Why NOT use the stock spare tire location on a pickup truck?

[goffredo]

On my 2018 Tundra, I upgraded to 295/75R18 tires. The spare was big enough that it no longer fit in the stock (under-bed) spare tire location without doing some mods to the mounting rails, so I just moved it to my swing-out rear bumper because I'm lazy.

Also, I always just assumed the stock under-vehicle location was not a desirable place to mount a spare for off-roading and expedition travel, because it exposes the tire and wheel to potential damage from being dragged over rocks, etc. It would really suck to get a flat, and go to lower your trusty spare from the stock location only to discover you had unknowingly ripped it wide open some months back and now you're in a fix!

But I wonder, am I making up problems? Has anyone ever had, or heard of someone who had, damaged the spare tire because it was mounted in the stock under-bed location?

 

[Buliwyf]

I think without my spare, I could get hung up on the hitch more often, I'll have to look.

But yeah, it does have some trail rash. But never from forward travel TTBOMK.

 

[Betarocker]

My previous truck I kept a 37" in the bed because the dual exit exhaust wouldn't allow for it underneath. Current truck I have a 1/2 worn 38" underneath. It does hang down lower than the stock, but the truck also sits considerably higher.

 

[emulous74]

I really think it all depends on how far it hangs down. Here's a pic with the stock full size spare on stock rims, 31", although I'm running 33" tires on different rims.


Look how much clearance I have without it:



This is probably a better ideal:

 

[Stabwell]

This is probably a better ideal:

trailedonline.com

That's actually pretty slick. A bit spendy though, $175 for a single can holding 6 gallons, $300 for a 2 pack. Website says NOT certified for fuel storage.

 

[Jacobm]

On my truck I plan to remove it and put it on a swingout mainly so it's easier to get to, and because the stock mounts have a reputation for seizing up and rusting shut. I guess it's possibly to damage a tire underneath, but it's also possibly to damage a tire mounted elsewhere, perhaps easier if say it were bed mounted and you use your truck to haul pointy things.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Trucks with the winch style spare tire carrier are good for the cables rotting and dropping the spare in the middle of the road.

That is how I found my current spare that is on my F-150, just layin in the middle of the highway with the bracket the tire sits on under it.

 

[Winterpeg]

Getting a flat tire isn't always at the most opportune time and at times not the most opportune place.

Imagine getting a flat in an offroad situation where you can't even access your spare tire... that's what I've always thought of when I see an offroad rig with a spare in a place that is not easily accessible.

Jacking a truck up is dicey enough as it is when offroad.... doing it twice would be less than desirable... once for the spare and then once again for the tire replacement... oh, and I guess you would likely need to put the now flat spare back under the rig since we don't typically go on expeditions with enough room for a large tire in our cargo space.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Getting a flat tire isn't always at the most opportune time and at times not the most opportune place.

Imagine getting a flat in an offroad situation where you can't even access your spare tire... that's what I've always thought of when I see an offroad rig with a spare in a place that is not easily accessible.

Jacking a truck up is dicey enough as it is when offroad.... doing it twice would be less than desirable... once for the spare and then once again for the tire replacement... oh, and I guess you would likely need to put the now flat spare back under the rig since we don't typically go on expeditions with enough room for a large tire in our cargo space.

The idea of a second spare under there has appealed to me. Use the one on the swingout first and when you get to a more ideal place put the flat one underneath and second string spare on the swingout.

But my tires are too big to find under the truck on the factory carrier so that idea kinda fizzled on the launchpad.

 

[Regcabguy]

I can

Trucks with the winch style spare tire carrier are good for the cables rotting and dropping the spare in the middle of the road.

That is how I found my current spare that is on my F-150, just layin in the middle of the highway with the bracket the tire sits on under it.

My winch gave it up in the driveway after a two week Baja run. it was replaced under warranty. That was my old truck. On my '07 Ram 2500 from new I've used a ratchet strap. There are opposing holes in the frame perfectly situated where the hooks go in. It doesn't take a super robust strap to secure the spare and take the load off of the winch. Bulletproof for $10.00.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I can

My winch gave it up in the driveway after a two week Baja run. it was replaced under warranty. That was my old truck. On my '07 Ram 2500 from new I've used a ratchet strap. There are opposing holes in the frame perfectly situated where the hooks go in. It doesn't take a super robust strap to secure the spare and take the load off of the winch. Bulletproof for $10.00.

I did the exact same thing!

 

[1stDeuce]

I converted my TJ to a CJ style tailgate instead of a swing gate. Then I put a separate swing out carrier on it to hold the spare. At this point I am tired of having to open the swing out carrier to open the tailgate. I'm stuck with it though, as I want the bed space, and I'm certainly not going to put the spare under the back.

This relates to pickups because I considered putting a swing out carrier on our Comanche too, as it would fit the "look" I was after. In the end, I couldn't do it... The tire tucks up well under the truck, and in most situations it's going to be very hard to drag the tire before dragging the bumper. And the biggest plus for me: I don't have to unlatch a carrier and swing a tire out of the way to open and use the tailgate.

I have spare tires under the back of both of our GMC's. I've never dragged them. I think short of hard core crawling, a tire under the bed is pretty safe, and I don't see an IFS GM truck as a "hard core" rock crawler...

That picture of the Colorado above does show the tire hanging down lower than my trucks do though. One approach to making that better might be to find a narrower tire of roughly the same height to use as a spare. IE, if you're running 33" 285's, use a 255/85R16 or 255/80R17 as a spare. You gain about an inch of clearance this way, and don't have an "undersize" spare.

I honestly don't think I can envision a predicament where I have a flat, but the spare under the bed is somehow totally inaccessible. It's just not a realistic concern, IMO. If you're stuck so bad that the spare can't be dropped, your problem isn't a flat tire, it's that you're stuck...

One thing I will suggest as a MUST if you keep your spare under the bed: Lower it down and cut or grind off the "safety" catch that's designed to hold the tire if the cable breaks. Perhaps this is only a GM thing, but that catch is sometimes difficult to release on a new truck, and can be almost impossible on a truck where the spare has never been dropped and the mechanism is dirty or rusty.

I will say that I live where rust is not a concern, but if I was still in the rust belt, the ratchet strap makes a good bit of sense as a backup on an older truck.

 

[Riversdad]

My spare tire cable let loose last year while doing 45 down a busy road. Bounced up and hit my bumper and I then ran it over with my trailer. It bent the bumper bad enough that I can no longer open my tailgate fully.

 

[Herbie]

Rust doesn't happen where I live so I'm not concerned about dropping my spare; I also consider it good practice every year or two to wind it down, clean and lube and wind it back up. Recreational maintenance maybe, but I don't have a playstation so I have to do something with my time.

As for the convenience of the location at the time the spare is needed, I can't say I've ever been in the bottom of a mud hole and thought that right there was the ideal time to go change a tire. If I was in that situation it seems I could probably advance out of the precarious position first on the bunk tire, then change it out for the drive home.

One of the advantages of the 5-tire rotation scheme is that it forces me to run my tire winch up and down every so often. Maintaining the winch assembly is just like any other part of the van, so no issues with the winch or cables here.

The main reason I stay away from a swing-away tire mount, aside from the weight/expense of having to fab something custom (as there's nothing OTS for my van), is that I'm in/out of the back of the van doors constantly. Adding yet another thing that I'd have to unlatch/open just to get to our gear is not appealing. Perhaps I'll pay the price someday if I have a flat in an inconvenient spot, but nothing about a trailside tire change is going to be "convenient" anyhow...

 

[ZMagic97]

I run a 35" spare under my 06 GMC Sierra and have never had it hang up or rub. I don't take extreme trails, but I've certainly been some places.