No Spare Tire or Alternative Mounting?

I carry a full sized spare with a matching rim whenever I'm off road, but I also keep the shitty stocker under the bed for when shit really hits the fan. If I need to pull that one out, I know my day is pretty much over, but I can limp my ass back home under my own power if I need to.
Might possibly upgrade the stock spare to a 265 just to get it close to my tire size and not have to worry about stuffing a 285 under there (I know if will fit, but the 265 tucks away nicer).

 

Driving around town without a spare? Sure why not, you have cell reception and a tow truck can get to you.

Offroad without a spare? Hell to the no. You want 35" tires? You'll have to deal with the loss of bed space on trips. Or don't run a spare and have a little more storage space, chances are slim of actually needing it.

With that said, I much prefer the inconvenience of having to lug around an oversized spare versus the inconvenience of being stranded on a trail and requiring the assistance of a trail buddy to either haul my ass into the nearest town to buy a new tire or borrow someone else spare.

 

I'm a big fan of these carriers. Shame that Jerry stopped making them. Throw it on when you need it and remove it if you need the extra cargo space.

BTW, beware of the tire mounts that hold the tire upright and bolt to the bedrails. @SMKYTXN has a story about that and IIRC it was the catalyst for the flat bed build.

 

https://www.wilcooffroad.com/shop/hitchgate-tire-carrier-toyota/

 

Sniper fire?

 

Yeah, I had one that @Chux made for awhile and didn't like it. It didn't work well with a tire that was bigger than a 265/75/16.

 

I thought I saw somewhere that a vendor made a better version where it mounted to two locations on the bedrail about 24" apart and a third place to the bed floor. Looked a little desert racer/prerunner for my liking, but an improvement on the design nonetheless.

 

You're looking for this

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/a-warning-about-bed-rail-tire-carriers.285889/

 

What about not having it and not needing it?

 

I carry plugs and a compressor. MOST flats can be fixed much faster and easier without removing the wheel from the vehicle. But I've found myself in situations where the tire was damaged too badly to be saved. Not having a spare would have resulted in a LOOOOOOONG walk.

 

33" spare home made rack

 

what do you use for jacking points for the hi-lift?

 

Sliders or heavy duty bumpers. Could use a hitch too i suppose.

 

Haha I guess I'm stupid!

Swing out is out of the question. Guess I'll just have to suck it up and put it in the back. I've seen the potential carnage of using the bed side rail as a mount, so I'll build something custom. Really is a bummer to lose the space but I can't think of another option. I would rather lose the space than have a swing out.

Thanks for every body's tips!

 

If this is any help, I use two of the bed rail cleats and a ratcheting tie down strap to hold my spare vertical up against the bed side. Just the one strap horizontal across the front of the wheel/tire. Uses little room and distributes the pressure over a broader length of the bed rails. YMMV of course, but I have yet to crack or damage the bed/bedsides/track system this way. I do add an extra strap over the top of the tire when off road to help keep it in place.

 

I will be using my @Pelfreybilt Sliders for the next flat.


Last flat was before my bumpers/sliders. I used a D-Ring Shackle on my factory hitch to lift the rear end up last time I had a flat.

 

Pro tip: when jacking from the sliders with a hi-lift, open your door first.

 

LOL Yeah I've heard about that tip. Much better than creasing your door or breaking your window!

One of these days I need to buy one of those slider adapters to the end will grip the tube on the slider better. I've had a Hi-Lift slide out from under a vehicle before. Thank God nobody was under it at the moment.

 

Yep one of those slider adapters is in my wish list at Amazon - just keep procrastinating on putting it in the cart. In the past I've lashed a few wraps of a tie-down strap around the jack and slider for a little extra safety.

There's a reason hi-lift jacks are called widowmakers around the farm.

And nobody should EVER be under a truck when supported by a hi-lift or any other jack.