Bonnet Mount - Should I?

[Jock The Rock]

Gday

Met a fella today with a '98 Defender with a bonnet mount for a spare.

I had a chat to him, and he told me it is his old mans. I was interested in the bonnet mount as it looked like he had never used it. So I asked and he said he would chat to his old man tonight and tell me tomorrow.

So just a quick question before I go swapping bonnets :p

To the people with bonnet mounts; do they get in the way? I'm not talking about the spare but instead the bolts when a tyre isn't on the bonnet.

I'll only be mounting a tyre on it when I really need to, not all the time

What do you reckon?

Thanks

[ellard]

Hi there

There must have been a kit made to put tyres on the bonnet at some stage available for the Defenders......

As our Defender 130 (Fire Truck) QAV 1-4 and for the non firey related people stands for Quick Attack Vehicle 1000lt water and 4wd has the spare tyre on the bonnet and works well....

Wayne

[justinc]

Hi there

There must have been a kit made to put tyres on the bonnet at some stage available for the Defenders......

As our Defender 130 (Fire Truck) QAV 1-4 and for the non firey related people stands for Quick Attack Vehicle 1000lt water and 4wd has the spare tyre on the bonnet and works well....

Wayne

Yes Wayne, I have fitted 2 of them, it hurt drilling a near new bonnet I can tell you:o

Jock, I wouldn't do it, it is a pain to lift the bonnet, it wears the hinge inserts and the striker etc. I would possibly fit one for long distance touring etc, but wouldn't leave it on there 24/7.

JC

[weeds]

i have one fitted and carry the spare all the time, yep takes a bit of effort to lift the bonnet and when off road it can obstruct ones vision a bit, touring no dramas at all

[jimbo110]

With no wheel on it you don't even notice it's there, best of all you can wrap your legs around it when you go shooting, you can't slide off the bonnet and your bum stays warm too...................:D

[Mick-Kelly]

Is it practical.............no
Does it look good and very landrover ish..............YES
Did i do it with my old one.........YES

[Jock The Rock]

Jock, I wouldn't do it, it is a pain to lift the bonnet, it wears the hinge inserts and the striker etc. I would possibly fit one for long distance touring etc, but wouldn't leave it on there 24/7.

JC

I'm not planning to have a spare on there all the time. My main spare is always on the roof rack.

I was just thinking of having it there in case I ever did need it. Save having to drill a hole in my bonnet :(

I was thinking if this fella is prepared to do a straight bonnet swap then I would just have the option of mounting a spare there if I ever needed too :p

[idletorque]

A Land Rover's not complete without a spare wheel mount on the bonnet!!!

I fitted one to my Defender's bonnet and just as you plan to do, only ever use it for touring trips. After the first day you forget its there!

Just do it!!

Regards,
Greg

[rangieman]

No i would,nt , they are a pain in the butt when cresting a hill and i hope your fit to lift that bonnet:p

[camel_landy]

Do the swap. ;)

I've got the mount on mine & I don't really notice it.

The only thing of note is to make sure you've got the correct bonnet support. You'll need the rigid one rather than the hinged one otherwise it'll collapse under the weight of the spare.

HTH

M

[leeds]

I'm not planning to have a spare on there all the time. My main spare is always on the roof rack.

I was just thinking of having it there in case I ever did need it. Save having to drill a hole in my bonnet :(

I was thinking if this fella is prepared to do a straight bonnet swap then I would just have the option of mounting a spare there if I ever needed too :p

My solution was to buy a second hand bonnet with a bonnet mounting kit already on.

Yes with the spare on the bonnet it does limit the view of the N/S front corner. Only have it on bonnet when need to carry two spares. Must admit I keep the second hand bonnet on with mounting kit on for normal driving as am too lazy to put original bonnet back on.

As for carrying a spare wheel on a roof rack, I am not too keen on roof racks. The maximum weight on a Defender roof is either 75 kg or 150 kg dependent on if you take the UK or South African figure. Assuming a rack weighs 20+ Kg and a tyre weighs 25 Kg you dont have much carrying capacity left on your roof rack if you go by the UK figure.

Personally I believe most people overloaded their roofracks.

Regards


Brendan

[Jock The Rock]

With no wheel on it you don't even notice it's there, best of all you can wrap your legs around it when you go shooting, you can't slide off the bonnet and your bum stays warm too...................:D

I was thinking about it last night. I reckon I will, I can always use the mount for something else instead. Like jimbo110 said I could even go one better and bolt a seat on so your nads don't get ripped in a sudden stop :p :(


My solution was to buy a second hand bonnet with a bonnet mounting kit already on.

Yes with the spare on the bonnet it does limit the view of the N/S front corner. Only have it on bonnet when need to carry two spares. Must admit I keep the second hand bonnet on with mounting kit on for normal driving as am too lazy to put original bonnet back on.

As for carrying a spare wheel on a roof rack, I am not too keen on roof racks. The maximum weight on a Defender roof is either 75 kg or 150 kg dependent on if you take the UK or South African figure. Assuming a rack weighs 20+ Kg and a tyre weighs 25 Kg you dont have much carrying capacity left on your roof rack if you go by the UK figure.

Personally I believe most people overloaded their roofracks.



Regards


Brendan

Second bonnet sounds like a good idea but they don't pop up for sale that often down here in Tassie and if they did I wouldn't be able to afford it :(

It's a full alloy rack with just the tyre so I still have a bit of weight to play with. Also I don't really like rear wheel carriers. For a number of reasons: they reduce your view through the rear window, if mounted on the door they place strain on the door making it hard to close, they are heavy making it hard to open on a side slope and lastly make it a tedious task if you have to open two seperate latches just to get in the back.

:)

[weeds]

No i would,nt , they are a pain in the butt when cresting a hill and i hope your fit to lift that bonnet:p

only if you are a short arse....

[Michael2]

The Defender Bonnets that came with the wheel mounting had a solid rod bonnet stut. The plain bonnets came with the scissor action bonnet prop.

My SIII had the spare on the bonnet with a scissor action prop, and that worked fine.

My Defender came with 2 bonnets, one with a spare mount on it and one without. I haven't used the bonnet mounted spare, but I would for a long / remote trip. Many extended trips I do include other Defenders, running the same tyre size; so by the time you add up all the spare tyres, there's no point carrying a 2nd.

I'd say, go for it and get the bonnet with the spare wheel mount, and if possible make sure the stronger solid strut is included, but if not, it won't really matter.

[rocket scientist]

Had the wheel on bonnet of series III years ago.Didn't notice it at all, though I could see a problem for shorter people.
Easier to get on and off for changing wheels.
As for the problem of lifting the bonnet, two words:- harden up! :twisted:
or get very strong struts fitted.
Probably do the same on the county soon.

[JamesH]

A Land Rover's not complete without a spare wheel mount on the bonnet!!!

I fitted one to my Defender's bonnet and just as you plan to do, only ever use it for touring trips. After the first day you forget its there!

Just do it!!


Ditto here. Love mine. I use it for the second spare on trips or when my cargo area is chokkers (see below for explanation)

What I'm not so keen on is you having your roofie on all the time and your spare up there. It's bad for fuel econ (my fuel usage is quite consistent regardless of conditions but one thing that sends it right up is a roof rack) and limits your underground carparking options. Not that my solution is any better, I have the spare lying in the back cargo area, it's inconvenient and unsafe in a roll-over.

We both need rear door carriers. I just don't like the expense and idea of dealing with the swing away every time I access the back and the expense and installation trauma of a bearmach. I get close to committing then another bill comes up like my radiator.

[samuelclarke]

I installed a Bearmach rear carrier on my 110 last week...isn't all that hard if you check, double check and triple check everything. The difference it made compared to having the spare mounted directly on the door - I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner.

Back OT, I've not had much experience with bonnet mounted spare mounts...but having a place to safely mount a spare on long trips is a good idea. I'm not all that keen though on the reduction in visibility - I guess you'd learn to compensate for it.

[windsock]

I use mine a heck of a lot. My spare is normally lashed down on the deck of the truck but when camping/touring or gathering firewood (below) or otherwise need to utilise the full capacity of the deck I place it on the bonnet. Moving along the rough riverbed with the tyre on I am very aware of movement and all the extra 'force' onto the bonnet structure induced by the sudden bouncing but to date there has been no issues with either working ends of the bonnet (touch wood).

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/11/647.jpg

One thing to consider if concerned about blockage of view is the profile of the tyre. I run LT750/16 skinnies and have no worries seeing where I need to see. If the profile was any bigger I would however have concerns about throwing the truck around in the rough without eye-balling it all first.

The tyre even saved my windscreen from a flying rock on one road trip camping. Rock fell off a gravel truck coming the opposite way and it was big enough for me to see it hit the road, and bounce up and ricochet (sp)off the top edge of the tyre and bounce harmlessly up and over the cab. Would have been a screen had the tyre not been there...

[Jock The Rock]

Thanks for the replies :)

Had a chat to the bloke the other day, his old man doesn't want to swap :(

But I'll track one down. If you know of anyone in Tassie with a bonnet mount on a Tdi let me know :p

I'm pretty keen to get one now

[eejbm]

I am fixing up a 95 Cab Chassis and would like to fit a spare to the bonnet on longer trips, is there a kit available from anywhere?


thanks in advance.

[Disco44]

Yes Wayne, I have fitted 2 of them, it hurt drilling a near new bonnet I can tell you:o

Jock, I wouldn't do it, it is a pain to lift the bonnet, it wears the hinge inserts and the striker etc. I would possibly fit one for long distance touring etc, but wouldn't leave it on there 24/7.

JC
My 92 defender 200TDI had one fitted.Yes with the steel wheel it was bloody heavy to lift but after going to alloy rims it was a piece of cake.
Cheers Disco44

[hook]

I am fixing up a 95 Cab Chassis and would like to fit a spare to the bonnet on longer trips, is there a kit available from anywhere?


thanks in advance.


Ebay UK.
exchange rate is good.
Post could be the killer:twisted:

[crump]

here is one available in AUS.
SWC Defender Bonnet Mnt (http://www.oppositelock.com.au/index.php?next_page=product/product_detail.php&product_id=8448)

[dobbo]

Any bigger than a 7.50x16 sized tyre would be a visual obstruction in any conditions, whatever the size it makes it slightly harder cresting hills and driving around obsticles on the passenger side front, easiest solution, sit further forward and have the backrest upright.

I ran a bonnet mounted spare up to Fraser Island
20435

20436

20437


As you can see the in cab vision is effected, even with 7.50x16, I wouldn't recommend going any bigger

[lardy]

jock if you go to a fairly decent gas strut guy you can get gas struts to assist with the bonnet lift with a 'king great big tyre on it and not having a tyre on it makes not a difference to your driving ability

[JamesH]

The lifting of the bonnet with a tyre on it is not so much a strength thing but what happens to me is when you pull the catch the weight on the bonnet stops the bonnet from popping so you go round the front to lift it and find it has re-locked so to speak. You need a little block of wood to hold the bonnet lever in the open position (if you are alone). I learnt that little trick here.

I am in favour of bonnet mounts though.

[lardy]

I am fixing up a 95 Cab Chassis and would like to fit a spare to the bonnet on longer trips, is there a kit available from anywhere?


thanks in advance.

john craddocks or PA Blanchards

[lardy]

here is one available in AUS.
SWC Defender Bonnet Mnt (http://www.oppositelock.com.au/index.php?next_page=product/product_detail.php&product_id=8448)

nasty looking but

[eejbm]

cheers for the links guys!


happy trails!

[Lost Landy]

I think a bonnet mounted spare looks great & is so easy to get too, though on my 2A I noticed that I used a little more fuel when the spare was on the bonnet compared to being stowed in the rear.
I would fit a bonnet mounted spare to my 110 but I fitted pioneer tool mounts instead!

[87County]

Is it practical.............no
Does it look good and very landrover ish..............YES
Did i do it with my old one.........YES


it certainly IS practical.... when in place on the bonnet the spare is

1. exactly the right height for a benchrest-type support when aiming a rifle

and is also

2. a handy recipticle to hold used tea bags, banana skins and orange peels until you get to a bin

[jimbo110]

it certainly IS practical.... when in place on the bonnet the spare is

1. exactly the right height for a benchrest-type support when aiming a rifle

and is also

2. a handy recipticle to hold used tea bags, banana skins and orange peels until you get to a bin

3. Can hold at least 37 dead rabbits after a nights shooting. With a bit of practice you can bounce them off the windscreen and into the wheel for bonus points............:p

[vnx205]

4. A good place to stack firewood when you go into places like Chambers Pillar where you have to collect your firewood outside the NP.

( I have photographic proof, but I would have to dig out the CD with the photos from my trip to Broome.)

Edit:


http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/7/16/2005444/Land%20Rover.jpg

[vnx205]

Found the evidence.


I know that isn't Chambers Pillar. It is at the same place and I think it is called Window Rock.

[Disco44]

The lifting of the bonnet with a tyre on it is not so much a strength thing but what happens to me is when you pull the catch the weight on the bonnet stops the bonnet from popping so you go round the front to lift it and find it has re-locked so to speak. You need a little block of wood to hold the bonnet lever in the open position (if you are alone). I learnt that little trick here.

I am in favour of bonnet mounts though.

I changed my 200TDI bonnet holder up thing to the old series holder.it worked a dream your didn't have to hold up that heavy bonett while you placed the rod to secure it..No pics though its long gone.However I attach a pics of my 200 next to my mates 300.
cheers
John ( disco 44 )

[Carslil Jim]

I was very excited to see a bonnet mount on the LR I bought. Then I tried to lift the bonnet. I am not tall so I really struggled to raise the bonnet. But the real horror was when I went to take the spare off the bonnet. It had sat there for years and water had pooled in it...and the wheel was so rusted I have had to discard it. Moral of the story is ....make sure water can get away. (PS the wheel was off a Range Rover an has a small centre hole).

[86mud]

Once I find another wolf rim I will place a 2nd spare on the bonnet.

Can anyone tell me if there are two bolts that hold down the spare? Mine bonnet bracket has 3 vertical "pins" - one has a hole through for what I think is a padlock whole, there is a bolt screwed into the other "pin", and I am not sure what goes in the other hole. I suspect that a second bolt is needed as the "pin" is threaded.

Cheers

Andrew

[dobbo]

Once I find another wolf rim I will place a 2nd spare on the bonnet.

Can anyone tell me if there are two bolts that hold down the spare? Mine bonnet bracket has 3 vertical "pins" - one has a hole through for what I think is a padlock whole, there is a bolt screwed into the other "pin", and I am not sure what goes in the other hole. I suspect that a second bolt is needed as the "pin" is threaded.

Cheers

Andrew



two bolts, 1 pin, 1 padlock hole, bolts are not just a normal high tensile bolt either. The 1 1/16 head is way to large for the length and pitch of the bolts thread. According to another member here (more knowledge with than I on such subjects) The bolts maybe a special order from a hi tensile place or get a genuine LR part.

[Four Boar]

I am also keen to get this bonnet mount for touring but am unsure if my bonnet is rigid or hinged??? Perhaps inscissor could guide me here? Im not so keen on my bonnet collapsing:(

Cheers in advance.

[isuzutoo-eh]

Hi Four Boar,
The rigid or hinged comes from the bonnet support strut, if yours is a single rod that props into a hole in front of the radiator, it is rigid, if the strut is two pieces of bar with a hinge in the middle, its hinged.
-Mark

[Brid]

Another option to consider is a spare wheel mount fitted to the front. I have done this, and there are some positives and some negatives.

I fabricated an adaptor bracket for the standard LR wheel mount to the ARB bullbar. Temperature was fine around town and slogging through the Simpson, but highway speed above 90-95 caused it to sneak up. Great height to lift tyre on and off from. Extra protection from aminals as well perhaps! Visibility was virtually unimpeded. Approach angle would be compromised in some situations, but wasn't an issue at all in Simpson. Centre of gravity remains nice and low.

I didn't want it on the roof rack off road, as we had a bit over the 75kg limit with tents, chairs & other camp gear there as it was. On the way home I did put it on the roof rack, so we could cruise around the 100kph without concern.

[Carslil Jim]

Apparently the bonett should be reinforced to carry the spare. Photos below of mine. You can see the square base of the three prong bracket that goes thru the bonnett.

[Tombie]

Is it practical.............no
Does it look good and very landrover ish..............YES
Did i do it with my old one.........YES

Is it illegal on vehicles not supplied (factory) with one or needing to be complying with newer ADRs... YES (sorry)

A savvy or uptight inspector can defect the vehicle for having one on the newer models.

Over to you.

[scott oz]

Move to NSW.

The regs they use say it's legal provided its needed for the operation of the vehicle. While this is subjective I'm willing to argue the point if I have to.

I've got an ARB mount and when I go touring the wheel goes on. Around the city I'll take it off.

[ugu80]

Had one on my 130 for a 2nd spare. Makes the bonnet very difficult to lift on your daily underbonnet check (which we I'm sure we all do). Had it removed on the advice of those who know (i.e. Graeme Cooper Automotive) in that the extra weight causes the bonnet hinges to crack through if you regularly travel on dirt (all that corrugated road vibration).

I have a mounting bracket for my bullbar which is effective but God its ugly there (also puts a lot of weight forward of the wheels)

[miky]

Never really seen the point in carrying more than one spare.
Carry an extra tyre - yes.

Do people carry more than one spare because they can not repair a puncture or change a tyre?

Mike

[ugu80]

If you can't change a tyre, why would you need a spare?

Miky, maybe it hasn't happened to you yet, but tyres sometimes get damaged beyond repair, I've had big sharp things tear holes several cms long. Lugging around a second spare, as well as a repair kit, on tour is a small price to pay to make sure you don't get stranded.

[miky]

I agree.

It's just that I would rather carry a couple of spare tyres on a roof rack without the extra weight of the rim(s)

[ugu80]

Sorry Miky, didn't read it properly, missed the bit that you carry an extra spare tyre. Guess I'm just lazy but I'd rather just change a wheel than repair a tyre. I used have tubes in 7.5x16s. Last trip I did three tubes (I also carry a couple of spare tubes). Now I have 235x85x16 Maxxi Mudders, seem to be a lot tougher (intend to test them on the Old Telegraph Track when it stops raining). Having a 130, hauling around two spare tyres is not much of a problem. Maybe one day we will run into each other and discuss the issue over a beer. Cheers.

[87County]

We've fitted tdi Defenders satisfactorily with Ser3 bonnet mounts... just pop-rivet them on... the mounts have lasted several trips on the worst corrugated roads

and.. the spare is at a perfect height for most other uses :)

I understand that the TD5 bonnet requires extra reinforcing if you want to use it like this (havn't ever had to do one)

[yt110]

Apparently the bonett should be reinforced to carry the spare. Photos below of mine. You can see the square base of the three prong bracket that goes thru the bonnett.

Also the 4 rubber blocks(2 each side of the bonnet latch pin,your missing 1)should help support the wheel.

[87County]

Also the 4 rubber blocks(2 each side of the bonnet latch pin,your missing 1)should help support the wheel.

if a Ser 3 mount is used, these are only necessary to the extent of allowing trapped rainwater to drain

[yt110]

if a Ser 3 mount is used, these are only necessary to the extent of allowing trapped rainwater to drain

I meant the ones under the front of the bonnet that rest on the radiator support panel.You can see them in the photos attached to the post I quoted from.

[Carslil Jim]

YT110 you have sharp eyes. My car is unregistered and was missing both blocks when I picked it up. I am on a shoestring budget so I picked up bits of truck tyres on the freeway so I could manufacture new rubbers for nix. It needs a certain thickness and I did not get eneough rubber first go, so if you see a guy wandering along the shoulder while his wife fumes, that me looking for the next piece of rubber to complete the set!! ( Really the LR dealer is 30 mins away and I keep forgeting to ask when I go).

It looks like the rubbers have been missing for years, but I would rather have them than risk a kink in the bonnett.