Scoop,
Check DOT rules and I bet you that the tire cannot be permanently mounted on the outside of the vehicle except on the back as the swing away does for the Bronco. I don't think you would want it there all the time and wind up catching it on a tight turn to the right and rip a hole in the fender. I just know that it was a farm/ranch attachment to make it easier to load and unload from the rear and not have the tire in the way. I don't make the rules, just mentioned how it was used and I never saw anyone use it as a permanent location. Thanks for the question.
v/r,
SevenT
I'd be surprised if DOT rules prohibited it - Jeep CJs had permanently mounted spare tires on body sides for years from the factory.
I can recall several Broncos in my hometown as a kid in the '80s that had theirs mounted on the 'ranch hand' bracket permanently (in fact one of those trucks still does today - 35-40 years later). The hassle of changing the tire from one side of the carrier to the other probably ensured it wasn't something you did very often and once you had it mounted in one configuration or another, you probably kept it mounted that way for awhile.
Interesting point on the 'ranch hand' bracket - I've never been able to find a mention of it anywhere in any official Ford documentation.
My dad designed and built a carrier that switched from the back of the truck to the side (like a ranch hand bracket) in about 30 seconds. We used it a lot to haul mountain bikes, pull trailers, etc. back in the day and yes, I still have a depression on my rear quarter panel where somebody (me) hit something once with the tire and pushed in the sheetmetal slightly.
GT Technology here in AZ built something similar as well - theirs used a bolt to secure it while my dad's used a homebuilt eccentric cam assembly.
Todd Z.