im about to get the supplies to make a hitch mouned spare tire rack. the steel shop has 1/8" wall 2"x2" tubing. is this strong enough to hold a 31" tire on a steel wheel?

thanks

 

1/8' wall? Id have to say Oh yes, should be plenty strong.

 

I am going to say NO.. Do in part to the flexing in steel as it moves. If you look at most bumpers and tire carriers they are built out of 3/16 or 1/4.

 

kind of depends on how you drive. will it support it? yes, 1/8" walla will support it just fine. Will it hold up to repeated abuse of being shaken side to side? probably not. If it is only supported by the hitch, that is a LOT of force being transferred through a 90 degree angle of 2x2 tube. Honestly I wouldnt support it by just the hitch no matter what thickness tube I had. If you can weld the tube, which it sounds like you can, build a mount that braces through your bumper (if its a stock bumper) to the stock 8 bumper bolts

 

Why wouldnt u support it from the hitch? Its just a tire... Its not like its going to break the hitch. The tire mount will break before the hitch, they sell cargo baskets and single dirtbike racks that is supported by just the hitch so a hitch mounted spare tire carrier is nothing.

 

I actually just made one and have no problems. Its just until I can get a bumper, ands its made out of 1/8, yea I could be made out of something thicker but works fine to hold a 31. Its deff not going to bend or anything. Maybe if it was holding like a 34+. The tire weighs less the 100lbs and it takes way more to bend steel tubing.

 

i think it also depends on how you build it. stress risers and what not.

 

thanks for the info.

 

cargo baskets and dirtbike racks are not designed to take the abuse of carrying that weight offroad and IMO would fail under hard wheeling. They are also mounted on a straight tube into the hitch, not a tube with a 90 degree bend and the entire weight of the tire being supported on the end of a 2'+ length of tube, increasing the torque on there even further. Mounting it to the bumper bolts has got nothing to do with breaking the hitch and everything to do with triangulation. I wouldnt expect it to break you hitch, but more expect it to break/bend your new mount

Like I said, it depends on how you wheel. It might be great for you, but my 33s and wheeling style, I wouldnt expect it to last me even one trip

 

i would expect it to block your tail light after a couple hard turns the spare weighs in the neighborhood of 97 lbs. plus where are you going to put your basket?

 

Rc just came out with a winch plate for zjs made out of 1/8" plate.. I think square tubing is a bit more stronger then plate, and that can support a winch and the force of a rig being pulled, I think tubing can handle a tire.. Again I wouldnt use a hitch carrier to hold a 35. But a 31 or something is fine as long as the carrier is built right.