Let See your Tire Carrier Builds

Stuckless

Stuckless

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Aug 24, 2019
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Fort Mcmurray
So im in need of a new project and my TJ also needs a tire carrier. So I figured id put two together and build one :oops: That being said i would like to see what you guys have come up with? My plan is to use the stock bumper and figure out a way that i could make it stronger to handle a swing out tire carrier. Along with my spare i would also like to mount my trail jack and a mount to hold my chainsaw. Living in Northern Alberta, Canada where a will fire ripped through a few years ago, When wheeling in the bush we always run into the problem of dead tress falling across the trails, so the Chainsaw holder is a must for me. Who has built one? i need ideas!
 
The stock bumper is altogether to weak, both in the thin gage metal of the bumper itself and the flimsy mounting tabs, to really handle a swing out tire carrier without extensive modification, and at that point you may as well take a piece of 2x4 structural steel and make your own bumper/tire carrier combo. Something like the Dirtworx bumper would be pretty easy to recreate if you're good a fab work:
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The bumper part is literally just 2x4 steel with the ends capped and brackets welded on the back and bottom to mount to the Jeeps crossmember and frame. You'd have to figure out the swing out portion yourself.
Alternately if you wanted to keep the stock bumper, with some tubing, joints, and some custom brackets, you could potentially make something similar to the discontinued Or-Fab tire carrier:
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I've tried bending a stock bumper back into shape. Trust me, it's plenty stout to support a spare tire. A 36" crowbar and hydraulic ram (with nowhere great to brace it) did absolutely nothing. Whatever pivot you devise is sure to have some sort of mounting plate to spread the load.
 
Well here’s one I made quite a few years ago, it would hold 1 or 2 blitz cans, depending on what ya wanted, but didn’t sit on the rear bumper, I strap my jack to it. It was made using a broken stub shaft so I could put a unit bearing, and caliper if I wanted to. Not pictured is the expanded metal o welded under it to hold stuff

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The one I run now is much simpler and lighter and the tire sits on the rear bumper and a little inside the tub since I made it to angle in a bit, no room for stuff to mount to it though. It’s mounted off my roll cage /back seat harness bar

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We carry a sthl lithium ion chain saw these days inside the cab on our group rides, quiet and get the job done for whatever we encounter
 
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The key is how the pivot is built. Oversized bearings and mounted thru the bumper so it has bearings top and bottom of bumper will greatly increase strength. I have seen some that use just a sleeve on the top surface only and they seem to sag and pull apart pretty quickly.
 
Nordic said:
The stock bumper is altogether to weak, both in the thin gage metal of the bumper itself and the flimsy mounting tabs, to really handle a swing out tire carrier without extensive modification, and at that point you may as well take a piece of 2x4 structural steel and make your own bumper/tire carrier combo. Something like the Dirtworx bumper would be pretty easy to recreate if you're good a fab work:
View attachment 126007
View attachment 126008

The bumper part is literally just 2x4 steel with the ends capped and brackets welded on the back and bottom to mount to the Jeeps crossmember and frame. You'd have to figure out the swing out portion yourself.
Alternately if you wanted to keep the stock bumper, with some tubing, joints, and some custom brackets, you could potentially make something similar to the discontinued Or-Fab tire carrier:
View attachment 126009
Click to expand...
I figured the stock bumper would be to week. I haven’t really looked at it yet. I wanted to remove the bumper and see if I can brace it better but you are right to built your own dumper doesn’t seem like a big task. Thanks maybe I’ll look into building a bumper too!
 
Goatman said:
The key is how the pivot is built. Oversized bearings and mounted thru the bumper so it has bearings top and bottom of bumper will greatly increase strength. I have seen some that use just a sleeve on the top surface only and they seem to sag and pull apart pretty quickly.
Click to expand...

If there was one good thing about my old swing away tire carrier, it was the trailer hub hinge. That's it. Still, good riddance to all of it.
 
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Rockomuchaco said:
Mine swings down. Gonna see how I like it while trying to hunt out of it in Kansas next week. May just build a swing out. View attachment 126059
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Awesome design!

I cant see where you have it attached at the bottom, but you could put a hitch pin safety bracket at the hinges so that entire carrier can be locked inward tightly at the bottom alone. This would take most of the weight bearing function off the upper latches attached to the body. At least in a pulling direction away from the body, which I'd imagine would cause the most stress damage.
 
This isn't to knock anyone's likes or skills ...but it's been my experience if the tire swings with the gate , you will be more apt to access the back of the Tj .

At the same time , a swing away , especially if it holds a jerry can, hi-lift , etc looks really good and is doing more transport wise.
 
MX952 said:
I think I want to build a drop down ON a swing out. That would be cool. Easy to access the tailgate and still easy to access an over size spare tire without blowing a nut.
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Keep the hardtop on so you can lift the glass up, install a gate mounted drop down table and maybe an inflatable tent that unfurls from the rear. Easy access!
 
So....after a few days of pheasant hunting out of the tj, definitely going to be building a swing out tire carrier. Current tire carrier works great for a day trip to the ohv park, but a pain in the a$$ getting in and out of it for bird hunting.
 
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