Gringo Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 We have added a second Defender, this one a 2005 110. This is in addition to the '05 D-90 we have been driving full time for the past two years. We were not really looking for a second vehicle, but a local construction company is liquidating a number of assets trying to survive the economy, and in this little podunk country we live in it is rare to see a used Defender come up for sale. Besides, we needed something with more seats, locking doors, a hard top, an air con etc. And the price was right. I asked the guy arranging the sale why the vehicles did not have spare tires mounted on the rear doors. The mount is there, and looks pretty solid. The manager for the construction company told me that they had removed the spares from ALL of their Defenders, because they were tired of the bolts ripping out through the aluminum rear doors. I can believe this. The roads are very rough here. I just moved the spare on the 90 back inside the bed, although I had just bought, imported, and installed a swing away mount for it less than two years ago. The rough roads were just beating it to death. So, my question is whether or not any of you guys have ever made up a set of reinforcement plates for the inside of the rear door? I was thinking if i got two thick strips of aluminum and drilled them to match the hole pattern, or alternatively one large piece, perhaps I could beef that mount up enough that it would take the pounding and not pull the bolts though. Is this a common problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirkthe1 Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 if you search the forum theres loads on it and the various options of wheel carrying-swing away carriers, bonnet mounts, rear door, inside, etc, etc. im geussing your talking about some sort of spreading plate/intetior bracing bar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gringo Posted May 15, 2009 Author Share Posted May 15, 2009 Oh, I have already run the gamut on the D-90. It came with the spare on the inside. I didn't like that, because it took up too much room, and obscured rear vision, etc. So we moved it to a bonnet mount. This was even MORE unsuitable for a number of reasons. I then bought, imported, and installed a swing away mount, which we have used for over a year. But it, too, proved unsuitable in the end. I just removed it, and put the spare back inside where it started. Not ideal, but the best place for it on a soft top D-90. Now, the rear door mounted carrier on the 110 seems to be a possibly reasonable choice for that vehicle. It doesn't allow the weight of the tire to lever against the offset hinges like the swing-away design does. When that door is closed, it seems to be well reinforced around the edges. The previous owners have removed the spare, due to failures of the mounting bolts on a number of other identical vehicles. I was told that the weight of the tire pulled the mounting bolts through the aluminum. I already know from experience that while picturesque, the bonnet mounts are unsuitable. It was a costly experiment for me the last time around. Now I am curious as to whether any other forum members have fabricated some kind of reinforcement plate to fit inside the door and spread the load of the tire on the 110. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Not heard of the later spare mount pulling it's bolts throught the door skins, that rear door is all steel not alloy skin on steel frame, the spare probably pulled the bolts because of the ground conditions & the way the vehicles were driven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gringo Posted May 16, 2009 Author Share Posted May 16, 2009 Well, yes, the roads are rough, and the vehicle needs to be able to handle that. It's a Land Rover. Rough roads are their claim to fame, I think. I am actually not too happy to have to be modifying one to do what it is supposedly designed to do in the first place. I suppose I need to take the plastic inside door liner off and see what we have in there. I don't like driving around here without a spare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oap Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Well, yes, the roads are rough, and the vehicle needs to be able to handle that. It's a Land Rover. Rough roads are their claim to fame, I think. I am actually not too happy to have to be modifying one to do what it is supposedly designed to do in the first place. I suppose I need to take the plastic inside door liner off and see what we have in there. I don't like driving around here without a spare. Im pretty sure this will only move the problem to the door hinges. The wheel mount on my 110 is solid but then it rattles hell out of the back door. If I dont get a swing away carrier soon Ill be replacing the door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gringo Posted May 16, 2009 Author Share Posted May 16, 2009 Im pretty sure this will only move the problem to the door hinges. The wheel mount on my 110 is solid but then it rattles hell out of the back door. If I dont get a swing away carrier soon Ill be replacing the door. Well, dang, I hate to hear that. But thanks for the information, I was kinda afraid that would be the answer. The swing away carrier I have for the D-90 was a total pain in the glute. Its a shame that in all these years LR couldn't seem to come up with a single good way to carry a spare tire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 The new type 2002 onwards carriers are better and when something does break its usually the external frame not the door, so its easier and cheaper to fix. People (and sometimes roads) here break them though they do last better than the old ones. However my experience is that the majority of rear door problems are at least (and usually more than) 50% down to people slamming the back door unnecessarily hard with a spare wheel on it - if the bluddy thing won't shut without treating it like that then it needs fixing, not battering it till it breaks. Likewise for side doors, I had a "door slammer" in the vehicle the other day who was beating the carp out of the passenger door every time he shut it and I had to try very hard not to yell at him. I've got a 33x12.50R15 on the back door of mine at the moment and while it is a bit heavy for the door, it is OK as long as it is treated carefully. Having the door adjusted properly so it doesn't rattle over every bump is the next most important thing to not abusing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oap Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 . Having the door adjusted properly so it doesn't rattle over every bump is the next most important thing to not abusing it. Yes good advice, but Iv tried that and failed to stop it ratteling on every bump maybe the hinges are allready past it. I have a 235-85-16 on it so thats basicly the standard size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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