One of the top 3 questions I get regarding our roof racks is "How do you secure the spare tire?"
I've toyed with a few different hard-mounted spare tire mounts, but didn't like any of them. The number one reason is the loss of flexibility of the roof rack itself. Having a bulky piece of steel welded firmly right in the middle of the rack really limits its functionality.
So, the answer is a ratchet strap. Not just any old cheap ratchet strap though, because a cheap strap will break and dump your tire out (and hopefully on the trail and not on the road...) and because a cheap ratchet mechanism will rust and/or bend, making for a real pain in the butt when you need that spare tire off of there!
The solution - get yourself a B. Lee's Off Road Stainless Steel ratchet strap. SS heavy-duty ratchet, 1100lb strap, and long enough to secure a good-sized spare (It'll fit a 36x14.50 easily).
$25.00 + tax locally, $30.00 shipped via USPS flat rate Priority Mail.
Pics coming momentarily...
PM me for ordering options.
I've toyed with a few different hard-mounted spare tire mounts, but didn't like any of them. The number one reason is the loss of flexibility of the roof rack itself. Having a bulky piece of steel welded firmly right in the middle of the rack really limits its functionality.
So, the answer is a ratchet strap. Not just any old cheap ratchet strap though, because a cheap strap will break and dump your tire out (and hopefully on the trail and not on the road...) and because a cheap ratchet mechanism will rust and/or bend, making for a real pain in the butt when you need that spare tire off of there!
The solution - get yourself a B. Lee's Off Road Stainless Steel ratchet strap. SS heavy-duty ratchet, 1100lb strap, and long enough to secure a good-sized spare (It'll fit a 36x14.50 easily).
$25.00 + tax locally, $30.00 shipped via USPS flat rate Priority Mail.
Pics coming momentarily...
PM me for ordering options.
These work just as good for securing your spare tire to your factory roof crossbars. While a Trail Rack would be really sweet, it's not neccesary to mount your spare up there!
Inexpensive spare tire solutions, regardless of whether you have a B. Lee's Off Road roof rack or your using another rack or your factory luggage bars.
