My tire carrier made it yesterday. First off I must say that Steve at CBI Offorad is a great guy to work with. I love a business where I can call and talk directly to the boss about exactly what I want to buy. He called during the build to confirm a few things instead of making assumptions. It arrived 4 days after he let me know it was shipping out. You can't beat that kind of customer service. He custom made my carrier to fit on my Marlin rear bumper. The details in this thing are pretty amazing. Even the tabs to mount the license plate had nuts tacked to back for the screws. It came with all the hardware including some fancy little lights for the plate which I was unable to use unfortunately due to my giant spare. The piece that slides into the receiver has a bolt inside it that threads into a welded on nut. Once you put your hitch pin in you tighten the bolt and it acts a set screw to keep it moving AT ALL inside the receiver. There is also a similiar set up in the upright piece. With a 37 on there it is solid when you grab it and try to move it around. I highly recommend one of these if you want a simple place to put your spare. Price was $230 shipped. Here's the pics. My spare is a 37X12.50X15 to give you an idea of the placement. Visibilty is somewhat obstructed but not totally like I was expecting.

I'm looking for any suggestions people have on where to put my plate. The carrier came with a nice set up but with a 37 on there it blocked most of the plate. I think it would be great with a 35. I just zip tied it to my spare for now. Any clever ideas???

 

Sweet! Looks like it folds down to allow you to open the rear hatch?

As far as the plate, unless you bolt it to one side or the other on the bottom corner of the hatch, on the spare is probably the best place to mount it for visability.

 

looks real sweet. The tire in that pic in the back of the rig looks almost as big as the rear of the truck. LOL

 

I think im in love with your truck!

 

dang that looks good and very nive runner too

 

It is!!

 

dont park on the lawn...lol

looks nice as always

 

Ya I know I keep getting trouble with the Mrs. With the rear end locked up I keep tearing up the grass whenever I turn a little bit. If you look to the right side of the truck in the first pic you can see a big root mark from when I backed it in to wash it earlier in the day. Thanks for the comments.

 

I really like where you have the plate now. Centered and in the spare just looks sweet. If you could wire a light above it with a quick-disconnect, you'd be ready to roll.

Whats wrong with MT/R markings in the lawn? I think it adds a little character.

 

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I agree with the center of the wheel too! Make up a little bracket to hold the trick lights that came with the mount and a 2 conductor waterproof engine somewhere kinda plug. You could even find a way to drill a couple of holes in the support tube to run the wiring internal. Maybe use the rubber tube gizzs that they route the wires to the hatch with. Just thinking. Still talkin about your video you posted. Pretty truck!! Nice work!!!!
Jim

 

Many states require a "lighted" rear license plate so you might consider adding the license plate frame from the 2nd gen tire carriers. It is what I used on my rear boat anchor...I mean tire carrier.

 

I'm still working on the lighted part. I don't drive my rig cept to and from the trail but it's only a matter of time before I'm doing that in the dark one Sunday evening. Wiring is gonna be a pain because I'd have to tap into the existing lights. Thanks for the responses. I'll come up with something.

 

it may not be worth your time... i DD my truck and i havent had reverse lights or license plate lights for over a year and half and havent had any problems with the popo

 

if your truck has a trailer harness, just buy the trailer end plug and wire up your license plate light like that.

 

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Never thought of that. I do have a harness that is pretty much useless now. I'd need a 2 foot drop hitch to tow anything. My taco has a tow package for that.

 

Looks great! Not a bad price either! From the first picture, it looks like your 4runner now has quite a bit of sag to it or is it just the yard. Any plans for that, or just leave it like it is?

Man you have a bad ass 4runner. I've been following your 4runner from the beginning of your build. One day my little baby will grow up like yours!!

 

It's just the way the yard is sloped. I had it loaded to max this weekend and it was still sitting level. I'm glad I went with the 1" larger springs in the rear.

 

How much was that tire carrier from CBI??? I just ordered my rear bumper from marlin and i don't feel like sticking my tire on my roof way too top heavy you know...