BluFerd, our ’79 Ranch Raptor (aka F-150) is a good truck, but even though it’s shod with the tough General Grabbers we’d hate to walk home from the back forty if we ever encounter a flat tire. We mounted up a fifth 35-inch Grabber on a 15x8 Mickey Thompson Sidebiter as a spare tire and in an afternoon wrangled a homebrew bedside mount for the big rubber. Our goal was simple: Head to the local farm supply hardware store and come home with parts to build a simple yet tough mount for the spare, all while keeping bed space open for hauling lumber, logs, bales, and hogs. Mounting the spare underneath is a good option, but many larger tires don’t fit in the stock location. As a challenge we wanted to see if we could do it without the welder or tube bender, as many readers don’t have those higher-dollar tools. Here’s what we came up with for under $50. You could probably do it even cheaper. Our supplies included a 2x3⁄16-inch steel strap, a 2-inch pipe with threaded ends and a screw-on base, angle iron, a 3⁄4x9-inch bolt, and a bunch of 3⁄8-inch bolts, washers, and nuts. Tools include a tape measure, an Ingersoll Rand cordless drill, a Harbor Freight Tools step drill bit, a Kobalt hammer from Lowes, Craftsmen wrenches, and a way to cut metal like a hack, chop, or reciprocating saw.Our supplies included a 2x3⁄16-inch steel strap, a 2-inch pipe with threaded ends and a sc We had to bend the 2-inch strap so we put in a vise and pounded it over with the hammer. An anvil, bumper, or heavy work bench mixed with a stong C-clamp could work the same.We had to bend the 2-inch strap so we put in a vise and pounded it over with the hammer. A The angle iron gets cut to 11 inches, and 43⁄8-inch holes are drilled as shown. The 2-inch strap is cut to match the floor-to-bedrail height and gets two holes for the floor and two to match the center of the angle iron.The angle iron gets cut to 11 inches, and 43⁄8-inch holes are drilled as shown. The 2-inch We matched the holes in the bracket to the bedrail and the floor of the truck. After a coat of primer and paint we were ready to bolt the bracket in place (use washers on both sides). We added a 3⁄4-inch hole in line with the center of the wheel and slid in the 9-inch bolt. Note the 1⁄4-inch hole in the end of the bolt for a padlock. The pipe was threaded into the base plate and cut down to about 7 inches total.We matched the holes in the bracket to the bedrail and the floor of the truck. After a coa The pipe slides through the wheel center and over the 9-inch bolt with the base plate secure against the wheel center. Two washers, a nut, and a padlock secure the tire from bouncing away while we’re exploring rough pastures.The pipe slides through the wheel center and over the 9-inch bolt with the base plate secu SOURCES General Tire 1800 Continental Drive Charlotte NC 28288 800-847-3349 www.generaltire.com Ingersoll Rand N/A CA www.irtools.com Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels 4600 Prosper Drive Stow OH 44224 330-928-9092 www.mickeythompsontires.com Kobalt Tools 800-445-6937 www.kobalttools.com Harbor Freight 3491 Mission Oaks Blvd Camarillo CA 93011 800-444-3353 www.harborfreight.com Craftsman www.craftsman.com By Fred Williams Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
