Attaching aftermarket tire carrier to stock rear bumper?

[indio]

New TJ owner here looking for advice on a spare tire carrier. My 1998 TJ currently has no spare tire carrier. I would like to purchase a swing out tire carrier, of the type that bolts to the top of the rear bumper. (Meaning the carrier does not attach to the TJ rear door/body.)

But the tire carriers I have seen online, all seem to indicate a matching aftermarket rear bumper is required. I wonder about this? The stock steel TJ rear bumper seems plenty strong to attach a tire carrier. Why should I need to also purchase an aftermarket rear bumper?

I am wonder if any TJ owners are using a swing out tire carrier attached to the stock TJ bumper, and can provide a recommendation? (Note: I'm fairly handy with a MIG welder, so if some modification is required, I have no problem drilling/welding the stock TJ rear bumper to accommodate a tire carrier.)

 

[Chris]

The stock steel bumper seems plenty strong to attach a tire carrier to? I don't know what you're smoking, but give me some of that

You're kidding, right?

Anyways, to be serious, there is no tire carrier that attaches to the stock bumper, plain and simple. If you want a bumper mounted tire carrier, you need a whole new bumper with the tire carrier built in. No way around that unless you have some serious fabrication skills.

 

[Airjunky]

The stock bumper would be twisted like a pretzel it it had another 50 or 60 lbs resting on the end.

 

[indio]

The stock steel bumper seems plenty strong to attach a tire carrier to? I don't know what you're smoking, but give me some of that

You're kidding, right?

Anyways, to be serious, there is no tire carrier that attaches to the stock bumper, plain and simple. If you want a bumper mounted tire carrier, you need a whole new bumper with the tire carrier built in. No way around that unless you have some serious fabrication skills.

Just want to be sure we are talking about the same rear bumper. I attached a couple photos. The bumper is reasonably heavy steel channel, attached securely to the frame at several points. It provides ample flat top surface to attach a tire carrier. I guess I could fire up the MIG welder and even box part of the bumper if needed. But I'll definitely take a closer look after work though.

 

[Chris]

Just want to be sure we are talking about the same rear bumper. I attached a couple photos. The bumper is reasonably heavy steel channel, attached securely to the frame at several points. It provides ample flat top surface to attach a tire carrier. I guess I could fire up the MIG welder and even box part of the bumper if needed. But I'll definitely take a closer look after work though.

View attachment 88494

View attachment 88495

Yep, that's the bumper I'm talking about, the stock one.

Those things are steel, but pretty thin compared to any of the aftermarket stuff.

That's not to say you couldn't make it work with a tire carrier, but you'd have to fab your own. You'd need to have something that ties into the frame (much like the AEV tire carrier does on the JKs with the stock bumper), so that the frame is supporting the weight of the tire, not the bumper. So at that point the bumper would be nothing more than a "cover" with a cutout in it to wrap around the tire carriers pivot point.

Like I said, nothing like this exists, but if you were a good welder / fabricator, it could be done.

One thing I can tell you, that bumper alone won't support the weight of a tire carrier and a heavy tire. It would have to be tied into the frame somehow like I mentioned above.

 

[indio]

Yep, that's the bumper I'm talking about, the stock one.

Those things are steel, but pretty thin compared to any of the aftermarket stuff.

That's not to say you couldn't make it work with a tire carrier, but you'd have to fab your own. You'd need to have something that ties into the frame (much like the AEV tire carrier does on the JKs with the stock bumper), so that the frame is supporting the weight of the tire, not the bumper. So at that point the bumper would be nothing more than a "cover" with a cutout in it to wrap around the tire carriers pivot point.

Like I said, nothing like this exists, but if you were a good welder / fabricator, it could be done.

One thing I can tell you, that bumper alone won't support the weight of a tire carrier and a heavy tire. It would have to be tied into the frame somehow like I mentioned above.

Thanks for the advice. And after a web search, I found some people mentioning they had a few issues going this route, particularly when having the tire carrier swung open on the stock bumper, encountering some sagging/twisting. Which makes sense given the leverage and single attachment point when the carrier is open. So yes, would require some fab on the bumper, fabricating a new heavier duty bumper, or going aftermarket.

 

[ZEN357]

You gotta replace the stock bumper if you are adding an aftermarket tire carrier.

 

[Chris]

Thanks for the advice. And after a web search, I found some people mentioning they had a few issues going this route, particularly when having the tire carrier swung open on the stock bumper, encountering some sagging/twisting. Which makes sense given the leverage and single attachment point when the carrier is open. So yes, would require some fab on the bumper, fabricating a new heavier duty bumper, or going aftermarket.

Yes, I never recommend bumper mounted tire carriers. The way to do it IMHO is a body mounted carrier that ties into the rear sport bar such as the Exogate / MORyde, or the OR-Fab unit.

The only way I would ever run a bumper mounted tire carrier is if it tied in with the frame and wasn't actually "attached" to the bumper at all (this is how AEV accomplishes it with their tire carrier for the JK bumper). But I don't think anything like that exists for the TJ. They all sag over time, and it's a pain in the butt to deal with (speaking from experience). It's also annoying having to open the tire carrier, then the tailgate.