Just buy yourself one of these... that would at least eliminate the lifting problem. Now for storage.....

 

I would personally not consider leaving a spare behind. I would also take a patching kit and inner tubes regardless of how many spares I had.

What it really comes down to is, how far are your expeditions? If this is a weekend/vacation warrior that you might be camping out of for a week, then sure, you might not need a spare. That also depends on if you plan on wheeling hard while on the trip. If you aren't going far and aren't wheeling much, you could do w/out a spare... esp if you take inner tubes.

But I would still want one. Being an expeditionary vehicle, I would make a boom arm that folds up from the roof and is detachable. I assume you'll have a come-along on board, so you could use that as the hoisting mechanism. Fabricate a roof rack for those and the tire to bolt to, and you're golden.

I think it would be easier to get on the roof and bolted down horizontally than onto a tire carrier on the back bumper and bolt it horizontally. Esp if you implement the hoist idea.

 

 

ive had to unload those tires from the back of a truck and even with the crane we have built in it sucks. i would suggest building something that lifts it to the roof and build a roof rack so you dont lose any cargo room. you could even build something that folds down flat against the bumber or pulls off and tucks inside the back or something. but these tires do go flat and when they do good luck changing it...lol soo carry a spare, mount it on the roof, and find a way to lift it up there. if you want i can make you a crude drawing of what im talkin about to lift it

 

Myself, I would carry a spare and mount it in the bed and build a platform over it for sleeping. I would not try to put it on the outside bumper because there might be times to tailgate fish or when you want the tailgate open to eat lunch or enjoy a view (not that you can see something for backing up unless it is 80 feet away).

Plus, it looks like it would block the hitch.

What I would look for is a tire nearly the same height, but, a lot thinner and then I would go for an expensive aluminum rim to cut weight. Basically, put a mini-spare up there 48" inches tall and only 18 inches wide. It can just be an off road tractor tire as your concern is just getting back on road, not driving 65 mph on the highway.

To get it or anything into the bed, build a set of rails (can be 1/8" wall) the length of the bed, insert 8 feet x 1/4" wall tubing inside them. Have them stop 4 feet beyond the tailgate. Snap in a triangle lifting device with a block at top and run a hand winch to it from the bed. Winch the tire up between the rails, once all the way up, slide pieces of metal into the rails, lower the tire onto it. Then winch the tire in and secure it. Fold up the tower and secure it.

Then fold down your hinged plywood platform and secure it using wing nuts or *****.

 

tires are beef......screw it!

 

.......

 

4wheel&offroad ran a picture of one of those tires on the front of their Super Duty at 0psi and it was barely even bulging out, (for whatever that's worth) my inclination is that you'd be fine without a spare, but make sure you have a good tire repair kit, and an air compressor. my .02

 

x2 on just keeping a repair kit
Super cool rig, that thing is a monster!
If you can find a place to put a spare, I would love to see pics of it

 

If this is really a true expeditionary truck then I wouldn't consider leaving w/out a spare.

 

Fitting a 48 inch spare in a bronco? A stretched bronco none the less, but that would still take at least 50% of your storage space up. I think that a good patch kit, and a tube if you can find one in this size would be the best way to go. If you dont have a high lift(prolly do) then get one.

 

ok i have been pondering this since you originally posted this!

how about instead of a swing away tire carrier, build a fold down tire carrier! you could even put trailer ramp springs on the hinge to assist you in getting it back in the upright position. basically the carrier would surround the tire like a roll cage allowing you to weld accessories such as cooler mount, gas can rack, etc.

ok so to put the tire on the carrier you would fold the carrier down to the floor (as far as you can get it with the ramp assist springs), then roll the tire to the carrier and position it carefully. you would basically just lean the tire/wheel over onto the carrier, bolt it on, and then you are ready to swing the carrier back up!

-cutts-

 

cutts, you much with cad or paint even? I'm having issues seeing it for some reason.

 

roof... w/ the hoist described earlier.

Lets see, an expeditionary trip to Argentina sounds like a nice place to be w/ a shredded sidewall.

 

For some reason I doubt this is going to Aregentina, but hey.... ya got me...