My redneck tire carrier

Westtown Willy

Westtown Willy

TJ dummy
Supporting Member
Joined
May 10, 2018
Messages
2,458
Location
Clown World
The problems: light stock tire carrier with a heavy ass spare & difficulty getting it on.

060.JPG


Up until now what I do is lift the tire & balance the very edge on the bumper then try to weasel it onto the studs, then hold it with one arm & one knee while I fish a lug nut out of my pocket & try to thread it on there to take the weight off of me before the whole thing comes crashing down on me (ask me how I know), & I’m a scrawny little fuck at 137lbs soaking wet & getting older & scrawnier by the minute. Seriously I don’t know how people deal with 35s, 37s & up on the trail…

Once I get it on just enough of the tire sits on the bumper to take a lot of the weight off of the carrier & it also holds it perfectly still so there’s no bouncing or movement. But, to open the gate it releases the tension between the tire & the bumper so I have to re-do it. This isn't too bad because I can go a long time without opening the gate, the only thing in back is my tool box & that opens to the front by design.

So far it’s worked for almost 2 years, my gate & hinges are solid & the carrier itself is showing no signs of fatigue, I never see or hear any rattling around even on really bumpy trails; nevertheless this method is getting old due to the difficulties I'm having putting the tire on there.

The fix: certainly a new bumper with swing out carrier is the best way to go but until that happens I needed a way to help me get the tire on & also take all of the weight off the carrier while it’s on.

I looked at high-low trailer hitches thinking I’d flip it up & rest the tire on there but I couldn’t find one the size I needed plus for some reason my trailer hitch is not centered under the tire but a ways off to the left. I’ve seen some photos online where others have finagled things to take the weight off the carrier itself & transfer it onto the stock bumper, but I don’t know how to weld & don’t have the equipment so I wandered around Home Depot for about 30 minutes awaiting inspiration & came away with nuts, bolts, & two 12 gauge right angle connectors, an off the shelf fix that didn’t require any kind of fabrication, just drilled 4 holes & bolted them on.

Total cost: $11.21
021.JPG


First I screwed the connectors to a 1x6 to be sure they were flush with the bumper & to hold it all still while I drilled:
023.JPG


Then bolted them on to test:
025.JPG
027.JPG


Had to bend them down a bit, didn’t calculate in the arcing contour of the tire so when the connectors were at a 90 degree angle the wheel was too high to get onto the studs

032.JPG


Popped the tire on & rested it on the carrier, slid easily back & forth on the studs so they’re not carrying much of the weight at all, really their purpose now is to keep it all tightly bound together to avoid any kind of movement:
033.JPG
034.JPG


With everything fitting together I pulled it all off to paint & while that was drying it was Miller Time, this time not in frustration like last week but in celebration for an idea actually going to plan:
039.JPG


roasted some peppers too, because shit son they’re good on everything
040.JPG
041.JPG


All done:
045.JPG
048.JPG
062.JPG


Can barely see it with the spare on
052.JPG


I've got to say this solved my problem, it made it so much easier for me to get my spare on, it's like putting the tire on a shelf & once it's on there I can hold it in place with one finger while I screw the lug nuts on, the old way was more like trying to balance the tire on the edge of an ice cube.

By the way I was able to do this yesterday in lieu of my cancelled trip off road, there was a big event going on at Rausch Creek & the forecast was for rain all day, again, and I just wasn’t in the mood to be drenched & covered in mud for 12 hours, we’ll gettem next time

Happy Sunday to all
 
  • Like
Reactions: BeavisTJ, DPwranglerTJ98, Kiwi TJ and 6 others
"With everything fitting together I pulled it all off to paint & while that was drying it was Miller Time, this time not in frustration like last week but in celebration for an idea actually going to plan:"

There's a corollary to Murphy's Law that states, "If everything seems to be going according to plan, you've obviously overlooked something".:confused:

Seriously though, good job. Looks like something I'd do.;)
 
I wonder if those brackets will maintain form after a bumpy trail?

If they do bend down... maybe brackets with a cross strut will work.


Or you can try my idea for a tire carrier...

She has a hard time keeping up with my travels.. but she is committed, and will eventually bring me my tire.


6.jpg
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: 02SteelBlue, Hammer24, BeavisTJ and 6 others
Sancho said:
I wonder if those brackets will maintain form after a bumpy trail?

If they do bend down... maybe brackets with a cross strut will work.
Click to expand...

I thought about that & I’d be more concerned if the whole tire were sitting directly on the brackets, but the leading edge of the tire is still on the bumper itself which has kept the tire static all this time without the brackets. My primary concern was helping me get the tire on the Jeep so as long as this does that I'll be happy, and we’ll see soon enough as I’ll likely be heading to the trails on the 25th. If my theory is wrong :argue: I’ll swap it out for thicker brackets, just a matter of drilling holes in the new brackets.

Either way I’ll report back what happens :comp4:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kiwi TJ and Sancho
Westtown Willy said:
I thought about that & I’d be more concerned if the whole tire were sitting directly on the brackets, but the leading edge of the tire is still on the bumper itself which has kept the tire static all this time without the brackets. My primary concern was helping me get the tire on the Jeep so as long as this does that I'll be happy, and we’ll see soon enough as I’ll likely be heading to the trails on the 25th. If my theory is wrong :argue: I’ll swap it out for thicker brackets, just a matter of drilling holes in the new brackets.

Either way I’ll report back what happens :comp4:
Click to expand...


Ahh ok.. if its there to assist, rather then support full time.. it should work.

Another thought.. maybe put some rubber pads on the bracket to protect your shins when the tail gate is open?
 
Sancho said:
Ahh ok.. if its there to assist, rather then support full time.. it should work.

Another thought.. maybe put some rubber pads on the bracket to protect your shins when the tail gate is open?
Click to expand...

yea that's its main purpose, but any help in carrying the weight of the tire while mounted helps too, if it's even doing that. I have no way to calculate the stress on the carrier with the way it was or the way it is now, I'm just going by the lack of symptoms of too much stress (no movement, no squeaking, no play in the hinges & no signs of wear on the carrier) which all lead me to believe the weight has already been on the bumper all this time... I was also able to move the spare around freely on the studs (before the brackets) once I got the first lug a few turns around so I could let go of the tire. I'm pretty sure if the tire didn't sit up on the bumper it probably would've damaged my carrier & hinges by now as I've done a ton of bouncy wheeling with that set up.
 
When the holes are drilled for #10 self drillers, the bracket was not built to be drilled for 1/4" Grade 8 Bolts....... or even 1/4" hardware store quality bolts.

But I'd do it too for the grilled peppers.
 
KCNoDots said:
Any update if this mod worked out for you after off-roading?
Click to expand...

it has worked out as planned, big help in getting my spare mounted on there. I've wheeled it repeatedly & not on flat dirt trails, I get bouncing pretty good for hours on end when I'm in the mountains & despite the failure concerns above the brackets remain in the identical form compared to the date of install

billiebob said:
Wait til it drops and pokes thru the sidewall.
Click to expand...

Not even sure how that would happen, I guess if my carrier rips off the tailgate but remains connected just enough for the tire to drop down a few inches & flop around with enough force to drive the bracket edge through the tire? Interesting scenario, however if that happens I've got bigger problems than a flat.

I think what some miss is the intended purpose. Maybe that's my fault for calling it a tire carrier, probably a misnomer. But I thought the original post was clear that the tire is not sitting on the brackets, at least not primarily. For about 2 years the tire sat directly on the bumper which carries its weight & holds it firm to the carrier with no movement, sparing the carrier & my hinges. I know this because when I get it on the bumper & thread the studs through the rim I can literally move it back & forth with ease, in other words there's no weight on the studs. The bumper continues to do the same thing today, the brackets help me balance it all while putting the tire on - I don't like (or keep) the tire on the Jeep unless I'm wheeling it & with the amount of wheeling I do this is a regular issue for me so I needed a way to make it less difficult.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KCNoDots
billiebob said:
When the holes are drilled for #10 self drillers, the bracket was not built to be drilled for 1/4" Grade 8 Bolts....... or even 1/4" hardware store quality bolts.

But I'd do it too for the grilled peppers.
Click to expand...
Those are framing connectors and the holes are sized for special short nails or screws. The hole is not sized for what the metal will take but what the wood they connect to will take and using much if any larger nails just splits the wood and ruins the connection. 1/4" is pretty good for 1/8" material attaching to something other than wood.

The only change I would have made if I were doing it is cut the down leg back to about 2" long and drill two holes closer to the bend and use them. Only because the lower holes aren't doing anything since the material will bend above them long before the shear load is countered by the lower fasteners.
 
glwood said:
If you read his initial post, he bent it on purpose.
Click to expand...

yea, that was my mistake, neglected to consider the arc of the tire tread as it spilled over the edge of the bumper. I should have taken my measurement with the tire on rather than assuming a straight 'shelf' would work, & I should have known this because of how hard it was to get the tire onto the bumper alone (without the brackets for support), but it all works so I still consider it a well spent $11 & worthy of the red neck engineering moniker :LOL:
 
Top Bottom
Back