Spare tire...a necessity?

I'm not a wheeler, but I take my truck to the mountains alot, a few rough roads, but not crawling or anything. I've I've 37s on my truck, 10 ply, and it rides nice in the bed. However, when I want to take the dogs along. They need the bed empty.

I was thinking of a swingout, but that tire is almost 100lbs and I strapped it to the far rear of the bed to simulate and It really seems to throw the rear end around and handle wierd.

Do I really need a full size spare with 10 ply? I have a patch kit and also have onboard air. Was thinking worst case I pack some hairspray in case I drop a bead with a flat? Will a patch/plug kit or slime get me out of the woods in a pinch?

Looking for opinions. I'd really like to leave the spare are home.

 

As long as you have it you will never need it. But as soon as you leave it at home your will punch a hole in the sidewall for sure. Just how those things work. Maybe look into a rooftop rack. That could be an option. Or make a rack to secure it upright in the bed. The dogs should be able to work around it.

If you have cell service where you are going and a friend that would be willing to bring it to you I think you could get away with it but you are still going to worry about it if you don't have it.

 

Welcome!!
I think any spare the minute you remove then you need it

you only need something to get you home.

My Spare rides in the right front corner of the bed strapped to my glass protector because I always haul lots of goodies and a Swing out would not work cause of the towing all the time

 

Not to armchair quarterback here, but it sounds like your tire choice is impeding your lifestyle more than anything else. Unless you and I have very different definitions of what a "rough road" is, my wife's Corolla can drive on "rough roads."

Worst case is NOT dropping a bead. Worst case is tearing a 6" gash in your sidewall. You can only do so much, even with 25 plugs and some zip ties. I've definitely heard of people shredding a tire on fire roads.

I also run 10 ply tires (not 37's lol) and luckily I've never gotten a flat, but I'm also never going anywhere without a spare. That just doesn't make sense to me.

Seems like some 33's (which would fit in the stock spare location, maybe with minor modification) would more than likely get you just as far up these rough roads in the mountains (and back) with your dogs. Or run the risk of getting stranded in the mountains because you get a sidewall gash. Your choice, really.

Also, how big are your dogs if they need an empty bed?! lol

 

You could always get a trailer to haul around your spare 37. JK

 

Or the dogs, lol

 

I'm not a wheeler, but I take my truck to the mountains alot, a few rough roads, but not crawling or anything. I've I've 37s on my truck, 10 ply What?

 

Probably would fab up a custom mount that sits up in the front of the bed. Couple of legs that come down and tie into the T55 bolts that mount to the frame. Then maybe just a few smaller bolts into the front rail to add stability, but wont carry hardly much of the load.

Youd probably lose a lot of your rear-view mirror, but the weight is pretty centered in the truck and still have a lot of the bed open.

Edit- I was assuming you had a 2nd gen in that scenario

 

Truck was purposes built to get me anywhere I need to go during hunting season. The comment that I'm not a "wheeler" is just that, I don't drive truck for fun, I drive it to get me where I need to go to hunt or scout. 37s, 5.29s, sliders, full skids, lockers, etc....you bet. I have no intention of getting stuck in Nov in single digit temps on a washed out or rutted out road due to a lack of clearance or capability from my vehicle.

The question was about carrying a spare or not for the easier trips up to the woods with the family. But I can see you had no intention of providing any useful insight anyways.

 

I could do the easy camping trips that in the wife's, SUV, yes. But I'm stuck with it as we need to take the truck to fit everybody/everything. Car seats in the back seat. Wife up front, dogs in the back (GFC). No, it's not ideal to have a 37 spare for easy trips to the river or into the more groomed NF roads. I need the spare out of the bed to make room for extra bags/gear/chairs/etc, and yes, 2 x 80# dogs take up most of the 6ft bed to sleep.

Concensus seems to be don't leave the spare at home, may just have to snag a removable swingout like a wilco or something. I only need the tire out of the bed when the entire family and the dogs come along.

 

I am very interested in your truck. You happen to have a picture? Thing sounds sweet.

Also, for the spare, try a bed rack, mount it on top. Dogs can stay under.

Oh shit, didnt see you had a GFC.
That's a conundrum.

 

You could always strap it down inside your bed standing up during travel, then when you need the space for the dogs to sleep, dump it outside For the night.

It's not ideal by any means, but may be a work around until you figure out a way around this.

 

You only need a spare when you need it.
You can fit a 35 under, perhaps you risk it with a “doughnut 35” to at least get home.

 

@heat_n_co can you post a picture of your truck? I’m very curious to see it.

 

I think you missed my point entirely.

From what you've described as the terrain you drive on, 37's are entirely unnecessary. If you downsized to a more "appropriate" sized tire, you wouldn't need to choose between keeping a spare tire in the bed or your dogs.

People can do the Rubicon on 33's.

 

A spare tire is as “necessary” as wearing a seatbelt.

you don’t need it until you do.

 

@jbrandt I think you missed the point, the truck has been re-geared, trimmed, frame mount moved, etc etc, it's not going back to 33s

 

I would look into a bracket to hold it upright and secure (this may have been mentioned already). You still lose a little space, but not much. And, if you put it on the driver's side, you won't lose much visibility.

I would be nervous to go anywhere without a spare.

 

Get a roof rack. Strap it to the top.

 

I would rather have a 33" spare (which fits under the bed with a little work) than no spare at all. At least it might be able to get you back to pavement where you can call a tow truck.