Where do you carry yours, and do you like it there? Do any of you just carry it in the "bed"?

I've had mine on a swing out tire carrier for years, but always hated the extra weight it added to the rear (35" MTR). I'd always keep the rear seat folded down and would strap my tools down as far forward as possible to keep the thing from being too tail heavy.

I've started carrying it in the "bed", right behind the upright rear seat, with my tools strapped to the top of it. That seems to work well, and I think it leaves the CG where it was before, but makes the truck a foot shorter, and now I can see out the back, and I have a usable back seat. It's pretty much a trail-only rig, so I never haul anything but tools and spares.

Before I cut off the spindle that held the tire, though, I thought I'd see what your experiences have been.

Mark

..............how about putting a 31 or 32 back in the original location? trail spare....emergeny use.....can be ANY size if it's rotated to the front....

I have a 33-9.50-12.50 in the stock location.
Nice skinny tire, so it doesn't drag on rocks.

I did the same thing on an 88 pickup I had that actually ran on 33's. With 35's, and soon to be 37's (I hope), and both ends locked, I like to keep the spare the same size as the rest of the tires. I wish someone would make a 35/37x9.50!

Mark

Careful about putting it inside. I know someone whos tire got loose in an accident and bonked him on the head pretty good. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shiner.gif" alt="" />

I'm still running 33's so it works great for me.

Good point. I'm kind of a belt and suspenders guy when it comes to strapping things down, but your post gave me a better idea about how to keep the tire still in an accident.

Mark

I can carry a 33x9.50 (new) MT underneath, or I can put it inside, strapped to the roll bar. I do plan to go back to a rear tire carrier, though, since a 35x12.50 is just too big for inside or underneath.

One other option is one of the 34x9.50 Swampers on a skinny rim for a spare. They run tall and aired down might fit underneath. Only drawback if you run radials is that they are a bias ply tire, so might be a bit funky on the road.

That's an interesting idea. All the stock spare mounting stuff is gone on my 4Runner, though.

In any event, I nailed my sail to the mast this weekend: I cut the spindle that used to mount my spare to the rear carrier and the cut the vertical riser that supported the tire. My 35" MTR now occupies the space behind the rear seat. I'll either strap my tools to the top of the spare or put the rear seat down and secure them there, as I have done for years. Here are a couple of pics...





The gray area at the bottom is the top of the rear gate, so you can see that the 35" tire fits fine, and there's room for a 37".

This solution isn't for everyone, but my 4Runner is becoming more and more of a trailer queen, so I don't drive it on long expeditions.

Mark

DO NOT use the factory "D" rings in the cargo area! I'm the one that BIGBRI was talking about. I got beaned by a 32x11.50 traveling at 55 mph. It's the only time in my life I've ever been knocked out. A tire/wheel combo can easily weigh 100lbs, you don't want that flying around the cab!