strap it to the top

 

gives it character...

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/offroad/august2002/PDC_0151.JPG

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/offroad/august2002/PDC_0182.JPG

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/offroad/august2002/PDC_0145.JPG

Ok... this is my plan... andi don't think it will work without some modding but i'll throw the plan out anyway...

 

 

why don't you cut off the tire mount bracket out from under the hood then weld it too some steel sheetmetal or maybe some bar... then weld the bar or sheetmetal too the back of the hatch...

 

vuala!!! you bolt the tire on using the original hardware and you don't have to worry about having to open the tire to open the hatch...

 

now you will probably have to get some new air shocks for the hatch...

 

this is definatly not a make the car look nice way of doing it... but if the tire is on then knowone will ever know that underneath the hatch is ugly...

 

also... i don't know if the hatch by itself is strong enough to hold the tire... thats what the bar was for... to spread the load...

 

ok thats my scoop!

That tire carrier I installed was off a Cherokee and yes I did have to beef up the inside of the car for that upper hinge mount. It came out looking ok considering it's just bolted on and I didn't have a welder and was just making it work. Inretrospect I should have build one from scratch.

It is a minor pain having to swing the tire out to open the hatch. It also blocks vision and would do some damage if back into a tree or something. But I didn't want the tire on the roof because it'd either block my sunroof or hog the cargo basket.

Then there's the weight distribution issue. On the roof the spare tire could make the car more top-heavy. Hanging the tire out back... the tire carrier and steel bumper added a bunch of weight and I could really feel the change of balance in the car. Pros and cons either way.

If I did it again I might put the tire above the hatch sort of like Lumpycam did on Unhatched or else build an "L" shaped rear mount tire carrier that hinged off the left side of the bumper like other guys have done but with the tire up high so the bumper would hit first if I back into a tree. Or maybe I'd stand the tire up on the left side of the cargo area...hmmm might have to try that.

im torn between the idea of the tire on the top or off the back. i think stickin it to left inside is out since i want maximum space in the back. i may one day want to squezze my 6'1 body back there to sleep!

im thinking along the lines of a triangle structure off the back that pivots down rather than left or right. i also want to be able to carry a bike off the tire so it has to be very rigid and centered. maybe upgrade to chrome bumpers so i can mount it above the bumper, its a big concern about destroying the rear end if i back into something since vision is reduced. i guess maybe the basket on the roof would be the best idea. those pics you put up of the hatches were very cool... i like the grizzly mountain decal that is too cool.

 

what else do you guys think? any other options off the back of the car.

That tire carrier I installed was off a Cherokee and yes I did have to beef up the inside of the car for that upper hinge mount. It came out looking ok considering it's just bolted on and I didn't have a welder and was just making it work. Inretrospect I should have build one from scratch.

It is a minor pain having to swing the tire out to open the hatch. It also blocks vision and would do some damage if back into a tree or something. But I didn't want the tire on the roof because it'd either block my sunroof or hog the cargo basket.

Then there's the weight distribution issue. On the roof the spare tire could make the car more top-heavy. Hanging the tire out back... the tire carrier and steel bumper added a bunch of weight and I could really feel the change of balance in the car. Pros and cons either way.

If I did it again I might put the tire above the hatch sort of like Lumpycam did on Unhatched or else build an "L" shaped rear mount tire carrier that hinged off the left side of the bumper like other guys have done but with the tire up high so the bumper would hit first if I back into a tree. Or maybe I'd stand the tire up on the left side of the cargo area...hmmm might have to try that.

do you have any pics of the unhatched?

Go look at my TWB Fabrications site I have pics of tire racks and bumper racks there

I was interested in a bumper mounted tire rack too. I snowboard and wakeboard a lot, and i carry the boards on a rack on the roof, then i have all my gear in hatch of my 83 wagon. I thought that a bumper rack would be the best way to carry a 28in spare tire.

David