Hitch and Spare tire

[FDNYEMT]

I was looking on etrailers.com and it said that the hitches wont fit without modifying the spare tire bracket if you have 16 wheels. What do you have to modify? are there hitches that you can buy where you dont have to do any modification?

 

[A Wise Guy]

Give us truck info. I was told the same thing with my '98 AWD but I have 15's so I'm ok. What was the first year of the 16" wheel option? Are people getting confused with the '97 to '98 and the redesign of the underside to carry a full size spare? And you thought you had a simple question.

 

[jjm0001]

I bought a hidden hitch round tube class III hitch for my 2000 sport a couple of years ago from etrailer. I think the hitch model was 70647. If you have a 16" spare tire which is mounted under the rear of the vehicle, then after you install this hitch, the spare tire can no longer fit back under the vehicle. This hitch actually takes up some space previously occupied by the spare tire. To make the spare tire fit under there again, you need to bend the forward spare tire bracket approximately 1/2" or so towards the front of the vehicle. So if you have 15" spare tire, since the offset is only @ 1/2" then the 15" tire would still fit. If you remove your spare tire, you will see this bracket hanging down just behind and above the rear differential. Now this bracket is not something you can bend with your bare hands. I used a 3 or 4 lb mini sledge hammer. I'm sure other techniques will work too. Now if you don't want to bend this bracket, then don't buy this hitch. I for one think it is a good hitch and looks nice too.

 

[KPT]

My dad has the square hidden hitch on his 2000 EB Ex. Didn't have to bend the spare tire bracket at all. I'm pretty sure he has 16"s too, I'll double check in a little while.

 

[KPT]

No problem clearing it, even with 255/70R16's.

 

[sk1er17]

I have a 98 sport that came with 16" rims and a full size spare, have a tubular hidden hitch class III and never had a problem.

 

[xltv82003]

I am not proud to admit it , but before I owned my Explorer I owned a 2001 Chevy Blazer with the upgraded suspension (the tires are also a little wider with this package)...I had a similar issue when I installed the round hidden hitch. The spare didn't fit by about an inch. Instead of replacing the hitch I bought a slightly narrower spare tire. I went from a 235 to a 225 and that solved my problem. The tire only cost me $50 and a different hitch would have cost 200. My Ex on the other hand has the hitch built into the bumper which I like so much better except I have to buy new drops because it is higher than the blazer.

 

[dreamr]

With a little finesse you could put a 31 under mine with the Hidden Hitch tube style class IV.

 

[mhn3773]

i would just do like xltv8 suggested and get a thinner tire..

 

[jimbo74]

a thinner tire also most likely means a smaller outer diameter tire.... a 235/75/15 is wider and taller than a 225/75/15

 

[A Wise Guy]

a thinner tire also most likely means a smaller outer diameter tire.... a 235/75/15 is wider and taller than a 225/75/15

Which is a big no no if you have AWD.

 

[Johnny K]

Hidden round tube hitch on mt '00 XLT Sport with 16". No problems. Just make sure the hidden hitch model states it's OK. I know when I bought it, it was a new model by them.

Good Luck,

Johnny K
Cleveland, OH

 

[the_tool_man]

Hi FDNYEMT:

I did exactly what jjm0001 did, on both an '01 4-door and an '01 Sport. You just have to massage the forward end of the spare tire bracket forward about 1/2 inch, and the stock spare will go right in. I had a square-tube Hidden Hitch on my '93, which caused no problems with the spare at all. Given the much better appearance of the round-tube hitch, I didn't mind modifying the bracket. It's really no big deal.

Regards,
John.