Adventure Series Tire Carrier

Although many of our competitors use aluminum to keep weight down, we took the more traditional approach and chose to use steel for our tire carrier. Aluminum does admittedly have some advantages to steel, most notably its weight and anti-corrosive properties. However, steel is the standard when it comes to aftermarket vehicle accessories, particularly when strength is concerned. Many factors play a role in what material we choose, but the one that concerned us most is the longevity of aluminum welds under stress. When aluminum is welded together, the alloy’s yield strength is effectively halved, and the welds are susceptible to cracking and fatigue over time. This requires the use of a larger thicker heavier piece of aluminum be used to compensate for this introduced weakness, which in turn negates all the weight saving benefits of using the far more expensive material. By using steel, we don’t run the risk of cracked welds from harsh vibrations over rough washboard forest service roads or jeopardize the materials strength. Combining the superior strength of steel with thoughtful design, has resulted in a product that is the strongest on the market.

In our opinion a tire carrier is perhaps the most important piece of equipment you can add to your van if you plan to take it off road. If you have a lift and oversize tires on your van, then a tire carrier is a must as your larger spare tire will no longer fit in the factory provided location underneath the rear of your van. Regardless of the size of your wheels and tires, changing a tire is never convenient. That task is only made worse if you must lower your spare from underneath your van, and that can be impossible if you are in a position where your spare physically cannot be dropped to the ground. Unfortunately, tires rarely go flat under ideal conditions when you’re on flat ground. In our experience wheels need replacing when you’re traversing rough rocks, deep mud, soft sand, and water crossings. These terrains can pose challenges and hidden dangers for even the most experienced drivers, leaving you stranded if you’re not properly equipped.

No, you’re not missing any parts or hardware. If you are anything like us, then you can never have too many places to hang or mount things. The hole is for just that, maybe you’ll need a place to hang a clothesline, a trash bag, or your grilling utensils. There is no wrong application, use it however works for you.

All metal is susceptible to oxidation in some form, steel more so than others. Fortunately rust and oxidation can take a long time (years) to develop into a serious issue, leaving plenty of time to correct the issue (if one arises). There is no way to completely stop rust, but we have gone the extra mile to inhibit it. Before spraying an ultra-durable textured black powder-coat finish, we first spray the tire carrier with a zinc-heavy base primer which promotes adhesion of the finish and provides a hard durable layer between the steel and the topcoat. Scratches are an inevitable part of wheeling your rig, from rocks, trees, or some other hazard they will happen. If you get a scratch deep enough for surface rust to begin developing, simply clean the rust off and spray the area with any black spray paint (flat/matte blends best) or use a black paint touch up pen.

In short, yes. We experimented with several mounting options for our tire carrier, trying to be as minimally invasive as possible. We tried attaching it lower on the door to keep the profile of the carrier smaller, but unfortunately the strongest and only reliable place to mount to is near the rear emblem. We dented our doors, so you don’t. But the hole is necessary to keep the mass of the tire tied to the door, the mounts on the hinges are not enough on their own. We have found some vans have an access hole under the window that allows you to fit your hand inside and fasten a nut without drilling all the way through the innermost panel. But on most vans, access to this location is blocked and a hole all the way through the door is necessary. We have included a cap to cover this hole from the inside, for a clean installation.

The silver plates that hold the 5/8” nut in place (and in turn – the handle) are not powder coated textured black like the rest of the carrier. Instead, they are run through a hot zinc dipping process, treating them with a more resistant coating to handle the abuse of the nut sliding up and down. You may also notice that these plates are held in with nuts on the back – this allows for removal of the plates to access the 5/8” retaining nut if necessary.

The Lost Saguaro Adventure Tire Carrier fits 2019-present Mercedes Sprinter Vans, Revel, and Storyteller 144”-170”. Our carrier mounts to the factory hinges on the rear door and requires 180-degree hinges for installation. Many of the cargo vans come equipped with 270-degree hinges, if your doors open all the way flat to the side of your van-you have these. The 180-degree hinges open far less and are much stronger to support the weight of a full-size spare hanging off of them. If you don’t already have the 180-degree hinges, you can find the heavier duty hinges here on our website.