Has anyone ever tried or even seen a side mounted spare?

Hung up on the trail maybe. I am thinking the right rear has the gas tank on the left, so I think putting it on the side would actually help balance more.

 

Even with it mounted to a frame mounted carrier the first time you forget it's there or something is jutting out further than you expected it's going to flex and if it impacts the side of your truck you just ruined the panel (not to mention damaging your tire)- everyone says they won't do that but there are pictures on-line of Sportsmobiles that costs double and triple what a Tacoma does that have impact damage from the side ladders and they're tighter to the vehicle than a tire. You can feel the panels on these Tacomas flex when you push against them so it's not going to take much of an impact. You're also going to need an extended mirror on whichever side you choose and there may be some goofy regulation(s) about it in your state. It's going to be a PITA in standard parking spaces as well, especially with today's self absorbed drivers who are more interested in their phones than they are operating their vehicles.

If you're going to take the gas mileage hit anyways why not just toss it on top? I can't tell what's on the back of your truck from your avatar picture so guessing you'll have to use a roof rack? Or, just use a rear carrier like most folks who've figured out that despite it being kind of a pain to open the swing out every time you want to open the bed, it's still the best option. On the other hand, there were some funky not-quite-stepsides made for the early Tundras and some of the Tacomas so maybe you could mod one? They're pretty darn ugly though.


ETA- looking at a side profile of Tacomas, I don't see how you could get it to work. You'd either have to mount it high in front of the rear tire since there isn't much room plus you've got to have clearance for your access cab doors to open. It's got to stick out far enough to clear the fender flares (unless you remove them). Your other choice being to go behind the rear tire and then you're still going to have to go up to clear the fender opening, out to clear the bumper and you're still going to block the side view of your rear lights and it's going to jut out behind the vehicle. Either location raises the center of gravity.

I think I'd grab my spare and hold it beside the truck in all possible locations before I bought any steel or even started sketching.

 

What’s the problem with the factory spare location?

 

Ah yeah, never thought about the mirror. Hmm. According to some calculations I just wiped up with the with of the tire and I was thinking 3in square tubing, at minimum the tire would be about 16in out from the side of the truck. Might be a bit much now that I think of it.

Still weighing the pros and cons of each option (my plan, rear mount, bed mount, roof mount) so I appreciate any input.

I might just make it bolt on, like make a bracket for the frame or something and try it out for shits and gigs

Just kinda board with it I guess

 

It sucks

 

I could see it working out west in the open spaces but here on the east coast I just see it being a problem on any trails; just something else to worry about. I also think Suzy soccer mom in her oversized SUV or gramps in their Caddy would probably whack it in a parking lot as well. Even well intentioned folks just aren't going to expect it and parking spots seems to be getting tighter.

Having the spare under the truck can definitely suck but with modern tires I think most of us get fewer flats and if you carry a plug kit and a compressor you can often fix the most common flats, ex. nails, without even dismounting your tires. Speaking of, make sure that you lower your spare at least once a year and grease the assembly and cable and check the tire pressure, especially you guys up north. The spare tire winch is another area Toyota cheaped out on these trucks and they rust easily.

 

The 70-series Land Cruiser pickups, probably Toyota's best thinking on the subject, have bed-mounted spares in rough-service markets like Africa.








it's an accessory for the Hilux, too.


There's probably a way to mount a spare to the front of the bed using the C-channel rail on our Tacomas, possibly fabbing something from one of the commercial rack offering (Yakima shown here, but there are others, too).


Here's another rack-mount for the spare tire that might be adapted to the bed C-channel.

 

I wouldn't want my truck getting any wider than it already is. On the trails I frequent you have less than an inch to clear a tree on a bypass.

 

It'd be problematic on the trails 'out west' also. Plenty of trees, bushes, and boulders out here that would cause problems.

 

thanks guys

 

That's a nice looking mount, DrWeld! Well done.

 

This is a Willy's CJ-2A

 

Thank you so much man.

I would like to add that I have sold several of these to serious wheelers and I have yet to hear about any issues as of yet.

 

Yeah, hence the "in the open spaces". I been out west once or twice.

 

IMO that would look horrendous. It isn’t very practical location wise either. Keep it under the frame or in the bed?

 

I've never seen a tacoma with it hence the thread. As for practicality, its kind of the same; I don't know all the pros and con of it so I started this thread to gather input, information, and general brainstorming.

Keeping it in the bed has the cons of taking up bed space. Not too bad but I would prefer to keep the bed as clear as possible. With that in mind, mounting in my bed is probably the best choice I got.

Rear mount has the cons of the wieght being far from the axle, an obstacle in front of the tailgate, and price. Depending on if it's a bumper addon or hitch mount have thier separate issues too. Bumper mount being better for towing, hitch mount being better because it's not as permanent.

I mean, I could keep it were it is.... but this is TW

 

MasonSTL, its been mentioned before about adding the extra width and hitting it on something on a trail. You also mentioned that it would stick out almost 16". Thats a lot. I would be more worried about hitting someone while driving. People are stupid on the road and might not see your tire on the side. You also need to take into account that there is a maximum width for a vehicle that is for highway use. You should check your vehicle code for your state to see if you can stay under that width. There might also be a limitation on the amount of overhang you can have on a vehicle.

 

Here's a quick and dirty mock up. I know this is the drivers side, but it would look the same on the passenger side.