• Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and Register for our forum. Even if you don't want to post, you can still 'Like' and react to posts.

Minimum thickness for swing out tire carrier tubing?


Uncle Gump

Boomers gotta Boom
TRS Event Staff
TRS Forum Moderator
Supporting Member
VAGABOND
TRS Event Participant
GMRS Radio License
TRS 25th Anniversary
Joined
Sep 17, 2018
Messages
16,006
City
Ottawa IL
State - Country
IL - USA
Vehicle Year
1986
Vehicle
Ford Bronco II
Drive
4WD
Engine
2.9 V6
Transmission
Manual
My credo
Lead follow or get out of my way
So when I ordered my rear bumper... I upgraded to 3/16" steel to create a stronger platform for the carrier. If I get to much flex I can always brace it back to the frame.

But what about the thickness of the square tubing to build the carrier out of. I would like to keep it as light as possible but don't want to under do it. My gut says 1/8" thick 2"square tube would probably work.... 3/16" would be better. Or maybe making the main side to side bar with 3/16" and the upright and braces from 1/8".

My spare weighs just short of 70lbs and though I haven't finalized the plan... I'm thinking I want to incorporate a platform to carry my 3 gallon igloo water jug and a 5 gallon bucket on top of that that would hold camping/recovery stuff or my smelly trapping bucket when I'm running my trapline in the future. Maybe mounting a hi lift jack to it also. So I'm thinking about 125 lbs max on the carrier if I have it fully loaded.

Also... anyone have a reasonable supplier for weld on tabs? Been years since I've bought any and it appears those have gone way up in price since I last purchased.

Any thoughts would be appreciated....

Edit... I meant to add a couple call outs to members that have done this type of thing recently. @deathbypsi @Jimmyspy14 @Shran . Thanks in advance for any of your input.
 
Last edited:
Depends on the design of the carrier and what size tubing. 2" square tubing seems pretty big to me and at that size, I wouldn't be afraid to use 1/8" or maybe even thinner.
 
I'm pretty sure 2" is what most people are using... but that's kinda why I posted the question.

I had thought about using 1"x2" rectangular tube... that would put a little more clearance between the tailgate and the carrier.

As for design... I'm looking to something very similar to deathbypsi's carrier.
 
I used 3/16" wall 2" square for mine and I think it was way overkill... 1/8 would be OK.

Dunno what you have in mind for a hinge but I used this one, it's spendy but it will never come apart like the trailer spindle ones do. Worth every penny.

https://www.4xinnovations.com/Swing-Out-Tire-Carrier-Hinge-Assembly_p_109.html

fU0Wnt8.jpg
 
i made one for a scout about 5 years ago out of .120 wall and its still alive and well. a close friend owns it
 
I didn't communicate well earlier. I didn't mean big as in " too big for the job". The idea in my head was that 2" tubing is big enough that the wall thickness can be reduced because the stresses of the application are spread across more material.
 
Thank You gentleman for the replies... I kinda figured 1/8" would be heavy enough. I'm going to proceed with 1/8".

Shran… That hinge is bad A$$… and they sure don't give that thing away. I had a plan to use the 1" trailer spindle until I seen the one you posted. I think I'm gonna do some measuring this morning and see if it fits the new plan I fell asleep thinking about last night. I do have a question about how you mounted it... looks like you welded it to the top of the bumper and then put a gusset on it. Is that correct? does the hinge rattle while driving? At pretty much 5 inches tall without measuring my Ranger... it just seems like 5 inches would put that hinge at least partly in front of the tail light.
 
1x2" .120" wall is what I used for the carrier on mine. The main frame part of the carrier has held up fine, but a couple years into it's use I had the riser portion of the tire mount crack. I've since doubled it up with a 2nd piece of 1x2" welded up against it.

If I had to do it over, I'd use 2x2" .120" wall tubing for the whole thing.




Sorry, no pics of where it cracked.
 
Thanks for jumping in on this Junkie... Don't think I've seen your BII... nice truck man. I ended up buying 12 feet of 2x2 1/8" (or is it really 0.120"... I'm gonna gauge it) tube to use for my carrier. I've been looking at pictures online and there are a 1000 different ways to get this job done. Your design makes 1001 ways... lol. I have concluded that there is no wrong way to make one of these carriers. Well... I guess I've seen a couple and at least one youtube video that should be totally avoided.

Shran… I think I need to rephrase my questions to you. What I posted previously seems like I was saying you did it wrong... that is not the case. I like all the stuff you build and all the cool trucks you seem to bring home on a regular basis. I was "guessing" at how you attached the hinge because I can't seem to make out exactly what is going on. Also... I was asking if the hinge rattled... not because of the way you mounted it. With the trailer spindle... the bearings get preloaded to prevent up and down movement. Is this gem of a hinge you have quiet and just built tight enough that it doesn't rattle? One last question about the hinge... if you don't mind. Does the lock out pin come welded on the hub and aligned with the holes... pretty much already assembled?
 
I got what you wrote! Didn't seem like that at all.

The hinge is huge. It rides on bearings and machined spacers around a big bolt - it definitely does NOT rattle and it's very smooth. Plus with the way it's designed, you're not relying on a weld around the bottom of a trailer spindle shaft, the whole thing has to break off. And you can weld it in whatever orientation you want - you can attach it on the bottom like I did, or weld the back of it to the vertical face of your bumper, or make a channel for the arm to go in and mount it inside that, fully welded all the way around... the possibilities are endless.

The lockout pin holes are pre drilled but the pin itself is not welded on so you can put it wherever you want, so that it locks in the correct positions when fully open.

As far as positioning and the gusset - what you don't see is a piece of 2" square tubing that is welded inside the bumper and through a hole to the back of the hinge, plus a brace that is bolted to that and the frame, and the triangular gusset behind the hinge. I can still twist the bumper if I pull on the end of the tire carrier arm... but it's not floppy. It needed all the extra supports.

6I1y7ie.jpg
 
I used 3/16" wall 2" square for mine and I think it was way overkill... 1/8 would be OK.

Dunno what you have in mind for a hinge but I used this one, it's spendy but it will never come apart like the trailer spindle ones do. Worth every penny.

https://www.4xinnovations.com/Swing-Out-Tire-Carrier-Hinge-Assembly_p_109.html

fU0Wnt8.jpg

Would it be a big deal to just slip the bolt out and remove the tire carrier?

I have been thinking about building one but I don't really want it on full time since it is a pickup and it barely fits in my garage as it is.
 
make it how ever you want. i have seen several with early cj and ranger spindles and lock outs to help keep it in place.

cj has spare parts in a worst case scenario.
 
make it how ever you want. i have seen several with early cj and ranger spindles and lock outs to help keep it in place.

cj has spare parts in a worst case scenario.

I am still trying to figure out what I want, this hair brained idea just hit me today at break as a way to get my spare out of my bed during long trips to far away lands where TRS events are held.

I don't want it on there full time is the kicker though.
 
Yep... other than being relatively heavy, one bolt, and it's out. I've mulled over removing it at times because I have to open it to open my hatch or the rear window.
 
i have a hanger for my tailgate or i use the headache when i need all the space or i keep two spares....working in florida i like to have two spares. travelling 24hrs makes tire procurement an issue.

i wont put the effort in untill after the cab is done to do a swing out and actual rear bumper.
 

Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

TRS Events

Member & Vendor Upgrades

For a small yearly donation, you can support this forum and receive a 'Supporting Member' banner, or become a 'Supporting Vendor' and promote your products here. Click the banner to find out how.

Recently Featured

Want to see your truck here? Share your photos and details in the forum.

Ranger Adventure Video

TRS Merchandise

Follow TRS On Instagram

TRS Sponsors


Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad


Amazon Deals

Sponsored Ad

Back
Top