Tailgate Mounted Tire Carrier

iamduck82

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Mar 18, 2018
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32
Location
Calgary, AB, Canada
i'm going to be running 37x13.5r17 rubber on beadlocks.

After a long time of searching for the perfect tire carrier i realized a few things.

A) Most people with larger than stock tires go bumper mount
Pros - Strong, usually can mount extra goodies
Cons - Added weight, you get what you pay for, and in the end most tend to rattle or fatigue/fail in some way shape or form

B) Body mounted carriers look sweet and fix most of the issues found with bumper mount.
Pros - looks cool, less likely to fail or rattle, call it a draw for weight (unless you go aluminum), and you still can mount goodies to it.
Cons - usually expensive, cant mount as many goodies to them like bumper mount,

C) why isnt there a tailgate tire carrier for big tires (there is one actually). Beef up your hinges, accept that you wont carry a tool box of gear on the carrier and keep it simple.

https://www.rustysoffroad.com/jeep-...ys-tire-carrier-1997-2006-tj-lj-wrangler.html

Pros - less added weight, less room for rattling and failure (provided install is quality), single handed operation
Cons - You cant carry all your gear (shovel, jack, axe, spare fuel cans, your mother inlaw when she complains about the bumpy roads), if something fails its gonna be big (body panel carnage)


i dont like bumper mount because of probable 2 hand operation, things rattle and if you dont buy something bomb proof it will fail or leave you wanting more. (quality in = quality out)

Body mounted look cool but Genright and Poison carriers cost a mint and you still most likely have to use 2 hands to manipulate it.

talk me into or out of a tailgate mounted carrier...... that Rusty's one has potential....
 
Looks like the MorRyde setup. Rebadged & with the price jacked up. I'd be surprised if you could carry a 37 on that. I have it on my Jeep & a 32 is sitting right on the bumper. You'd have to notch the bumper or something I imagine.
 
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Rusty's is a poor copy of the ExoGate/MorRyde. For 37s, use a stronger tire mount and set it high enough to clear the bumper and also pull it into the tub as far as your can. Make sure the snubbers are doing their job.
 
I have been running a 35 on the Exogate carrier for 4+yrs with no issues. With plenty of room above the bumper. With a 37 I don't know. I don't plan on one though.
 
Personally I hate the look of the GR or PS bumper mounted carriers; but love the look of the body mounted ones; which can still realistically be manipulated with one hand. However at least with genright they recommend their aluminum corner armor plates (the ones that cover the body) to reinforce the mounting for the carrier.
The tailgate mounted ones will probably not hold up well with a 37 (a 35 would probably function in the long-term).
The swing-out bumper types tend to sag depending on the quality of the construction; look into the RockHard 4x4 rear setup if this is the route you want to go.
However, probably the best choice for holding a 37 would be from Genright or Posion Spyder with their swing out or swing down (bumper mounted) carriers. These are designed to carry up to a 42.
 
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However, probably the best choice for holding a 37 would be from Genright or Posion Spyder with their swing out or swing down (bumper mounted) carriers. These are designed to carry up to a 42.

At what point does a tire get so large that carrying a rear mounted spare becomes impractical? If the requirement to do so starts to look like the GR or PS jungle gyms, I suspect you have stepped heavily into that territory.
 
At what point does a tire get so large that carrying a rear mounted spare becomes impractical? If the requirement to do so starts to look like the GR or PS jungle gyms, I suspect you have stepped heavily into that territory.

i think having a rear mounted spare has much to do with the rig and the wheeling its intended for. Personally my rig will be used for overland and expedition of canadian rockies. for me i need the cargo space and that means rear tire carrier. If i could afford all the upgrades i'd be headed for 40's instead of 37's.
 
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At the end of the day the Jeep TJ/LJ tailgate is not designed to carry the weight of anything other than the factory sized tire that came from the factory. Can it be done, sure, and it does often without much issue.


Howeveryou are talking about a 37 inch mud tire on a beadlock wheel. The tailgate should not even been in your vision when planning a spare tire solution.


You have annswered this yourself in your original post. You get what you pay for. Build or have built, a bomb proof bumper mounted/gusseted tire carrier. Use DOM, use 7075 Alum tubing, use Johnny Joints, use a bomb proof hinge, use whatever you find is going to fit your solution. Buy once, cry once.

BTW have you seen the pics in this thread?
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/sagging-tailgate-loose-body-seam.33317/
 
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The options are endless. Not a tire carrier, its something a little different to show that you dont have to be cookie cutter with a tire carrier build. Build it to your specs.
EB824C8A-71BE-4547-8168-1913E5BFB513.jpeg
 
At what point does a tire get so large that carrying a rear mounted spare becomes impractical? If the requirement to do so starts to look like the GR or PS jungle gyms, I suspect you have stepped heavily into that territory.

I run 33's right now (unfortunately), and I don't even have my spare mounted right now (doubly unfortunate)
 
Hijack!
I've been thinking about making the move to a body mounted tire carrier lately. MORryde is definitely my fall back, but I cam across this one today.
http://crawlerconceptz.com/index.php/tj-body-mounted-tire-carrier.html
Didn't know if anyone has had any experience or thoughts on it? If it has all the tie in brackets, it could work well. All I want to carry on the back is a spare tire (33") a shovel, axe, and my trasharoo.


EDIT: crawlerconceptz has since gone out of business and has scammed quite a few people since.
 
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i'm going to be running 37x13.5r17 rubber on beadlocks.

After a long time of searching for the perfect tire carrier i realized a few things.

A) Most people with larger than stock tires go bumper mount
Pros - Strong, usually can mount extra goodies
Cons - Added weight, you get what you pay for, and in the end most tend to rattle or fatigue/fail in some way shape or form

B) Body mounted carriers look sweet and fix most of the issues found with bumper mount.
Pros - looks cool, less likely to fail or rattle, call it a draw for weight (unless you go aluminum), and you still can mount goodies to it.
Cons - usually expensive, cant mount as many goodies to them like bumper mount,

C) why isnt there a tailgate tire carrier for big tires (there is one actually). Beef up your hinges, accept that you wont carry a tool box of gear on the carrier and keep it simple.

https://www.rustysoffroad.com/jeep-...ys-tire-carrier-1997-2006-tj-lj-wrangler.html

Pros - less added weight, less room for rattling and failure (provided install is quality), single handed operation
Cons - You cant carry all your gear (shovel, jack, axe, spare fuel cans, your mother inlaw when she complains about the bumpy roads), if something fails its gonna be big (body panel carnage)


i dont like bumper mount because of probable 2 hand operation, things rattle and if you dont buy something bomb proof it will fail or leave you wanting more. (quality in = quality out)

Body mounted look cool but Genright and Poison carriers cost a mint and you still most likely have to use 2 hands to manipulate it.

talk me into or out of a tailgate mounted carrier...... that Rusty's one has potential....
What did you ultimately decide? Rusty's carrier is currently my top choice. The formed steel structurally can carry the weight (theoretically) rather than employing the tailgate sheet metal as a structural component. The ability to keep the tire, regardless of BS and bolt pattern, close to the body is a major advantage. While I'm not a fan of the cost, I love the reinforcement brackets to the deck and sport bar mount.