I swapped the Duratrac’s with BFG KO2s from 4 Wheel Parts in Cleveland. They had a special buy and I ended up with 5 KO2’s (315/70r17) mounted, balanced, out the door, with tax for $1100. No way I could pass that up right now. They are a C load range tire. Much quieter and smoother on the road.
But they must be a bit narrower than the Duratrac. Once I had the tire carrier back on, and adjusted in as far as it would go, there was still a gap between the rubber and the carrier.
This is bad. Without the support, the tire has a tendency to wobble. Eventually, this will either bend something or break a bolt or a stud or something.
Off to the steel supplier. About $30 in steel and hardware, a little cutting, drilling, welding and grinding and I have this.
With everything readjusted, the spare snugs right up next to this.
I’m thinking I might modify this some in the future. Adding perhaps antenna mounts to move the two further apart. Or even a rack to put a cooler on that would mount over the tire (i.e. Ringer’s) or even a bracket off the driver’s side to come around the tire for a Rotopax gas can mount.
Knowing how to weld and having a good welder makes me happy that I can build stuff like this.