Spare Tire Skid

I was wondering if anybody ever built a skid plate to protect the sidewalls of their stock mounted spare tire? I did a quick search and came up empty

 

Has anyone actually punctured the spare sidewall when wheeling?

 

Haven't seen it. Most people who wheel hard enough to need a skid there have tires that won't fit in the stock location anymore.

 

True... well I'm keeping my stock 265 under there and the rocks here are pretty sharp, Scuffed the sidewalls pretty bad already! I'm just thinking one well placed cut and no spare.

 

Never heard of it and I wouldn't worry about it.

 

gotta get a bed mounted carrier

I havent seen one before

 

Really need the bed-space for them Manukaa trips. Gonna try it. (Be a rebel)

 

nover seen one either. tell the truth i think it’s fine. what about a tire gate? i did take mine down one day, and saw some marks. but than agin i have hit the hitch, and wiring plug.(just bent it a little not braking it yet.

 

I've never been out there...

I gotta find the range thats out there

 

Gun range? Anyway going out holo holo next weekend. Might hit Hilo steel works up for a sheet of 10 ga steel and weld a piece of 1/2" all thread and line it up through a lug nut. Hole and hope for the best!

 

I think 99% of the ppl who actually wheel would simply take the wheel out from under the truck than run another skid plate for it.

 

I gave that a long thought... But I need my bed space for Gear,4 passengers etc. The run we go on is kinda Expo'ish, it takes 2 hours to get to the camping spot all in 4lo. Thats after a 2 hr highway run so I gotta make sure I have everything we need. So the spare in the bed is a no-go. I'm not trying to market anything, Just asking for input on the matter. Just gonna make one for myself and if it catches on well cool if I'm a failure then its some extra steel for the scrap pile.

 

what about having a roof rack made so you have more space when needed?

 

I still have my tire there....

 

I think a skid plate for the spare tire mount would be a great idea. I’m surprised the idea wasn’t met with more support in this thread... why wouldn’t you want to use the storage room that was designed to hold the tire, and instead take up space in the bed or roof rack, that could hold extra camping gear to make a trip way more enjoyable? Putting the spare in the bed is just a waste of space in my opinion. And shelling out for a aftermarket bumper with tire carrier seems like a much more expensive and heavy solution than a simple plate of steel or aluminum that covers the tire under the truck. Also, if your running a slide in camper in your bed like me, there is no bumper available for 3rd gen tacos that allows for the 6 inch overhang out the back that you get from the camper on a short bed (Aluminess has no love for the 3rd gens, a solution is offered for 2nd gens however). In my situation, a skid plate for the spare would be fantastic! I would buy it in a heart beat if anyone out there is listening .

 

Definitely interested and have thought about making one. Then, I saw a skid plate over the spare on a Tacoma in Issaquah, WA the other day. It was black diamond plated steel and matched the aftermarket high clearance rear bumper very well. It actually looked great. I keep my spare (it's a 33/285) in the factory location for daily driving and light off roading, but when I go wheeling I move it to the bed or the roof

 

Was his aftermarket rear bumper diamond plate also? I've been trying to find one for months now.

 

No, just the skid over the spare was diamond plated, but it looked very pro and lined up with the bumper perfectly. Bumper and skid were black.

 

I kinda like your idea. It's a different solution for your situation.
I imagine that volcanic rock can be super sharp.

 

i think it’s very unlikely that you would ever puncture your spare tire under the bed. If you’re only on stock sized tires, especially - I can’t imagine you’d be getting yourself in situations where things are that gnarly. It will be fine & people will look at you really funny if you want to put a skid over a spare tire.


I would HIGHLY recommend investing in skids for your DRIVETRAIN & sliders before anything “spare tire skid”. Lots of companies are running sales right now too.