Thoughts on tire carrier for 1974 rebuild?

[Cats Bronco]

What are your thoughts or experiences on keeping original rear tire carrier vs. pulling it off and going without? This ‘74 model is for street driving and not off roading....

 

[broncodriver99]

Depends weather you want a spare or not. As long as you run a smallish spare, say less than 31" they work just fine anything larger and they are a no go. It is all preference, if you don't need a spare you can just pull the hoop off and leave the pivot blocks and run without. Toss the hoop in a closet or shed so you have it in case you change your mind down the road.

 

[rguest3]

I have had a few spares at 265/70/17 (31ish) with an Aluminum wheel. Not too heavy but I would not go any larger than this either on the Factory Tire Rack. Also on a street truck with not much bouncing around.

 

[Rustytruck]

My 1974 came with an inside the tailgate tire holder it held a 32 x 10.50 x 15 tire on a 8 inch wide rim and just fit behind the stock rear seat. When I went to a 12.50 x 33x 15 tire on the same 8 inch rim I had to go to a stock swing away tire carrier since it wouldnt fit behind the seat. My truck goes offroad so running without a spare is not an option. Here in L.A running without a spare and sitting on the side of a freeway waiting for a tow truck can be really a dangerious situation. Carry a spare.

 

[No Hay]

I'm keeping mine on. I want a spare. My first one in '77 didn't have one, and I got a flat 10 miles up a gravel road on Mt. Hood, 75 miles from home. It was a long hitch hike back. %)

I've thought of removing them, just because it's a cleaner look without it. But I have 10" wheels and use an 8" spare so it doesn't look as big hanging off the back. Three of my four EB's have had racks, and none have splayed the body open, YET ;D The only obvious movement mine gets, is off road.

I'm still hoping for someone here to make the stout looking bumper carriers with the stock bumper surround offered for sale.

 

[AZ73]

I pulled mine off and added one on the rear bumper. Not sure why you wouldn't want a spare.

 

[Juiceman]

I pulled mine off and added one on the rear bumper. Not sure why you wouldn't want a spare.

which carrier did you use for the rear bumper?

 

[BGBronco]

Mine is mainly an in town driver. On my last bronco, I didn't have a spare but 'liked the look' so I added the factory carrier. I wouldn't do it again personally because it makes it harder to access / use the rear area. This combined with a soft top is a real pain for the daily stuff anyway.

 

[75MIKE]

http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=267614&referrerid=47138

This is as nice as it gets.

 

[AZ73]

which carrier did you use for the rear bumper?

Mine was made by Keystone fabrication although I don't see his website anymore. It's similar to the one noted above by mike, and Protofab makes a very nice version.

https://protofab4x4.com/product/pf305/

 

[englewoodcowboy]

I'm keeping mine on. I want a spare. My first one in '77 didn't have one, and I got a flat 10 miles up a gravel road on Mt. Hood, 75 miles from home. It was a long hitch hike back. %)

I've thought of removing them, just because it's a cleaner look without it. But I have 10" wheels and use an 8" spare so it doesn't look as big hanging off the back. Three of my four EB's have had racks, and none have splayed the body open, YET ;D The only obvious movement mine gets, is off road.

I'm still hoping for someone here to make the stout looking bumper carriers with the stock bumper surround offered for sale.

Coming soon: https://www.facebook.com/6677broncos/photos/a.232430670473007/741988499517219/?type=3

 

[bronkenn]

Coming soon: https://www.facebook.com/6677broncos/photos/a.232430670473007/741988499517219/?type=3

You need to post a picture on here for those of us that don't have facebook. Thanks, Ken

 

[No Hay]

You need to post a picture on here for those of us that don't have facebook. Thanks, Ken

Ditto! Looking forward to a pic, and other options, thanks.

 

[englewoodcowboy]

Here you go. Keep in mind this is the prototype we built this weekend. It has several weeks ahead of being gone over and updated to make manufacturing and repeatability easy and uniform. All parts are going to be laser cut on a CNC so don't mind our plasma cuts etc. It is also missing the latch mechanism that is in the process of being milled to be tested. Basically you will have to drill 4 holes in your bumper, the main bracket slides in the factory frame tubes then the factory bumper slides over and all is bolted together. The tire carrier can quickly be removed if you want to remove it for trails etc. so you don't have that rear overhang or if you can change your style up like dressing a barbie. Its a really cool concept and we are stoked with how it is turning out. We expect to debut it at Super Cel on the Duck and it will be available through Duffs along with a few other items we are working on as well is what Duffs has up their sleeve. Lots of new toys and gizmos are ahead.

The tire carrier utilizes the duff carrier from their plate bumpers so if down the road you decide to upgrade from the stock look, you already own the carrier and just need to grab any of their assorted plate bumpers or tube bumpers and move the carrier over to it. The tire carrier comes with the hi lift jack mount built in, we just hung one on it for reference purposes. It will also be available with and without their receiver hitch which could be a special order option, just depends on how things roll out as far as what is in demand.

 

[Crush]

hey, how about making that support beam go full width so the drivers corner of the bumber is protected against bends too instead of ending at the drivers frame rail. then if you want you could put the duff cooler rack on that side

 

[englewoodcowboy]

hey, how about making that support beam go full width so the drivers corner of the bumber is protected against bends too instead of ending at the drivers frame rail. then if you want you could put the duff cooler rack on that side

Thought about that but at that point if you want a cooler rack you are going to want more than a stock bumper. Adding the cooler rack would also cover up the stock bumper appearance at that point so it just doesn’t make a lot of sense at the moment.

 

[sprdv1]

What are your thoughts or experiences on keeping original rear tire carrier vs. pulling it off and going without? This ‘74 model is for street driving and not off roading....

Go with the look you like and what looks good to you....

The rear bumpers w/tire carrier are a great addition to any of our classics..

 

[BradinEDH]

Dang, I just bought the Duff hitch to put my bike rack in and was still exploring how I am going to carrier the spare.... Looks interesting. I will keep an eye out for the finished product.

 

[No Hay]

Nice work englewoodcowboy!

I like the fact it can be quickly removed and used with other Duff bumpers.

 

[Scott_T]

Here is a preview of another spare carrier solution that I have been developing which is designed to work with the stock rear bumper. The pictures below are of the first prototype that I have been running on my bronco for the last 8 months or so. The CAD files are almost complete for a design update to improve the usability of the latch as well as some general manufacturability improvements. This setup will bolt up using existing holes and features in the frame and bumper so no modifications are required to the stock components. Future plans include a front bumper mounted Hi-lift jack mount like the prototype shown in the last photo. This bolts up to the stock frame horn locations and moves the stock front bumper out a bit to provide room for the jack in front of the grill. The stock front bumper-ettes can be retained as well. I will post details in the vendor forum as things get closer to completion.