Re: Options for mounting spare tire on '89 SMB
I've been through a bit of a journey to address this same issue on my 1990 E350 - I too drove, even offroad trips with no spare due to having no bracket, bad idea!
My old bracket had rusted out and putting the weight of the BFG 33' spare basically on the door hinge kinda seemed like pushing it. I don't think those filmsy OEM? spare holders were made for offroad setups.
I first purchased something like the one on that discountvantruck link, an aftermarket, model specific (allegedly) size but the mounting area didn't extend enough to bolt to the rim. Basically my mud rims were too deep. They are 17" I believe. Amazon let me return it and even paid shipping.
So then I went with the tiregate which basically plugs into the receiver hitch but maintains your use of the receiver. There are many varieties they are in Anaheim I went down there and they gave me a deal on a used one, they had lots. First I got more of the baja looking one with the ratchet straps, then swapped it for this setup I think is a bit cleaner. And it's got a bit of room behind the tire for the hi-lift or other accessories. On the sides I had a great local shop put on the receiver and fabricate new bumper corners (that bolt to the old mounts) to match it for protection, as this setup essentially replaces the old E350 bumper.
I'll try and take a pic later so you can see how it turned out. I'm very happy with it but it certainly wasn't a shoestring solution ha! Hopefully this helps!
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