Since upgrading my brakes to disc brakes and going from 15 inch to 16 inch wheels, my spare tire no longer fits underneath the front of my VW Vanagon. I have the option of carrying a spare inside the van, but it’s a safety hazard if there’s an accident and since my two-year-old rides in the van a lot, it’s an extreme safety hazard!!

So, for a couple months I just rolled around without a spare. And by a couple months, I mean over a year. OK, two years… I knew that I needed a swing away tire carrier, but life has just gotten in the way.

I’ve built two others for vans and had a third kit ready to go, I just hadn’t found the time. As I am taking stuff off my to-do list this year, I finally made time for this project. Now, it took me six or seven weeks to complete the build – with an hour here and two hours there and lots of starts and stops. I made some stupid mistakes because I wasn’t focused and I ran out of welding gas at least once. I altered it from the original plans just to touch and made it so that I could also carry two NATO jerrycans and a 10 pound propane tank attached to the swing away tire carrier and still be able to open the rear door.

It’s a great design and if you have the time to focus on the build and your own home fab shop (welder, drill, press, tap, and set, welding table, tubing, bender, etc.), then this is a perfect way to spend some shop time where you have a useful and tangible tool at the end.