Guess I'll post the good with the bad...finally had an equipment fail...
Before:
After:
The tire carrier broke clean off!
1400 miles of Baja backroads roads finally took their toll. After the fact I find out this is a weak POS chinese spindle. Got nobody to blame but myself for not building more beef into this thing. Guess I can't complain too much since this is the only fail so far. Plan to rebuild includes a 1/3 larger spindle sold by Ruffstuff near Sacramento. Gonna have to get home first with this brute of a tire inside with us.
It's all part of the adventure....right???