Carrying a Spare out front

A couple of years ago, I had my fan clutch die while driving across SD in the middle of summer while loaded over 19k lbs GCW. I made it the whole length of the state without a fan. I'm not sure if this would have been possible with a tire or box in the flow of the radiator. After that repair, I have decided to keep my front end open as much as possible and be happy I have excess cooling capacity.

I've had mine on for about 30K miles of summer/fall travel, with no overheating problems at all.

Got it from Amazon: Receiver and Carrier

I wonder how this would work when pulling/hauling a lot of weight. 23,000 Gross Weight with my setups.

It sure would be convenient, but not at the expense of my engine or transmission.

I had a front spare tire carrier long time ago in a 73 GMC 3/4 ton, with 350 engine, AT and 8 foot slide in camper - it worked fine without any issues.

If you drive it a lot on rough logging roads etc. like I did, I would suggest not bolting the tire too tight to the carrier. It is better to let it flex some by using rubber bushings etc., at least based on my experience.

It probably makes no difference if you drive mostly on smooth asphalt roads.

Jaxom wrote:
I wonder how this would work when pulling/hauling a lot of weight. 23,000 Gross Weight with my setups.

It sure would be convenient, but not at the expense of my engine or transmission.

You're hitting on the same point I made. I think the guys that are not close to their GCW have less to worry about. As the load increases, you are using more of the cooling capacity and need the unrestricted airflow. I even heard of people complaining about higher engine temperatures by going with an aftermarket grill and then having to go back to OEM...

Once I get a larger TC, I will be mounting my spare over my hitch extension rather than block the radiators.

I have a 2004 GMC 2500HD 6.6L diesel with no additional cooling system modifications. It has had a spare tire mounted on the front push cage for the last 5 years with 1976 Idle Time truck camper on the back. It is my daily driver and has been driven as far as 862 miles (Oklahoma City OK to Flagstaff AZ) in a straight 14+ hour run and to Taos NM, 520 miles in the heat of summer sometimes pulling my 28ft Aluma-Lite, Holiday Rambler BH a few times a year. Driving 400+ miles with no stops. I have a 20 gallon secondary tank that I can pump into the main tank with out stoping. I have been stuck in slow stop and go traffic in the Oklahoma summers more times than I care to think about. I have never had any over heating problems before or since I mounted the tire up there despite what many said would happen. It stands off the grill by 8 to 10 inches. I can't say it will work for you but it has worked with no problems for me for many years.

As for my mounting solution, I used 3 mounting clamps made for theatrical stage lighting, “Mega-Clamp” rated at 385 lbs each. Simply attached them to the cross bars on the push bumper, cranked the bolts down with red thread-lock on them. This is a big solid bumper not one of the light weight ones. I used sections of all thread to run through 3 of the lug-nut holes with 2 nuts on each. I also used these same clamps to attach my Hi-Lift jack to the bumper.

NautiqueFamily wrote:
Can you guys post recommended front hitch carriers that you have used?

Tractor Supply the one that is always on sale.

No need to buy a fancy overpriced one. My 65.00 cargo carrier is rated for 500 lbs and I have maxed that 4 fold helping people move stuff.

I have a hitch in front and back to accommodate a cargo carrier.

Do NOT buy the one that flips up when not in use.
Those rock back and forth when in the down position.

I carry our Honda 2K in front so here is where our extra spare goes.

Chuck

We made our own. No heating issues even when towing. We have a scangauge to watch the engine and transmission temps.