Spare Tire Space Usage

[Food2000]

Boring idea but.. i honestly filled the storage space underneath the rear seats fairly quick.

I'd honestly buy a storage box that was low profile enough to not get caught wheeling and had a accessible latch.

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[booneja]

Boring idea but.. i honestly filled the storage space underneath the rear seats fairly quick.

I'd honestly buy a storage box that was low profile enough to not get caught wheeling and had a accessible latch.

what would you use it for?...….not a lot of access while in uneven terrain, could be hard to get at if you need something from there....could be good for recovery gear, but limited access when you really need it......

an on board fresh water tank would be good with the obligatory skid plate for protection of course, add a pump to the aux switch and a nozzle and you have a system.

 

[Food2000]

I was thinking maybe recovery gear, tools and "extra stuff." i was thinking maybe a system that allows for easier access if need be.

Extra fuel / water are both great ideas. I'd probably want to test my rig out some more and see what space i would actually need...

 

[booneja]

Maybe something for extra "safety" gear, for those individuals that do not come fully prepared for breakdowns and may need an extra blanket or flares, or survival gear in back country until help arrives.....I'm usually over prepared for things, I pack a survival bag even for when I am kayaking only a few meters from shore, just in case, lol...the ex-military mind in me still working (better to be prepared and not need than to need and not have)

 

[Beowulf]

I'd be shocked if LongRanger doesn't come out with either a larger OEM tank replacement, Aux Tank along the Exhaust (for Petrols), and/or a spare tire void filler tank.

 

[Rummie]

I'd be shocked if LongRanger doesn't come out with either a larger OEM tank replacement, Aux Tank along the Exhaust (for Petrols), and/or a spare tire void filler tank.

They still show it as "in development". 17 gallons. I bet if someone bought one they would make it. $2095.

https://longrangeamerica.com/shop-tanks/

edit - looks like they are different companies.

 

[MOJAVEC22]

Have any of you came across any products for storage in that location? I carry my 37” spare in the bed on long trips so I was thinking of carrying fuel down there, and somehow mounting my little puma hot dog air compressor.

 

[HooliganActual]

Have any of you came across any products for storage in that location? I carry my 37” spare in the bed on long trips so I was thinking of carrying fuel down there, and somehow mounting my little puma hot dog air compressor.

I know you've resurrected an old thread here and I can honestly say that I haven't searched for the aftermarket solutions for which you've asked; but I do spend a lot of time searching for innovative products to optimize my overlanding experience, been to some Expos and I've not seen anyone marketing things for the spare tire hole.

The real question for me is why would you want to put something in the spare tire location and then throw the spare in the bed? That is counter intuitive to me. Maybe there are solutions to what you really want to do...

I guess my first thought is why don't you just mount your spare under the bed and not have to worry about throwing it in the bed? My 37" Toyo R/T fits under there if I drop the pressure to ~20#. That's around the same pressure I run when offroading; so if I damage a tire offroad, the spare is ready to go. If I lose one on pavement, then I just have to air it up to road pressures.

I would advise against mounting a compressor down there. Most compressors are going to operate most effectively when clean, dry and cool. Hidden away down there it would likely get very dirty which could cause it to run hot and not work as well. Being hidden away like that, you also wouldn't know, unless you crawled under and checked every time, if the inlet is blocked (packed with leaves, or trail/road debris, etc). Just not a great place to put a compressor IMHO.

Similarly, mounting a compressor under the hood is also not the greatest either because of the engine heat. Mine is mounted behind the driver side rear seat. Nice and cool and clean.

As far as storage down there, I personally would think it to be a PITA to have to crawl under the back of the vehicle to access something. I mean honestly, it's a PITA to climb under there for the tire on the rare occasions it is needed.

Just my $0.02 USD

Not trying to naysay here and I do want to be helpful, but what problem are you truly trying to solve. I've owned Jeep's for 40 years, currently own 3 Jeeps and have a fully built out JTR for overlanding. There's lots of helpful folks here with lots of great ideas; so what "problem" are you really trying to solve?

 

[Artsifrtsi]

The real question for me is why would you want to put something in the spare tire location and then throw the spare in the bed? That is counter intuitive to me. Maybe there are solutions to what you really want to do...

Exactly this.

And for those that say they don't need it when just running around locally... how valuable is your time? Get a flat, have to get someone (or get home and back) to bring you your spare tire to change before continuing...

 

[MOJAVEC22]

The real question for me is why would you want to put something in the spare tire location and then throw the spare in the bed? That is counter intuitive to me. Maybe there are solutions to what you really want to do...

Just my $0.02 USD

Hey thanks for the advice, I’m open to all of it. I’ve tried to mount my Yokohama down there and it doesn’t tuck between the 2 frame rails, it would sit tilted down on one side. I believe it was really close to, if not touching the track bar. Also I have hit the hitch before offroading so I don’t want to keep my 37 down there, especially lop sided hanging down even further just waiting to get damaged. Around town it would work but I just keep it in the bed.

That’s a great point about the air compressor being dusty down there. Crossing that idea off Forsure. If anything just the tank, but I don’t think I want to do all that plumbing.

It would defintely be emergency situations only, so I don’t mind the hassle it would be to get down there if such emergencies happened. And I would keep it nice and high, higher than a spare would be.

It’s not really a “problem” I’m trying to solve, it’s more of making use of a space I’m not using. This past weekend I had enough fuel to make it to a camping spot and back, 70-80 miles of dirt. Some of it was really rocky/slow, and I was towing my trailer. I was worried about checking out other viewpoints because no extra fuel. I could have done a bit more exploring with the extra fuel, so I just starting thinking of places I could store it.

I’m thinking of downsizing from towing my camper trailer, to something like a GFC camper top instead. Trailer is nice but I had to go even slower in already slow rocky sections. So making storage out of unused space is the motive.

@Artsifrtsi
I agree, I always carry a spare.

thanks for the input ?

 

[MOJAVEC22]

Came across this yesterday. Somewhat appealing. This is on a 4 runner I believe. I would have to figure something out for the Gladiator.

 

[Artsifrtsi]

Came across this yesterday. Somewhat appealing. This is on a 4 runner I believe. I would have to figure something out for the Gladiator.

Wow... without some plate protection for that, it's a really rudimentary bomb waiting to go off... just a wrong drop and drag away from boom-town...

@MOJAVEC22 try the slight deflate idea for your 37. It's definitely no wider than my 35's, so won't hang any lower than what my spare does... I've dropped off a few ledges, and the hitch still hits before the spare. The one time I managed to rub the spare on anything, I was going slow enough that it just scuffed the rubber a little... and the spare hangs pretty side up, so scuffs are not seen.

 

[HooliganActual]

@MOJAVEC22 - I agree with @Artsifrtsi that you should try airing the tire down. My 37" Toyo R/T will not fit if I leave it inflated to road pressures. I also agree that it is probably not likely to hit anything going down the trail. I'm not sure what size lift you have, but you look to be sitting as high as mine (gap from top of rear tire to the wheel well) and I have hit my receiver several times but not my tire...that I can tell.

Could it happen? Sure. Will it happen to a level that damages the spare making it unusable? Probably not. And in full disclosure, I am making a S.W.A.G. in that statement based soley on the fact that I've not seen anyone selling spare tire armor/skid plates.

Now here's an answer to one of your questions:
https://trailedonline.com/product/traild-6-gallon-spare-tank/

A bit pricey at $200 for the 6 gallon and $379 for the 12 gallon. But it is out there.

I might consider some kind of plywood or metal "skid" plate for it though. I'd be way more worried about a rock hitting a gas can than a spare tire...LOL

 

[MOJAVEC22]

@Artsifrtsi ahh you might be right, now I’m picturing the rear going into flames lol I guess it would be a bit sketchy without metal plates. Someone on the forum I got the pic from said it reminded them of the ford pinto lawsuits ?

I could’ve swore I tried it deflated but I don’t remember how low on then psi I dropped too. I’m going to give it another shot this weekend with ~20 psi. I always carry my compressor on offroad trips anyway.

@HooliganActual im sitting on a 2” AEV lift. And now that I remember correctly, I last hit my hitch before the 37s and lift. But I always have that fear now. I’ve seen that water pack actually, it’s pricey and I don’t think it’s rated for fuel. Probably for liability reasons.

You both have a valid point it probably won’t damage too much if it did happen to catch the tire down. I don’t crawl rocks I do more overlanding type offroad, exploring and camping. I’ll report back in the next few days.

BTW, do you both have stock rear track bars? Does the tire ever rub?

 

[Artsifrtsi]

@Artsifrtsi ahh you might be right, now I’m picturing the rear going into flames lol I guess it would be a bit sketchy without metal plates. Someone on the forum I got the pic from said it reminded them of the ford pinto lawsuits ?

I could’ve swore I tried it deflated but I don’t remember how low on then psi I dropped too. I’m going to give it another shot this weekend with ~20 psi. I always carry my compressor on offroad trips anyway.

@HooliganActual im sitting on a 2” AEV lift. And now that I remember correctly, I last hit my hitch before the 37s and lift. But I always have that fear now. I’ve seen that water pack actually, it’s pricey and I don’t think it’s rated for fuel. Probably for liability reasons.

You both have a valid point it probably won’t damage too much if it did happen to catch the tire down. I don’t crawl rocks I do more overlanding type offroad, exploring and camping. I’ll report back in the next few days.

BTW, do you both have stock rear track bars? Does the tire ever rub?

I do have the stock TB, but I’ve got a couple more inches of clearance at the diameter of the tire… 35x12.5x17 tires…

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