Outgear Solutions "Tilted" + 4xInnovations tire carrier

Disclaimer: I am a weekend/hobbyist fabricator at best - I use a flux core mig

I've been shopping for a bumper for a long time for my truck and haven't been able to find anything I liked so I decided to piece one together. I wanted high clearance but a lot of the ones I found didn't work with McNeil 4" fiberglass fenders easily. So I settled for the Outgear solutions "tilted" bumper (I have a 2nd gen, here is 3rd gen) because it was a high clearance, minimal, and tubular bumper which would make for easy modification, or so I thought. High clearance means no spare since that would defeat the purpose of high clearance. I also had placement/rubbing issues with the current 33s under-mounted so I figured I'd mount it. There are only two options, bed mount or tire carrier. I got the 4xInnovations swing out tire carrier kit since I thought it would be the best option. Not 100% sure it was yet, as I'm limited to what I can put in the bed now (no oversized loads) -- but I'm just going to have to find the right lies to tell myself to stay happy with my purchase.

I've probably mounted and unmounted the bumper at least 10 times to work out the fabrication spacing & clearance and, most importantly, to keep the bumper out of the weather since I got all the pieces unfinished.

Google photo album for more detailed pics and angles.

Lining it up was like 5D chess, you have the latch position and clearance, tire rack clearance, pivot point, bar->bumper alignment, the tilt, ... Many hours and some sketchy things were done to get it all held in place. Got pivot point finally welded on real good like, then made up some extra supports that will probably prove insufficient in the future, but at least it would be something to help limit the stresses on the pivot point since it essentially carries the entire weight. The latch pin wasn't as tricky once the pivot point was on but I was only down to 3D chess since I had handle clearance to account for as well now. Figured I'd make a "T" support that would absorb most of the stresses. I'm worried about twisting. You'll see I still left out a stubby piece, and that's because I'm undecided on whether or not I should add support to it as well. I am also unsure if the tire rides too high; I couldn't get a good look with other vehicles to know how high it should be. Please don't make fun of my 33s, next purchase is 35s now that my LT is done. Clearances were tight in the end.

Lemme know what you think, and thanks for reading. Hope this helps someone looking for online validation of their crazy idea.

 

Great job doing it yourself and showing it off. You should be proud... you did it and it looks good... it's your truck

 

Does anyone think the tire is mounted too high? Does anyone have a comparable shot?

 

A bit off topic (this is a sweet addition to the Outgear bumper though!) - what kind of clearance does the hitch have from the tailgate when it’s down. I’d like to use this bumper with a hitch swing out for bike racks, but I’m curious if a lowered tailgate would contact the swing out when in its open position. Some swing outs look nearly flush with the hitch, but not completely.

 

Bumper looks great and you should be proud of it! I would rather modify a plate than a tube bumper because it can be so hard to get things lined up on tubes... I like the swingout hinge support piece. Tire maybe looks a bit high but who cares, it's extra clearance

 

I think it looks amazing, great job. Tire height is up to you, it could come down so that the bottom of the tire is flush with the bumper. Also keep in mind changing the tire size will effect where it ends up.

The only thing a would look into is the mount for the hinge. I think you need more vertical support. For tire carrier hinges, it really should be overkill on the support and mounts. They will be bouncing around all over the place on the trails holding the weight of the tire. They usually sag over time.

Just for consideration of future carrier jobs--

It's important to note that you installed the hinge on the passenger side which is where it should always be no matter what. That way you're opening the carrier to the passenger side and not into traffic. Think of being on the side of the road in the direction you're traveling.

It does not always work out, but having the tire on the driver side is better for rear view from the cab. Behind the driver, the tire will sit in your natural blind spot, vs on the passenger side it will block your view.

Props man, You made that bumper better than anything I can do.