The 9 Best Truck Bed Spare Tire Mounts
Updated by · How we research
Nine in-bed spare tire carriers compared by tire size, drilling, floor space and warranty. Our pick for lifted pickups is the Rough Country 99073 cradle. When users buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
A 35-inch tire on its wheel can weigh close to 100 pounds, and bigger tires often won't fit the factory carrier under the truck. Left loose in the bed, a spare slides around and can fly forward in a crash. These mounts suit pickup owners who want a full-size spare held tight, off the ground and within reach.
Editor's Notes
October 26, 2026, by Ezvid Wiki Admin:
We put the Rough Country 99073 on top because it takes tires from 33 to 40 inches, leans the spare so it's easier to see past, comes off from above with a quick-release strap, and carries a limited lifetime warranty. The Rigid Hitch RHTC-35L stays as the bargain, and the Fabtech FTT10002BK and Addictive Desert Designs T99918 stay too.
The old top pick, the Titan Fuel Tanks 9901330000, is no longer offered by our retailer, so it now sits in Special Honors, since dealers still sell it and its rail clamp needs no drilling. The Fabtech FTS10001BK flat mount lost its price, and we swapped the mid-size Armordillo carrier for the full-size Armordillo 8710838. The Raptor Series rack in our honors looks discontinued, so it's gone.
New are the N-Fab Rapid Strap, back after a stock gap, two truck-specific kits for the Gladiator and Tacoma (the Rugged Ridge 11546.71 and Rough Country 73110), and the Rigid Hitch RHSC-30 for flatbeds.
No magazine or lab has put bed-mounted carriers through a real test, so this ranking rests on what the makers publish about tire fit, hardware and warranty, the installation guides, and the problems owners keep reporting, mostly rust on aluminum beds and blocked rear windows.
March 08, 2021:
We removed the International Resources, Wilco Offroad and N-Fab Rapid Strap due to availability issues, and managed to find three good replacements for our new omissions.
The Titan Fuel Tanks 9901330000 is a smart choice for those who like to re-accessorize their trucks regularly or are just plain indecisive, as it requires no drilling or welding to install, and thus should leave no lasting blemishes on your ride if ever you decide to uninstall it — as long as it you don’t crank down too hard on it, which may result in your bed rail bending.
The A.Desert Des Universal T99918NA01NA is a sleek-looking choice, but it’s also expensive enough that most are likely to go wide of it, unless deciding to splurge on it as a style choice. It can accommodate a tire from 33 to 40 inches and keep it standing upright, so it won’t take up as much space in your box.
The Armordillo USA 7180369 was a questionable addition, because without implementing the company's matching rack – if you're interested, the model number is 7180345, but just be advised that it costs somewhere in the neighborhood of six times as much as the tire mount itself – it really isn’t a functional choice. That being said, if you are willing to make the investment, we think there’s a very good chance that your truck will look great with this rack on top of it, and an aggressive-tread spare tire mounted on top of the rack.
For more off-road solution, you might also be interested in checking out our lists of winch mounts, off-road lights and off-road jacks.
February 20, 2019:
The two biggest questions users should ask themselves before investing in one of these options are where and how they want the spare attached. For example, if you're not willing to drill a hole in your frame, something like the selection from International Resources should work nicely, although it necessarily won't be as sturdy as bolted-on models. Also, a mount that holds the tire upright on the side of the bed will free up more space than one that keeps it cinched to the floor, but it may also make it slightly more difficult to access when needed.
Special Honors
Titan Fuel Tanks Spare Tire Buddy Titan's bed-mounted bracket clamps under the bed rail lip and presses against the floor, so it holds a spare against the bed wall without drilling or welding. A wrench and a tape measure handle the install, and it works with most bed liners once you cut a slit. It's sold through truck-parts dealers rather than on our usual retailer. titanfueltanks.com
Wilco Offroad Wilco Offroad builds a bed rail tire carrier that hangs a big spare from a rail at the front of the bed, plus tiregates that replace the tailgate and carry the tire upright behind the truck. They cost more than most bolt-in brackets, but they free the bed floor entirely. wilcooffroad.com
Upright, Angled Or Flat: Where The Spare Sits
A flat strap system such as the N-Fab Rapid Strap keeps the weight lowest and leaves almost nothing behind when the tire is out, but the spare covers the most floor.
Every in-bed carrier makes the same trade: floor space against rear visibility. An upright bracket such as the Rigid Hitch RHTC-35L bolts to a bed wall and keeps the floor almost clear, but a tall tire standing near the cab can fill the rear window and stop a folding tonneau cover from closing. An angled cradle like the Rough Country 99073 leans the tire back, so you can see past it more easily, at the cost of a bigger footprint. A flat strap system such as the N-Fab Rapid Strap keeps the weight lowest and leaves almost nothing behind when the tire is out, but the spare covers the most floor. The Truck Guider overview of bed mounts lays out the same three trade-offs.
Two other routes fit special cases. Stake-pocket arms drop into the square holes along a bed rail, which suits flatbeds and work trucks but not most newer beds, whose pockets are capped or missing. Rack-mounted carriers hang the tire from a chase rack or bed rail, which frees the floor if you already own the rack.
Before buying, measure your spare's height and width, note the wheel's bolt pattern, and check whether your tailgate, bed cap or cover clears the tire where you plan to put it.
Weight, Payload And The Door-Jamb Sticker
A full-size spare is heavy. A 35-inch tire on a steel or alloy wheel often weighs 80 to 100 pounds, and the carrier adds anywhere from a few pounds for a simple bracket to about 45 pounds for a steel cradle like the Rough Country 99073. All of that comes out of your payload.
Your truck's limit is printed on the tire and loading placard on the driver's door jamb. Federal safety standard 110 requires that label on light vehicles and has it state the combined weight of occupants and cargo the vehicle should carry (49 CFR 571.110). If you already haul a camper shell, a toolbox and a full crew, a heavy carrier can push you closer to that line than you expect.
This is also why many owners pick an in-bed carrier over a hitch or tailgate carrier. A spare hung off the back sits behind the rear axle, where it levers weight off the front wheels and cuts departure angle off-road. In the bed, the weight sits ahead of the axle and stays inside the truck's footprint.
Drilling, Aluminum Beds And Theft
Most bolt-in carriers need holes through the bed floor or wall. Use the backing plates or large washers the maker supplies, keep the holes away from the bed's support ribs, and seal each one so water doesn't sit in the steel. Re-check bolt and strap tension after the first few drives, since the hardware settles.
Aluminum beds need extra care. Ford's F-150 has had an aluminum bed since the 2015 model year, and bare steel bolted to aluminum corrodes when road salt and water bridge the two metals. Rigid Hitch and Extreme Max both warn against mounting straight to aluminum, and nylon or rubber isolators between the parts are the usual fix, as Essentra's guide to galvanic isolation explains.
If you'd rather not drill at all, look at clamp-on designs. The Titan Spare Tire Buddy hooks under the bed rail lip and tightens down against the floor, per Titan's installation guide, and stake-pocket arms use holes the truck already has.
A spare in an open bed is easy to steal. Brackets with a lock hole, a cable lock through the wheel or a locking lug nut on the mounting stud all slow a thief down.
How we researched this
We compared 16 truck bed spare tire carriers and screened nine in depth. We read the makers' fitment, material and warranty details and installation guides where they were published, studied patterns in owner feedback, and checked every brand against U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall records. We found no independent lab or magazine test of these carriers, so the ranking leans on documented fit, build and warranty.
Sources (6)
- Titan Fuel Tanks: Spare Tire Buddy installation guide (SEMA Data)
- Wilco Offroad: bed-mounted tire carriers
- Truck Guider: truck bed spare tire mount guide
- eCFR: 49 CFR 571.110, tire selection and rims (FMVSS 110)
- Essentra: guide to nylon washers for galvanic isolation
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls
Frequently asked questions
How do you secure a spare tire in a truck bed?
Use a carrier that bolts or clamps to the truck: an upright bracket against a bed wall, an angled cradle on the floor, or a strap system with anchors. Never leave a spare loose, since it can slide and fly forward in a hard stop. Re-check the bolts or straps after the first few drives.
Do truck bed spare tire mounts require drilling?
Most do. Angled cradles, upright brackets and strap anchors usually bolt through the floor or wall. Stake-pocket arms and clamp-on designs like the Titan Spare Tire Buddy use existing openings or the bed rail lip instead.
Can I put a steel tire mount on an aluminum truck bed?
Only with isolators. Steel touching aluminum corrodes when water and salt reach the joint, and Rigid Hitch says not to mount its bracket straight to an aluminum bed. Put nylon or rubber washers and pads between the carrier and the bed.
Will a bed-mounted spare fit under a tonneau cover?
A flat-mounted spare usually fits under a cover, but an upright or tall angled tire often won't let a cover close. Measure the tire's height from the floor in its mounted position and compare it with your bed's depth.
Is a bed-mounted carrier better than a hitch or tailgate carrier?
For weight, yes: it keeps the spare ahead of the rear axle and inside the truck's footprint. Hitch and tailgate carriers free the whole bed but hang weight behind the axle and can cut departure angle off-road.
