[Steeze]

I'll post this here too..

Decided to sacrifice and reuse the stock hitch, so I've cut it and flipped it giving me a much higher tow point.. better departure..

It'll be mounted something like this...



Mock up...





Dialing **** in...





Im also fabricating brackets that will go between the hitch mount and the frame. These brackets will support the rear bumper and strengthened with square 1"x2". The plan is to have the skin of the bumper diamond plate and bolt on. I think it might be convenient if I could remove it. Im also taking into consideration the hinge for the tire carrier and the latch side.

Im tackling just the bumper for the moment.. but will be adding a swing arm. I'll this has to be planned out ahead of time. All said and done though it should come out nice and cheap as hell. Im thinking like $250...



On a side note... the stock plastic rear bumper cap had a decent gash in it.. a gift from the wife. I was able to get a pretty good repair with just some flammable spray on a lighter. Heat it up and use a putty knife to mold it back together.



Started making up brackets... the whole bumper is made to bolt apart. Im going for versatility here. It's essentially 3 parts... the hitch, the rear bumper, and the hinge mount. They all bolt together.

Driver bracket... in work.



This is where the hinge will sit. I've got some plastic work to get done but this gives you an idea..





I had some leftover plexiglass from my 1st gen so im using it to fill the hole in the plastic. Im going to try the JB weld for plastic and see what kind of results I get... Im also thinking about sticking a light behind it. The hinge will sit there but even a little light would be kind of cool. This is obviously not a step in any way.. there wouldn't be enough room either. Just a little window... i'll blend the piece in and bedline the seams.. should look real clean when it's done.



It'll sit something like that...



First coat of Bondo glass... im giving this stuff a shot. So far im impressed... ready for last coat.







I've got the basics of a bumper going... I've decided to reuse the stock plastic cap... It'll bolt on and off... The whole rear end is can be completely torn down... nothings permanent and I like that. Im leaving the back really open and light... maybe i'll add some things down the line... we'll see.

Here's the bumper piece... can't hardly tell I cut a hole in it.





Im going to try and grab some steel plate tomorrow and finish the bumper portion of it. So far it's been a lot of work but it's coming out great. The swing arm portion is going to have to wait... im running out of time.. gotta go back to the boat again. Plus I need to build it for a full size spare so when I get new tires i'll get the swing arm going. I built this bumper to run without the swing arm... the arm and hinge will be removable. I can even just run the bumper and no hitch. Lots of loose ends and more work to do but im geting there.

 

[Boogyman]

Corner piece looks very good after the paint. I like that the swing will be out of the way.

 

[Steeze]

Here's my idea for the crappy plastic bolts that hold the step on the plastic bumper corner... as you know they strip out and aren't the best design. Here's what im talking about...



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Use a small bit to drill through the hollow bolt.. this gives you an accurate hole for the new bolt...



Flip it over and drill a bigger hole through the front... 3 of the bolts are actual bolts so this is just replacing the plastic ones.



My hinge spot all done...



Here's all the pieces bed-lined and ready for install... Im going to let the paint dry tonight and put it all on tomorrow morning...



For the bumper I decided to go with diamond plate... I like the texture and it's something different from regular plate steel....

 

[zachbiz]

that looks incredibly clean. nice work bud. hurry up and finish so i can see it sooner.

 

[Steeze]

So I've got to get going this morning but I was able to get the bumper and the corner pieces back on... the hitch i'll mount after im done running around.

The step pieces came out great.... I would mention that if you do decide to do this... go ahead and replace all the bolts... even the 3 metal bolts are worthless... Im going to replace them one of these days.



Here's the hinge... ready for a swing arm.

 

[zachbiz]

What does the hinge mount to? Just the plastic?

 

[Steeze]

What does the hinge mount to? Just the plastic?

Hell no!!!

It's got it's own mount... It bolts to the bumper with a 1/2" grade 8 bolt. It's tucked against the frame and the bumper mount.

 

[zachbiz]

oh ok good lol.

 

[ff x]

That looks great dude. You 've got some mad skills.

 

[Steeze]

I've got the swing arm complete for the most part... I've got the stock spare mounted now but it's built for at least a 285... all considerations were made for larger and wider tires which is why it looks a little funny with a stock spare.



I've got it mounted at an angle... trying to follow the lies of the hatch keeping it as close as possible to the hinge and hatch. Mounting a tire on the far end of a swing arm cantilevers the weight putting stress on the hinge... I learned from building a tire carrier on my 1st gen that the tire is best placed closest to the hinge.





little more cleaning up to do... but it's all welded up



Unfortunately im still waiting on my latch... so I can't finish it till that comes in... im trying to figure out how to latch it with some sort of rubber where it meets the bumper... keep it from rattling and give it a snug fit.

Im also looking for a hi-lift on craigslist... no luck yet... I'll mount that on the swing arm when I find one.

 

[Roadwarrior]

Are you going to brace the arm that holds the tire? If you brace it on both sides, would that not help with the cantilevered weight of the tire?

 

[Steeze]

Are you going to brace the arm that holds the tire? If you brace it on both sides, would that not help with the cantilevered weight of the tire?

No... that would just just add more weight. It wouldn't lessen any stress on the hinge.. it would just make everything more heavy. I trust my welds... I prep the steel and burn it hot.. I don't think the 2x4 arm needs any additional support.. it's on there forever.

 

[Matt2K]

This is something I've been wondering about all the tire carriers people are building. If you look at cars with a rear tire carrier stock, they tend to have bumpers on the rear hatch that the tire butts up against and keeps the carrier from oscillating/vibrating back and forth. All of the ones people are building don't have those, the tire just stands free.

It seems like the natural vibration is always going to strain the welds on the latch/pivot. Has anyone had one crack on them? Does there need to be a certain amount of space between the carrier and rear hatch to account for those vibrations?

Interested in anyone's thoughts. I've been pondering a design for my Xterra, but the free-standing designs just seem counterintuitive.

-Matt

 

[Steeze]

This is something I've been wondering about all the tire carriers people are building. If you look at cars with a rear tire carrier stock, they tend to have bumpers on the rear hatch that the tire butts up against and keeps the carrier from oscillating/vibrating back and forth. All of the ones people are building don't have those, the tire just stands free.

It seems like the natural vibration is always going to strain the welds on the latch/pivot. Has anyone had one crack on them? Does there need to be a certain amount of space between the carrier and rear hatch to account for those vibrations?

Interested in anyone's thoughts. I've been pondering a design for my Xterra, but the free-standing designs just seem counterintuitive.

-Matt

Your right Matt the vibrations can be an issue... the goal is to have 2 points of contact where everything fits tightly and to eliminate as much vibration and strain as possible. Even vehicles with rear tire carrier's stock have vibration issues.

1 point of contact is obviously the hinge.... as long as the welds are strong vibrations aren't going to cause any problems...

The 2nd point is obviously the latch... this is where people have problems. It not only needs to be secure but resist vibration as much as possible... Im planning on using rubber in a way that it compresses and eliminates any vibrating.

Another point to bring up is the swing arm location.... a lot of people have swing arms mounted on the outside of the bumper... this is not the best design in my opinion...

I built my bumper so that the swing arm is on top. The arm is closer to the hatch and sits up higher. This to me makes more sense and it keeps everything closer to the vehicle. In a rear end collision I want the bumper taking the impact.. not the swing arm.

 

[GPD605X]

^Genius...
This is what I have been wanting to do. I dont want to pay out the wazoo for a rear bumper+tire carrier when my current bumper is just fine. I thought about hinging and having it latched to the rear hatch like this but not sure how it would really work.

 

[Boitumelosmith]

The final layout looks pretty great i guess..really creative work you got out there..thanks for sharing it with us..inspiring..think i am gonna think of getting that bumpre for my ride as well.