HampshireHog Posted June 13, 2020 Share Posted June 13, 2020 Hello all , I’m after wisdom from the hive mind that is Lr4x4 , genuinely. I’ve had enough of the rattling, squeaking and general rhythmic drumming from the rear door mounted spare wheel of my 90, I know it’s a Land Rover etc etc .A couple of options , put up with it ,mount on the inside or mount on the bonnet I’m sure I read somewhere on here that mounting a 265/75/16 on the bonnet is a bad idea . Im after advice on the pitfalls of either mounting . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted June 13, 2020 Share Posted June 13, 2020 Heavy, very, that is all I remember about any bonnet mounted spare. A wider tread tyre will of course begin to obscure your view of the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzar Posted June 13, 2020 Share Posted June 13, 2020 Yes, heavy, but an option. I got used to the restriction in vision, but i was running a series with 205 r 16 tyres. Exposure to UV needs to be considered, so a cover helps. A "swing away" carrier on the rear door makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted June 13, 2020 Share Posted June 13, 2020 I explored this. If you are short it wont work! I put (just placed) the spare on the bonnet - my other half is 5’ 1 1/2 and when I got her to sit in the driver seat she wasnt able to see enough to drive it! Despite the vocal opinion otherwise, mine is going back up on the roof rack eventually. There will certainly be a mount up there even the spare lives in the back when space in the rear is not needed. It lived up there for ten years and I had no handling issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arjan Posted June 13, 2020 Share Posted June 13, 2020 Sparewheel carrier on the rear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HampshireHog Posted June 13, 2020 Author Share Posted June 13, 2020 Thank you all for your replies, to address the weight issue I was going to use gas rams to aid the lifting of the bonnet but retain the original prop .I was going to sit it on the bonnet as you suggested reb but it was the normal driving about I am unsure about .Gazza , I am looking at swing away carriers and have been looking at other people’s views on old threads and as you say Arian just a door mounted carrier as I’ve already got , it’s been doing an admirable job for the last 15 years . Thanks all . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 Have you checked the rear door structure? The squeaking could be crepitus of a fracture. Might be a simple repair. Failing that, rebuilding the hinges with new bronze balls and servicing and adjust the lock should sort it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Poore Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 I too explored this option but only driving around the garden / driveways at home. I've got a 265/75R16 and despite the much higher seats in mine (the L322) ones I found it severely restricted visibility. I've had an either Paddocks or Mantec (possibly Paddocks made by Mantec) swing away carrier on the back door for 15 years now. It bolts onto the tub and cross member so most of the weight is bourne by that. After my father crashed the Argo into the back door in Scotland it's been rattling and squeaking. A few days ago I found he'd cracked the door frame so welded that up and readjusted the latch. Adjusting the latch made a huge difference so if yours hasn't been done in a while it might be worth doing as it might be out of alignment as things wear. Only bit I need to do is make a "bump" stop as there's play in the wheel carrier hinge now and I can't be bothered to drill it all out and make up new bushes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 18 hours ago, Gazzar said: Yes, heavy, but an option. I got used to the restriction in vision, but i was running a series with 205 r 16 tyres. Exposure to UV needs to be considered, so a cover helps. A "swing away" carrier on the rear door makes sense. So is lifting it on to a rear door carrier. There is an easy way for that tho. I have a race yacht block and tackle to lift mine up there Oh yes I carry one on the bonnet as well. If you do use a bonnet mount, Mount the spare with the nave to the bonnet, useful space there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 A larger tyre can obscure vision a tad... 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 Had several old Land Rovers in years gone by and liked the spare on the bonnet and maybe one out the back too. That is until one day the prop collapsed while I was messing about servicing under the bonnet, not a pleasant. experience. You'll have to have some chunky gas props and strengthening to cope. Apart from obscuring the view [but you quickly get used to this] another drawback is the effect it has on the windscreen washers when travelling at speed as the turbulence behind the wheel tends to send the spray all over the place. Also, you tend to get a pool of rainwater in teh wheel, or dip in a soft cover which splashes the windscreen for a bit when you first hit the road or sends a shower down the back of the bonnet when you open it. My advice: Spare wheel carrier or sort the back door & hinges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eightpot Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 Just use a 7.50x16 as a bonnet mounted spare- much lighter, easy to see over and roughly the same diameter. Otherwise if you have good tyres fitted just carry a set of puncture plugs/some tyre weld and a pump and dump the spare altogether. I can't recall having a puncture on the road requiring a wheel change in the last 20 years.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 HH, I've tried the spare on the bonnet (albeit 25 years ago). It was fine on the road, you get used to it but if you go green laning i found it obscured the ground immediately in front making difficult to drive the lane smoothly or cleanly, so I used to end up throwing it in the back. It really is effing heavy on the bonnet, you might find gas struts to hold it up but then closing it may be tricky. Just my experience Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 1 hour ago, Mo Murphy said: HH, I've tried the spare on the bonnet (albeit 25 years ago). It was fine on the road, you get used to it but if you go green laning i found it obscured the ground immediately in front making difficult to drive the lane smoothly or cleanly, so I used to end up throwing it in the back. It really is effing heavy on the bonnet, you might find gas struts to hold it up but then closing it may be tricky. Just my experience Mo Gas struts won’t hold it up, but they’ll make lifting and lowering easier, offsetting part but not all of the weight. The suggestion of a 7.50 as a sort of a space saver is a good one, and a cover would not only protect the rubber but disguise the different tyre. It’d also be a convenient place to store or recovery rope or jump leads. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HampshireHog Posted June 15, 2020 Author Share Posted June 15, 2020 Thank you one and all , must say the comments have made me rethink the whole idea , I hadn’t given any thought to getting the bugger off the bonnet should the need arise especially looking at fridges post . Eightpots post is a good idea , are those plug affairs strictly legal for the road although I do like the idea of a space saver type spare , less weight to wrestle in the event of a flat. After reading and digesting the posts a rebuild of the hinges and fettle of the lock/latch seems the more straight forward and sensible solution . Thanks once again all . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 To be fair, Fridge's is a 37x12.5 (or close)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Poore Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 1 hour ago, HampshireHog said: are those plug affairs strictly legal for the road Not sure but if it gets you out of an emergency. One flip side is the only punctures or flats I've ever had have been off road so a space saver would have been possible but annoying. Mind you never had to put the spare on the Defender, the L322 on the other hand... I had a nail in one tyre that was arguably quite close to the limit on sidewall depending on where you measured it (KM2s so a big difficult to define tread since it has it on the side wall). After a few garages didn't want to repair it I thought what the hell I'd try a plug. Worked well despite being cautious to begin with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eightpot Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 I've used the sticky repair plugs a lot in Africa, very effective - had about six in one particularly dog eared battered old tyre before it got scrapped. (Once used a sticky plug & one of the big self tappers out of the footwell to emergency fix a hole in the bottom of the fuel tank too, worked a treat!) . Don't know about the legality in the UK, but as a get you home rather than permanent fix it's better than nowt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 I looked at this years ago - this is a 265/75R16 decided against it for obvious reasons (as all stated above). Even modelled it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HampshireHog Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share Posted June 16, 2020 Cheers Mav that’s put me off , not quite as big as fridges it would seem but still a lump 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 2 minutes ago, HampshireHog said: Cheers Mav that’s put me off , not quite as big as fridges it would seem but still a lump 👍 You needed to be able to bench press a couple of hundred kilo's too😝 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HampshireHog Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share Posted June 16, 2020 The only pressing of benches I do now is getting up off the one in the park with the grandkids . On a serious note that same point was made earlier and I hadn’t considered it but I’m seriously considering it now . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 I do have a bonnet-mounted spare in the ambulance which is a 235/85R16 and causes no problems on or off road, it's heavy to lift the bonnet but not awful and the bonnet prop is the straight rod type not the folding scissor type so maybe less prone to collapse Putting the 37 on the bonnet was only a one-time photo op, damn near killed me getting it up there it's bad enough lifting it into the boot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eightpot Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 Here's mine with a 7.50 - standard military style bonnet kit but minus the rubber cotton reel blocks which lowers the wheel a tad. Not that heavy but advisable to have the solid rod style bonnet stay rather than the hinged stay. Picking the right tyre helps a bit, some are heavier than others, especially retreads. Might help to fill it with helium 🤣 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 As above I've looked a lot at bonnet mounting and I came to the conclusion if I felt the need to actually do it then I'd put a narrow-er tyre on the spare to make it more usable on the bonnet - but with the equivalent diameter of the road tyres. My Camel 110 had a spare on the bonnet and rear door, the bonnet was pretty mangled and it was a heavy lift, but it was quite liveable with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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