Relocating Spare Tire & Storage Trunk Carrier

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   My naïve take looking at the photos is that this setup will work great in the driveway but I'm not so sure about what will happen when hitting bumps at 65 MPH.
Hey Pod People...what's with the flamingos?

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Pod_Geek Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 04 Dec 2019 Location: Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 261	Topic: Relocating Spare Tire & Storage Trunk Carrier Posted: 19 Apr 2021 at 9:26am
	My naïve take looking at the photos is that this setup will work great in the driveway but I'm not so sure about what will happen when hitting bumps at 65 MPH. Hey Pod People...what's with the flamingos?
	2020.5 R-Pod 195 Hood River 2018 RAM 2500 6.4L

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 19 Apr 2021 at 8:32am
	Just to be clear, reinforcing the hitch area will not help protect the frame from bending. That will occur at the axle attachment points if it is going to. I believe Marwayne reinforced his frame over it's full length as part of his mods. There is a very good reason FR limits the load on that hitch, and extending it further from the axle at the same weight is just as bad as adding more weight.
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Pod People Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 22 Sep 2011 Location: Chapel Hill,NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 1088	Posted: 19 Apr 2021 at 7:35am
	We reinforced our hitch by adding a 2" receiver, an additional 2"x2" steel cross member, angle iron and use a hitch tightner on the shank. We use it for a bike rack. here is the new 2" receiver added to the existing 1 1/4" receiver here you can see the new 2x2 cross member and the angle iron connecting the rear of the receiver to the new cross member here is the hitch tightner with the shank In addition, we also added an eyebolt at each end of the frame and connected cam straps from the frame(eye bolts) to the carrier. This helps to eliminate any side to side or up/down motion. All of the welds were done professionally. I also added a second set of taillights about 30" above the stock units as the carrier blocks the original lights. You are taking a risk by reinforcing the area and carrying a lot of weight that is cantilevered beyond the frame.and should consider the consequences. Vann
	Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179

jato Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3345	Posted: 19 Apr 2021 at 6:44am
	I agree, a LOT of reinforcing will be necessary for this to adequately function w/o a nasty result as in a bent frame or cracked hitch and support members. As you are likely aware, there will be a lot of bouncing going on and the 'cantilever effect' will take its toll unless major welding takes place to support all that weight. There have been numerous members who have been successful in this venture however and the one that comes to the forefront is what Marwayne accomplished on his R-Pod. You can see it here: Go to non-pod discussion, then mods, maintenance tips and tricks and then click on the topic that states "generator on rear cargo carrier."
	God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."

amesghali Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 16 Aug 2020 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5	Posted: 18 Apr 2021 at 11:53pm
	Hello everyone, My next modification was Relocating Spare Tire and installing a Storage Trunk Carrier in the existing hitch receiver. I removed the existing spare hardware and relocated the spare using the BAL 28217 Hide-A-Spare Tire Storage Mount. I installed a MaxxHaul 70355 1-1/4" to 2" Hitch Adapter with 4" Rise and 3-3/8" Drop and a CURT 18153 60 x 24-Inch Basket Hitch Cargo Carrier. I also found this 16 CU Ft Buyers Products - 1712255 Black Poly All-Purpose Chest. It fits perfectly in the carrier. I drilled a couple of holes in the chest and carriage bolted it through the bottom of the carrier. The large storage chest is great. I have enough room for two small generators, one 5-gallon gas container and two 6-gallon water containers. However, with the weight limitations of the original 1" receiver, I won't be putting the full water containers in there during travelling. I need to find a solution to strengthen the 1" hitch somehow. One note on the BAL spare tire system - it is a total royal pain to get the spare in and out of that thing. I understand that's not a thing that I will be doing often, but I dread the first time that I will need to change a flat.. lol