I purchased a 95 SD that had 13" tires & upgraded to 14". But have been concerned about the spare being heavier & still only held by the 2 bolts thru the egg shell, cause the skinny bumper doesn't provide much support. So I got a 2x6 & mounted it to the bumper & cut it out at the spare to support some of the weight. It provides just the support I wanted & looks great too... KENN
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we did a similar thing woth ours as it never had a spare tire mount. Instead of puting all the weight on the bracket we used the top of the bumper so the tire just rested on it.

Don`t know about trailers, but I believe that a wooden bumper on a motor vehicle in Manitoba is illegal....probably because of the splintering in the event of a collision......don`t know if a wood overlay would also be illegal.....is there a reference to it in state laws? ...Benny

I think it looks pretty darn good.

I think I remember some California Highway Patrol cars having wooden front bumper for pushing vehicles off the road. Also, I've seen lots of vintage pickups with wooden bumpers.

Your bumper looks great and we love your spare tire cover. Did you paint it yourself?

Jeanne

MY WIFE IS THE ARTIST, I'M JUST HANDY... I ASKED HER TO PUTT SOMETHING ON THE NEW BLANK COVER, HECK I WANT TO FRAME IT & HANG IT ON THE WALL... SHE DOES HAVE A GOOD SET OF MODELS......
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A truly excellent job!!! You four must be a delightful spectacle when you're traveling!

Steve painted a turtle on our spare tire cover, but the paint he used (Humboldt Treasures Vinylon) was difficult to work with - very thick and sticky. Do you know what kind of paint your wife used? Is it holding up well?

Best wishes,

Jeanne

She used" Liguitex " Acrylic artist paint. Mixes & blends easy to work with. When she is done & dry, I spray it with ACE clear plastic spray, about 3 or 4 coats, let dry completely between very light coats... She painted my cover on my CJ5 jeep years age & it lasted till if faded & the cover fell apart, couple of few years at least...She tried the cloth paints from craft stores & found it hard to work with & didn't hold up well.. A FEW HEADS TURN WHEN WE GO BY , But we're use to it, we do children shows as "BLUE BEARD the PIRIATE - MOLLY & the OUTBANK MACAWS.. Kenn & Pat
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Thanks for the info Kenn and Pat! The next time we paint our spare tire cover we'll use Liguitex.

Your pirate shows look like a lot of fun... lucky kids!!!

Jeanne and Steve

As a longtime woodworker, I asked myself if I could solve the same problem, but I wasn't as creative as you were. That's a brilliant example of thinking out of the box. I love my metal solution but do admire your wooden one.