Spare tire on door?

[caseyc]

And if one day you want to install a ladder for the rear door, it should be on the right side door (passenger side).  That's how I have mine also.

 

[psytechguy]

Cheapest/easiest solution I've found is a tire carrier that goes into a receiver hitch. Basically an "L" shaped piece of square tubing that has the spare bolt-on on the long end. Some are hinged so you can swivel the tire down to the ground for changing a flat or accessing the rear doors.

 

[Willy]

 I've never been fond of the spare tire on the door bit insofar as it puts quite a bit of stress on the hinges and, as far as I'm concerned, accelerates wear. Seen too many vans with sagging rear doors. ..Willy.

 

[caseyc]

I don't have saggy doors <img class="emoticon bbc_img" src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif">&nbsp; But who knows over time?&nbsp; My van used to have a saggy butt though! <img class="emoticon bbc_img" src="/images/boards/smilies/eek.gif">&nbsp;But that's until I installed Super Springs to my rear suspension.&nbsp; Now my van butt is perky, haha!

 

[Ziggy Moon]

I used to have my tire hanging on the back passenger side door - eventually, where the two doors come together, the weight of the tire ripped the metal. <br><br>I took the tire and mounting bracket off, got rid of it, and now I carry my tire in the van... yeah that's a bummer! <br><br>But, this is why I like Willy's front mounting idea. A bracket mounted to the bumper is obviously tougher than the thin sheet metal body of the vehicle.<br><br><br>&nbsp;

 

[caseyc]

What vehicle did you have with the spare tire door problem? I'm wondering if maybe the size of the van has anything to do with it?&nbsp; For example, maybe a full size van door might hold up better than say a smaller GMC Astro van?&nbsp; Totally guessing of course.

 

[wrcsixeight]

One Baja trip I had 2 full size spare tires on my door. &nbsp;I used a rope to the roofline to take some of the load off the carrier and door hinges, but there are a bunch of army checkpoints, and they want to open the doors and have a look around.<br><br>Once, Foolishly I trusted them to return the door to fully closed and return the support to the tire. &nbsp;No issues, but several years later the &nbsp;lower hinge pin sheared off.<br><br>I Bought a hinge replacement kit but could not press out the pin. &nbsp;A machine shop charged me more to press/drill out the old pin than a junkyard later charged me for 2 hinges for my third door.<br><br>I regularly stand on my spare tire with the door closed. &nbsp;I weigh 220 lbs. &nbsp;Just make sure the door guides/ wedges on the bottom edge are set up properly to minimize stress on the hinges. &nbsp;Dodge hinges are extremely overbuilt compared to ford or chevy, but the hinge pin itself makes this overbuilt metal no stronger in the long run.

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;I'm talkin' full sized vans. Generally, vehicles are overbuilt, but there are limits. Rough roads and frequent opening/closing of the doors would tend to accelerate wear IMHO, and when the door starts sagging things start going downhill right quick. That's one reason why I like the front (rigid) tire mount. As a side note, I've also noticed this 'sagging' problem with camper vans which have an exterior 20 lb propane tank mounted to the rear door. ..Willy.

 

[Ziggy Moon]

Dodge B250 (full size van).... didn't have issues with hinges. My problem was where the two back doors meet.. the skin (sheet metal) started to rip.

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;I also think that it would be even worse if one were to have a 3/4-1 ton van. Those 16" LT tires are HEAVY! My truck has 16 inchers and they ain't any fun to change. ..Willy.

 

[caseyc]

Yeah, the first time I had my spare tire rack and tire installed on the left side rear door (driver side), and tried to open and close it, it was like....whoa!!!&nbsp; Much heavier than the other door!

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;What's kinda nice about the front tire holder is that it makes my rig look more 'hardcore' expedition style. Also, it adds a bit of weight to the front end, which offsets all that tonnage I've got in the rear. This can be rather important when conditions get nasty.. more front end traction. Don't know how many rigs I've seen, loaded all to hell, with the front end wayyyy up and the tires pawing at the grund; accident waiting to happen. ..Willy.

 

[Ziggy Moon]

<p>I agree, Willy! Depending on the vehicle and how it's mounted, it could make your ride look hardcore.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>What about a massive Brush Guard with the Tire mounted front and center? May look pretty sweet!!!?</p>

 

[travlinman and wife]

overloaded will cause front tires to ware out quick. the ones on my van are expensive 175 bucks each

 

[highdesertranger]

I believe willy has a 4x4 with a straight axle, &nbsp;the tire on the front bumper will not overload it.&nbsp; now on an independent front suspension on a 1/2 ton van I still don't think you will over load the front end.&nbsp; all things being equal.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[travlinman and wife]

highdesertranger I was referring to overload on the rear and raising the front. this couped my tires and knocked it out of ailment. I bought van new 07 2500 chevy

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;I WISH that my rig had a front solid axle but.. no dice, got IFS. Still, with an 8800 lb GVW, it's still pretty beefy. I've got nearly 2 tons hauling capacity (despite being a 3/4 T) and the suspension shows it. Got nearly 5" of suspension travel left. As for the big brush-guard thing, I find them of limited utility for my needs and, aside from expense, the decent ones add a fair amount of weight. I agree with travlin man re. front tires, a loaded rear and light front changes the steering geometry rather adversely. ..Willy.

 

[James AKA Lynx]

I finally mounted the tire carrier and the driver side back door. Easy enough. However, I cannot keep that door closed and open the passenger side back door, the tire is in the way, so I need to open both doors. <br><br>Any thoughts on how to make it where I can have the tire on and open only the other door?<br><br>James AKA Lynx

 

[stude53]

Only way I can think of is to mount the tire on a hinged triangle that can swing out independent of the left door and then latch back securely to the left door.... to clear the opening so the passenger side door can open.<br><br>Bob

 

[user 423]

I have a similar problem where on the DS I can't open the door all the way because the tire hits the tail light. Been planning to do some sort of mod like stude53 said but haven't yet. The front-mount is OK as long as your truck has a good cooling system and doesn't overheat.