Tire carrier latch fix?

F

Flyguy

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Joined
Dec 13, 2022
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30
Location
Claymont, DE
I need suggestions...

So, I'm a flight attendant and I came home from a trip this morning opened up the back of the jeep put my bags in, and the tire carrier refused to latch.... after looking like a dweeb trying to slam it shut in the employee parking lot in uniform, and of course not having any bungie cords or straps I managed to strap it down with the rear seat belt and a well-placed suitcase.

Now I know the whole tire carrier has seen better days and will either be stripped and restored in the summer or replaced completely when I stop being poor.

What I need now is a relatively cheap usable fix. I still need to be able to open and close the back for bag stowage reasons, and I don't want to have to fumble with straps every time.

Also, does anyone know what brand tire holder this is? one of the POs put it on.


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I've never seen one like that. The handle is interesting. Almost looks like a screen door handle.

By the looks of the rust in and around the latch area, my guess is the mechanism inside is rusted if not broken. Does the handle/latch move? If it doesn't, I'd try spraying something like Kroil inside there and try working the handle and see if you can free it up.
 
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Flyguy said:
when I stop being poor.
Click to expand...

That ship has sailed, you bought a Jeep 🤣😭.

Seriously though, unless you rebuild the latching mechanism due to your location being very rust prone (I'm sure you can see that in the pictures) you're going to need to fiddle with straps or replace it. The latter being safer.
 
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Looks very rusty in there. Might just be stuck. Hit it with a penetrating lube. Will need to be taken apart and fixed though.
Reason why I like bolts or cam lock type latches.
 
Any latching system that is a second step beyond the tailgate is out in my book. They're annoying, rattle and fail over time, no matter who designed it.

Get an exogate to reinforce the tailgate and slap the tire there only to depend on the OEM latch and lock.
 
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I'd think for a very quick fix you could oil everything you see in there and shove some wedges between the part that is bent back and the rear edge of the the tube. That should at least get it usable until you get a new part as shown above.

Please post up whatever you end up doing that works both short and long term.

Letting us know what FB says may be interesting too, not necessarily good but interesting
 
JEEPCJTJ said:
I'd think for a very quick fix you could oil everything you see in there and shove some wedges between the part that is bent back and the rear edge of the the tube. That should at least get it usable until you get a new part as shown above.

Please post up whatever you end up doing that works both short and long term.

Letting us know what FB says may be interesting too, not necessarily good but interesting
Click to expand...

I always had plans to de-rust the hitch, so I took this as a sign that it was time. To take it apart, grind it down and repaint and rebuild. Currently running the TJ with a naked butt And hoping I don’t get a flat. Here’s the progress so far:
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im going to use Rust Kutter on the inside. Anyone have an suggestions for paint?
 
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ACE hardware has some spray paint called Rust Stop. I’ve been using their satin black on several thing the last few years. It goes on really smooth and looks great.

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