tire carriers arnt good

i have a 1999 blazer and it came home from the shop yesterday, what happened to it was that the spare tire carrier did not latch properly and when I rounded a corner the tire swung out and put dent by the hinges
Repair cost $950
Insurance did cover it
Anybody else have this problem
it can be fixed by replacing the bracket on the back of the truck, it is a $34 part that can save you a whole lot of trouble
 

I just took mine right off.  Couldn't stand the rattling and limited visibility out of the rear window.  Later on, I'm going to weld up the holes, paint it, and put a basket on my roof rack and mount the tire up there.  But, yeah, I have heard of an improved latch assy.  

hm, that sucks man, and i wanted one on my truck. guess ill stick with the inside mount!

Do you think the new latch would stop the rattling as well? Mine rattles on and off too.
 
Also, one time the spare tire swung open as well as I was backing out of my driveway.  Not completely sure it wasn't user error, but dont think so.

Hey Zero,   I wouldn't put the tire on top if you are going to do any rock climbing or serious offroading. The tire will add too much extra weight to the top, making it more rollover prone.

The previous owner of my truck busted out the back window by not latching the spare tire carrier properly, also left a pretty nasty dent in the tailgate. The only reason I know this is because the new rear glass doesn't have a wiper and my truck is equipped for one.

Oh yeah....on my old '91 I took the mirror off a parked car as I rounded the corner and the spare swung out.  Made the loudest noise I'd ever heard (at the time anyway....after getting hit much later in the '91 I decided that that was much louder...). 

quote:

ORIGINAL: EuroGoldLS

Hey Zero,   I wouldn't put the tire on top if you are going to do any rock climbing or serious offroading. The tire will add too much extra weight to the top, making it more rollover prone.

I'm not planning on any rock crawling.  Mabye if i lived near moab or something, that would be a different story.  I don't plan on going too extreme seeing how it's my DD.  I've seen pleanty of lifted rigs around with the tire on top and no ones had a problem. 

i havent had any rattling after i got the new bracket and the tire is much easier to open and close

we never really had a problem with the spare tire being in the back.. i think it's pretty convenient.. and in my opinion, it doesn't really limit the visibility.. as you can see over the tire.. but i'd take that back if the truck was lifted.. then, it'd be a problem .. 

here's what I have, a nice backup incase the primary latch fails
http://sblazer.com/hotratz_latch.html

How much you want for that tire carrier?

quote:

ORIGINAL: mx416

here's what I have, a nice backup incase the primary latch fails
http://sblazer.com/hotratz_latch.html

 
Nifty! I'll have to get one of those as soon as I get a new tailgate and a back glass with the rear wiper!

I love mine, infact im on my 2nd one, the first one rattled like crazy, ended up being the bushings at the pivot points and not the latch itlself like I first thoght.

I have the same secondary latch as mx416... works awesome!

My ZR2 has the tire carrier and I like how it looks, and I have never once had any rattling problems with mine.  The only thing I hate about it is that 90% of your rear view is blocked by the tire, but at the same time I like this because no one can see me, and it blocks all the headlights in back of me.  So between that and the auto dimming mirrors, night driving for me is good.

To fix the visability problem that same site mx416 mentioned has a relocation bracket for the rear tire carrier to move it down 3.25". http://sblazer.com/sta-kit_images.html Dont have one installed on my carrier but it looks like a pretty good deal. Im getting a larger spare to match my 31" tires so im not sure how that will work for me but i may considder getting it.

i just left the stock spare tire on, sure it will loke a little goffey if i blow a tire but i didnt want any less visibility

black blaze what was the cost for the new latch?
 
thanks

For future reference:

The spare tire carrier on a 2nd gen Blazer attaches with M10 (1.50 mm pitch) bolts with a Torx (R) T-50 head. The bolts are approximently 7cm in length with a large camfer on the end.

I just got relocation bracket (plate) from a guy on eBay for like 50 bucks and it works great! I can see alot better out the rear window now... My latch doesn't rattle and the secondary latch looks a little inconvenient for me.

could you post a picture of that?

Does anyone know of any mods or ways to improve a swing out carrier?  I'd like to use it, but I don't want to risk having the rear glass shatter or damage the gate.  I would deff get the secondary latch setup.

Any ideas?  Thinking about putting the carrier back on soon.

Has there been many cases of breaking the rear glass?  Or damaging the tailgate?  I'm just curious...