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Old 06-17-2019, 06:33 AM   #1
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New Style Aluminess Tire Carrier Problems

Has anybody else found the new, adjustable, one-size-fits-all tire carrier from Aluminess to be problematic? The wheel stud in the slotted holes is a huge pain and every time I rotate my tires I have to re-adjust the height of the mount so the tire rests on the two horizontal legs or else the tire is in mid air and wobbles badly. I took a video of it but can't get it small enough to upload. It just seems so flimsy.



The question is if everybody else is having the same complaints or am I missing something in how it's supposed to be set up? Has anybody come up with a simple solution to make this thing more sturdy?



Right now I'm looking at using the old style plate with the three fixed lugs and welding it in place similar to the original design, but if somebody has come up with something simpler I'd prefer not to have to do a bunch of fab and paint.

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Old 06-17-2019, 08:14 AM   #2
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Maybe you could post a picture if you can’t post a video?
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Old 06-17-2019, 08:52 AM   #3
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The video just showed how much it wobbles. It does that because unless you adjust it, with tire wear it no longer touch the horizontal supports (red arrows, picture from Aluminess website). The actual piece holding the wheel on is just two pieces of (I'm going from memory here) 3x1/8 angle bolted together to give it length adjustment, and then uses two u-clamps to hold it to the swingarm and to give it vertical adjustment from the horizontal supports.

I understand what they are attempting to do; make a universal fit so they don't have to have several different weldment designs, but it really comes off as flimsy. They claimed they tested it, but it just seems like a lot of stress and fatigue from all the movement and I'd hate to lose a 35" spare going down the highway. Or out in the middle of nowhere for that matter.

I suppose if I didn't do a five tire rotation it would work fine because you'd only have to set it once and forget it, but my OCD can't handle it...
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Old 06-17-2019, 09:06 AM   #4
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Can you poke your phone inside the carrier and show a pic of the actual mount?

Having those support arms seems like a sound concept. One thing you could probably do is adjust it 3/8" low, then mount the spare with low tire pressure, and reinflate it after it's bolted to the carrier. This will make height adjustment less critical, and make it more snug.
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Old 06-17-2019, 11:36 AM   #5
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You might get some other ideas if you contact either Dave Hoskins, Owner, or Kenny the product designer at Aluminess. Dave is always interested in hearing feedback on his products or customer service, and I've found them to be extremely service oriented. I'm sure they would be interested in helping you. I've got the old style mount, so I don't really have a clear idea on what your faced with. Best of luck.
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Old 06-17-2019, 01:10 PM   #6
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Just thinking out of the box, and trying to keep the resolve simplistic...Is it possible to drill holes at the ends of the protruding tubes, that would accept one of those adjustable furniture bolts - the ones that have the wide flat disc that sits on the floor. Just invert it so the wide disc end would raise up to meet the bottom of the tire when you give it several turns (turning it to raise it up or down) till it meets the bottom of the tire. keep it locked in place with a two hex head bolts - Could do this both front and back of each of the bars the tire is supposed to rest on (4 total for some stability).
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Old 06-17-2019, 05:08 PM   #7
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This is the view of the actual bracket. The second picture is 90deg off and I can't figure out how to rotate it.


The air down and furniture feet are good ideas, I'll play with those. Thanks!



I had the old style mount, but got rear ended. The old style with the new horizontal support bars would be ideal in my mind.
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Old 06-17-2019, 08:17 PM   #8
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This piece could be shorter so the sidewall can contact the vertical bars. I have not cut mine yet to make it shorter. It slides but does not shorten enough.
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I have to use an offset of the lug holes to shift the tire/wheel laterally. Then adjust the vertical u-bolts to have the tire rest on one of the horizontal bars (until the tire wear creates an issue but at least the sidewall will be in contact)
The lateral shift allows me with 33’s to open the right side rear door without unlatching the spare. It does start to block the driver side tail light though.

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Old 06-17-2019, 09:00 PM   #9
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Just my 1cent on this but I would loosen the two clamps on the riser mount the wheel with low air pressure and get it looking good and tighten then air up. Seems simple and I would use the top and bottom lug holes.
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Old 06-18-2019, 12:37 AM   #10
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Can anyone chime in on the short vs. long support straps that span from the upper door hinge to the upright brush guard pole?

Which did you choose? Why?

How did you offset (or bend according to the instructions) for the strap to attach flush?

This is where I hit the pause button on my install today (new style bumper with spare tire and box). Seems that I either pull the upright AWAY from the hinge to make the long strap work, or push toward the hinge to get the shorty to work. Just doesn’t feel right to have to crank down on the hardware and force it into position.

I’ll try to get pics up soon. Kinda hoping there’s a trailblazer in front of me that’s already figured this detail out. Thank you to all forum members.
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