Carrying Spare Tire for my 3500

mattillac · May 13, 2023

I have a trailer lock blocking the hole in the bumper for the spare tire, making a bit harder to steal.

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Am using a rubber grommet in the hole and a spring on the (backside) shaft of the lock keep it from rattling / wearing / rusting the bumper etc.

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I'd always check to make sure the lock still unlocks before leaving on any road trip, have had to cut at least one of them off and have made a few variations over the years.

rose359 · May 16, 2023

I have some aluminum that I can use like this, with a 1/2-20 stud in a tapped hole. I found a spare tire stud lock on eBay for $17. I can get a Grade 8 bolt (1/2") for about $5. The gray part of the assembly in the drawing is the box rail. There are two existing 5/16” holes 1-1/2” apart on the inner face of the rail that I can use. The holes are between the wheel well and the tailgate on the driver side. Once I build it, I will post a photo.

HotWheelsBurban · May 16, 2023

rose359 said:
I have some aluminum that I can use like this, with a 1/2-20 stud in a tapped hole. I found a spare tire stud lock on eBay for $17. I can get a Grade 8 bolt (1/2") for about $5. The gray part of the assembly in the drawing is the box rail. There are two existing 5/16” holes 1-1/2” apart on the inner face of the rail that I can use. The holes are between the wheel well and the tailgate on the driver side. Once I build it, I will post a photo.

That looks good, I might try something similar. Not a super priority till new tires and wheels. When I run this truck with a full load, I can stand the spare up and it has stuff leaning against it, so it's not going anywhere w/o some effort....

Orpedcrow · May 16, 2023

Bed side mounted tire carrier is pretty straightforward as far as fabrication goes. Would not HAVE to be welded. You can use one of those implement pins that are on tractors as the “stud”. It will already be hardened and have a hole you can put a lock on. I built one for my dads 68.

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rose359 · Jun 5, 2023

I built and installed it; the spare tire is secured.

Orpedcrow · Jun 5, 2023

heck yea. that looks good

HotWheelsBurban · Jun 6, 2023

Orpedcrow said:
heck yea. that looks good

Yes it does! Got a parts list? I'm interested in this setup.

RanchWelder · Jun 6, 2023

I posted my Blazer solution for mounting inside, however it would mean removing the rear interior of a Suburban to match the installation I used, so I removed the post...

This thread has me thinking though...

How can I "safely" carry my spare(s) Suburban tire(s) inside my truck in my 1999 Suburban?

Keeping my tires inside the cab, without fear of them hitting me in the head, during an accident, requires some careful selection of mounting options and extra reinforcement for safety.

Good luck with your project. It looks like you have some great solutions being offered here! Go over-kill so it never causes you to regret not making it stronger.

If you flip it with family on board, make certain the tire breaking loose is not an option, is all I'm suggesting.

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These ^^^ are affordable... there's other brands more expensive.
If you bolt it to the side rail, consider adding these to make it stronger?
Zero shift under stress... is what you want to aim for, if safety is a concern.

You can make your own version with some bed mounted D-Rings and use straps you already own.

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Just back up the bolts with fat steel washers or backing plates through the bed.

If you can nearly pick your truck up with a lifting hoist, from your spare tire mount, it is probably strong enough, during a collision.

The forces of the tire breaking loose during an accident, are way more than you think. This is why the engineers mount it under your bed. The laws of inertia and the weight under hung, keeps the truck on the wheels. The suspension is designed for this location and weight. Moving the load up, changes everything.

rose359 · Jun 6, 2023

RanchWelder said:
I posted my Blazer solution for mounting inside, however it would mean removing the rear interior of a Suburban to match the installation I used, so I removed the post...

This thread has me thinking though...

How can I "safely" carry my spare(s) Suburban tire(s) inside my truck in my 1999 Suburban?

Keeping my tires inside the cab, without fear of them hitting me in the head, during an accident, requires some careful selection of mounting options and extra reinforcement for safety.

Good luck with your project. It looks like you have some great solutions being offered here! Go over-kill so it never causes you to regret not making it stronger.

If you flip it with family on board, make certain the tire breaking loose is not an option, is all I'm suggesting.

You must be registered for see images attach

These ^^^ are affordable... there's other brands more expensive.
If you bolt it to the side rail, consider adding these to make it stronger?
Zero shift under stress... is what you want to aim for, if safety is a concern.

You can make your own version with some bed mounted D-Rings and use straps you already own.

You must be registered for see images attach

Just back up the bolts with fat steel washers or backing plates through the bed.

If you can nearly pick your truck up with a lifting hoist, from your spare tire mount, it is probably strong enough, during a collision.

The forces of the tire breaking loose during an accident, are way more than you think. This is why the engineers mount it under your bed. The laws of inertia and the weight under hung, keeps the truck on the wheels. The suspension is designed for this location and weight. Moving the load up, changes everything.

The first photo shows the level of overkill used to clamp the rail.

rose359 · Jun 6, 2023

HotWheelsBurban said:
Yes it does! Got a parts list? I'm interested in this setup.

Here are my drawings; the assembly drawing shows the hardware. I used two existing holes in my bed rail. If I was drilling, I would put the 1/2" bolt between the two 5/16" mounting bolts. I mounted the metal to the rail and then marked the location of for the 1/2" bolt through the wheel lug hole. I bought the lock for the lug bolt on eBay for $18.

Carrying Spare Tire for my 3500

mattillac

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rose359

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HotWheelsBurban

Gotta have 4 doors..... Rawhide, TOTY 2023!

Orpedcrow

I don’t know what I’m doing

rose359

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Orpedcrow

I don’t know what I’m doing

HotWheelsBurban

Gotta have 4 doors..... Rawhide, TOTY 2023!

RanchWelder

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rose359

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rose359

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