Hi Jay,

Unfortunately there's no easy way out with our vehicles as it's bumber is not a heavy duty chassis-mounted unit.

So after a harrowing research process I eventually took the plunge of retro-fitting a 2nd-hand factory Surf body-mounted tyre carrier onto my Australian-spec 4Runner. I bought the rack at a wreckers for $275, but the fabrication of the required internal bracing (for both the tailgate and rear-RHS corner) was a huge task. Firstly you have to strip the trim from the whole rear RHS and tailgate of your vehicle, which is bad enough. I drew up some plans for internal bracing (based on the factory installation) and a fabricator made and fitted them. It was a massive job but he did very well. A guy in the US did it too; his website can be found by searching for '4Runner tire carrier' on Yahoo.

The other alternatives are a Kaymar rear bumber replacement / tyre carrier, or one of two other wheel carriers: a centre-mount unit that is integrated with a (new) Hayman Reece towbar, or a chassis-mount carrier from 4x4 System. I haven't seen the former, but the latter utilises an extended chassis rail to poke down and through the bumper; it is adequate but moves around a fair bit with the large leverage involved.

As far as cost is concerned, the chassis-mount unit is the cheapest (~$550 if you fit it yourself); both the Kaymar bumper or towbar units cost over a grand; I got a good deal with mine but to do it again would probably cost ~$700-$800.

Good luck with your project!