Bronco tire carrier on a Ranger

[BackwoodsSaint]

I'm sure somebody's done something like this, i'd like to put a spare tire carrier across my tailgate like a bronco, wrangler, blazer, etc would have, i just like how they look plus then i'm not out another taillight next time my buddy rear-ends me; anyways, i'd need it to be able to swing out so i can still drop the tailgate completely (i frequently have a fourwheeler to transport) and it has to be able to hold a standard 15" ford 5-bolt rim with a 31" off-road tire on it- can i just pull a carrier off a bronco or is there more work to this? I would definately appreciate any input somebody with more experience can give me and maybe even some pictures
thanks

 

[BLOODBANE]

This has been gone over a few times since I have been around. The biggest problem people run into is how to reinforce where the mounts for the tire carrier go. It CAN be done, but you might have to get creative on how you mount the thing. What I mean here is, the mount has nothing more than sheet metal, and to keep it from tearing/ripping the side of your bed out, it needs some good points to mount to (regardless of how tight you think you have it, vibrations are severe). Good idea, but in the long run I think most people just build what they want. Good Luck.

 

[Mark_88]

I was thinking out loud about doing this and my insurance agent said my insurance would increase if I put the spare back there...I asked her why and she said that it would create another contact point that wasn't normally there...as in backing up and maybe hitting something with it...not sure if that is true, but it sure would be nice to have the tire up where I could access it without having to crawl under the truck...usually in muddy, wet conditions...

One time I blew a tire off the rim while dropping some metal off at the junkyard...I was right in the middle of a huge puddle of mud...had to drive on the rim about 200' to get to dry land to change it out...

Anyway, if you come up with something...I'd be interested...thought about a tire carrier that swings up from across the top of the bed? that would allow full tailgate access and bottom bed useage...it could even hand down inside the bed so it doesn't block off partial rear view...

Hey, that's a great idea...lol