I built my own spare tire mount

[original_balzer]

Its made of 1" round tube a few pieces of angle and some flat stock.
Its going on the driver side barn door. The left side takes up most of the space between the hinges about 12.5" then the right side is about 5" tall.
Its built flat and has a piece of angle iron to space it away from the door. Eh enough trying to explain it i drew a crude pic in MS paint then stole the blueprint pic from another thread. I would have taken real pics but it still isnt finished and I didnt have my camera today. I will get pics once it is installed.



I also added a small tab on the driver side for a future CB antana mount.
OK question. This is simular to other I have seen does anyone have one like it and if so did you put any kind of rubber or anything between the mount and your paint? Also on the right side how much of a backing plate should I use? I was thinking 2"x6" plate that would be 1/2"bigger than the outside mount all the way around.

Later I think I will build a off road style roof rack, possibly some side bars (rock sliders) to protect the rocker pannels. Who knows what all I will build, I just like to make stuff myself.

[original_balzer]

Well I was proud of myself HAHA

[peter]

Looks like it should be ok, but alot depends on the size of the tire you'll be mounting. Also, if you are into hard-core off-roading then you may need to "build up" that mount a bit.
Looking forward to seeing pics!

[Cobra]

i intend to do mine this weekend since i now have all the parts

[T.Low]

Looks like it should be ok, but alot depends on the size of the tire you'll be mounting. Also, if you are into hard-core off-roading then you may need to "build up" that mount a bit.
Looking forward to seeing pics!

I was gonna ask, (and still am, I guess) if I've got 30" full size spare and do a lot of gravel and wash board roads and off roading, will it hold up? Keep in mind, I've got the dutch doors, not the full on barn doors. The dutchies are so much lighter than the barnies.

[ihatemybike]

It's not the weight of the door, it's the weight of the wheel hanging off the door. That sheet metal isn't very thick and added bracing may be needed to keep it from bending.

[GnarliSafari]

deja vu

[T.Low]

deja vu

Hmm. Seems to me I've read that before.

[original_balzer]

It should be strong enough for what I do. In the future I may go to a 30x9.50 tire. I also thought on the inside of the door I might add an extra support that goes from the backing plate to the bottom of the door. The damn wind has been blowing so I havent got it finished or installed yet. Im also still wonderting about some sort of rubber or something between the mount and the door.

Lastly I was looking and it seams the tail light may need to be shaved down on the door edge to clear the mount. When the door swings open it only clears the tail light by a fraction just by itself. Possibley I can fix that with small washers on the screws that mount the tail light.

[Moreforles]

like to mount mine on the roof on the luggage rack, but would want to make sure its secure.... would hate to slam on the brakes (even with anti lock) and see it sailing past the windshield.....

have the barn doors on the 94 astro, back door would be fine, but with the Dutch doors on the 96 Safari....... you can't open the bottom doors unless you open the hatch first, and I think a tire mounted to the bottom door, might be a problem.... (unless it was hinged and it swung out of the way...?)

I have a nice chrome hand rail from an rv, that would be nice near the top of the hatch to give you something to hold onto when standing on rear bumper to get the spare....

[ihatemybike]

Any reason why under the van isn't good for you? Most of the rear mount guys are running large off road tires. Roof mount would increase drag and slightly lower your MPGs. I'm still running mine under my vans, though Grumpy may eventually be rear mount.

[Moreforles]

just seems a stupid spot to put your EMERGENCY spare, hanging on a cable, out of sight and mind (as far as checking tire pressure) exposed to the environment.

it would be a shame to need it and find nothing more than a rusty broken cable there, or get a call from the police when some catches your plate number, when it comes loose and flies threw someones windshield.

Lost one off a caravan and dont know when I lost it, hope no one was hurt..... (errr, no I mean I heard of a friend that it happened too, no it was a friend of a friend, just a rummor....yeah, that's the ticket)

It makes no sense to me that some engineer thought it would be better to suspend it under the care rather than having a spot stamped into the rear compartment like older cars had, with an easy access panel on the inside.

Engineers should have to buy, own and maintain anything that has components that they helped design, would serve them right....

[knucklehead]

any finished product pics or did u scrap the idea by now?

[T.Low]

Hellooooooooooo...any pics out there.....?

[peter]

Here here!