installed mud flaps, balanced the tires, modified the spare tire rack, and done a thorough inspection of the tires. We're ready for more summer adventures. Wish and yours -- safe and memorable TM moments.

[Bill]

Aha! You made the mod to the rack part of the assembly. I was going to do it to the ledge (frame mounted) part of the assembly, but I think your way makes more sense.

Bill

[rickst29]

My version uses weaker aluminum as the 'extender', but since I've got aluminum bar are on BOTH sides of the original steel, there's not gonna be any 'torque' forces created by the offset of the single plate in your version.

With strong steel and 4 bolts, yours ain't going anywhere either-- it's exactly what I was thinking when I first pondered a one-sided solution. We even chose the same bolts! I'll definitely take your advice to leave a space of at least 11/16. Maybe a full inch, because my "squashed sidewall" solution took away 1/8 inch AND I've got the 225/75-R15 tire, which is wider than yours.

I'm betting that you figured this out without looking at that Thread, because you didn't do my "squashed sidewall" fix-up at the same time you had it down for this job. (At least, I don't SEE a wide plate under the tire in your picture. That's the main thing I put into the Thread Bill pointed at, this idea appeared only as the very last post.)

Nice idea, and nice work!

[Bill]

As noted in the TiresTiresTires forum, I've made the move to 15" tires. These tires are a bit wider than the OEM 14" tires, and therefore even less tolerant of the cramped vertical dimension of the spare tire carrier. Eric Larson made a great mod to the carrier (shown above in this thread). As part of my move to 15" tires, I tried a different mod. It is not better than Eric's mod - just a different approach.

I dropped in at my local welding shop, and asked the guy to give me a 10-inch piece of 3/16" X 1" x 2" channel iron, with 4 holes drilled in it. One side of this piece is attached to the carrier's hanger loop with a couple 1/4" bolts and nylock nuts. The rest of the story is in the pictures attached below.

Pic 1 is a schematic of the original spare tire hanger.
Pic 2 is a schematic of what I was trying to accomplish. The vertical scale of the extender is exaggerated - it is actually less high than it is wide.
Pic 3 is the actual channel iron that I got from the welding shop.
Pic 4 shows the channel iron bolted to the carrier's hanger loop.
Pic 5 shows the modified carrier hanging in place under the TM.

At the dimensions shown, this mod provides about 5/8" of drop, which turns out to be just about right. The new 15" tire fits nicely on the carrier, and can be raised into place by hand. The advantage of this approach over Eric's is that the channel iron carries the weight, rather than any bolts. The bolts simply keep the channel iron in place. Also, it requires no hacksaw work. The disadvantage is that it is a bit harder to put the safety clips in and out of the retainer pins. And it is more expensive. As I say, I think it's a wash.

Bill

You rascal --- I like it !

I installed my 15” wheels and tires last year, but I was still using the 14” spare. But with the opportunity to sell all three of the old 14” wheels and Marathons, I finally had to get a new 15” tire mounted on a previously bought new wheel. After carrying that puppy in the back of the truck on a recent trip to OBX, I decided to break down and use 1 of the excellent ideas in this thread. Figuring that Eric’s modification might save me a trip to the machine shop, I decided to try that 1……with a twist. I bought a 3’ section of 3 x 1/8” steel flatbar (they didn’t have a 2 ½” width similar to the TM spare tire mount) at Lowe’s, with the intention of bending it at home to fit around the current spare tire hanger. After several attempts of bending that puppy with a sledge hammer in a vice, I realized that I needed to have a machine shop to bend that for me so that it would be straight across. I then sized things up, drilled the holes, and installed the new piece over the old hanger, allowing for about a ¾ to 5/8” drop. That allows for the far side of the spare to fit snug up against the bottom of the TM, but the closer side still has a little gap……a compromise of sorts. I didn’t want to do it any tighter, and maybe spring the whole thing. And instead of using pins and cotter keys, I decided to use 3/8” bolts double nutted through the existing hanger, just in case there was a failure in the modified piece, the bolts would hopefully hold things together. Cost for everything, including the machine shop bends and cut was about $35.

After an 850 mile round trip to TM factory in Lake City Tn. this week, everything seems to ride OK.

Chap

I have made a long list of "fixes" and "improvements" to my 2004 3124KS in the almost two years that I have owned it. I love tinkering and one of the items on my to-do list was a modification to the spare carrier based on some excellent ideas on this forum.

However, a few months ago I decided on a better course of action (better for me). I purchased a locking, vinyl coated, heavy braided steel cable and use this to lock my TM spare in the bed of my Tundra. It is more convenient should I need it and I store it in my out building when not traveling.

No more wrestling it out from under the trailer in the case of a blowout (which happened to me last year on an interstate in South Dakota).

Just another idea.

Bill

[Bill]

Bill, I'm so jealous! For over two years, I was intending to trade in my old tow vehicle (2002 Explorer) on a Tundra, largely to get the pickup truck bed to carry things in. I've got a buddy in Surprise, Arizona, who has a wonderful Tundra rig, with a locking hard tonneau cover. Ever since he bought his TM and went camping with us, I've coveted his rig.

Life is strange, and the best laid plans sometimes go astray. Now I have another Explorer - which I really like! - but it isn't what I planned. It's a long sad story, involving a Dastardly Dealer with a Snidely Whiplash mustache, but it is what it is. And as a result, no TM spare tire in the wayback of the Explorer, no gas can in the wayback, and probably no generator in the wayback.

And the worst part is that by the time I am ready to trade in today's Explorer on tomorrow's Tundra, either there will be no Tundra, or Toyota will have downsized it to a rollerskate. So I'll enjoy the thought, but for us without pickups - well, it's a great idea ...

Bill (another one)

[ShrimpBurrito]

I like the rear bumper spare tire carrier on my TM. It looks fine, is easily accessible, doesn't get squished, and doesn't get in the way. Presumably, it can't be mounted on the newer TM's because of the new style bumper.

Dave

[OneMoBear]

We took all of the tires in for new valves and balancing a few days ago. That was our first experience with the spare tire. You can see where I ran after that! Anyway, we made the modification today and when we put the spare back in place, Gene's comment was, "Wow! That's huge!" Better for the tire. Better for us. Great, great modification guys!

Don't start teasing me. Tire rack modifications are not MY projects.

Malinda