XJ Custom Bumper with Swing Down Tire Carrier

This is really not so much of a tech thing as it is a "What I have been doing the last five days to get Brandon ready for Moab." I get a phone call last Wednesday night saying that the individual that was going to build his bumper backed out and he needed a bumper before Moab "So I won't taco my rear hatch." I went back and forth on whether I sould do this job or not. I had planned that I would not have anything major to do the week and a half before we left. I finally decided that I would help him out and would probably regret it. So here is some of the pictures I took of the bumper I just finished for him. I actually really like it except for the way the tire carrier swings downward. (THE TIRE CARRIER WAS NOT MY DESIGN) It has a hitch built into the bumper that attaches to the frame so you can tow with it. (WHY? I DON'T KNOW) THe only problem I had was with the design of the way Brandon mounted the tabs on his quarter guards. They were mounted horizontal to the vehicle so when you took the pins out you could not swing the tire carrier down. After a few hours of sleep I came up with a design for a swing out type attachment set up. I was lucky that we where not busy and I could get in the machine shop to get the pieces I designed made. Here is the final product:

Very nice i must say.
Awesome job!!!
Keep us posted on the test run, ect.

why not angle the tube to move the tire closer to the hatch and follow the body lines closer?

Very nice! I like the bumper a lot. Not to keen on the quarter mounts, though.

Do you have any pics of what you did for the bumper mounts?

I like it. If it were mine, I would tilt the tire mount in towards the window (to help with wind dynamics)
Good thinking making the side mounts adjustable 4ways.

Ben H said:

I like it. If it were mine, I would tilt the tire mount in towards the window.
Good thinking making the side mounts adjustable 4ways.

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If I build another one after knowing the measurements I would have bent the tube so the tire angled towards the rear hatch. He was happy about it, so I guess I did my job well.

Gaius said:

Very nice! I like the bumper a lot. Not to keen on the quarter mounts, though.

Do you have any pics of what you did for the bumper mounts?

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I don't have pictures of the bumper mount. I should have taken some and might be able to get a few tomorrow. I built the mounts so they attach to the stock location and so they rapped under and mount to the unibody frame rails. Plus there is a 1 1/2" x 3", 1/4" wall piece that is attached to both arms that attach to the unibody frame rail that the hitch is attached to.

Very nice fab work on that bumper and carrier!

Cruzin Illusion said:

It has a hitch built into the bumper that attaches to the frame so you can tow with it. (WHY? I DON'T KNOW)

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That 2" receiver can also be used for recovery, and appears to be the only option for it on that rear bumper.

Mine is a simaler disign, I mounted the tire higher and tilted forward, its a 36x14.50 I wanted it high enuff so my lisence plate could still be seen. It hinges down just far enuff for me to open my rear hatch and attaches up high to a bracket welded to my roof rack. I will try to get a picture this weekend.

The fab work looks nice, interesting option instead of a side swing carrier. I was about to ask why you put the tire so friggin' high, then I saw the comment about license plate visibility.

Good work.

fubar XJ said:

The fab work looks nice, interesting option instead of a side swing carrier. I was about to ask why you put the tire so friggin' high, then I saw the comment about license plate visibility.

Good work.

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I told the guy I built it for that I would have put it about 6 inches lower but he wanted the license plat to be visible. I told him that there was no way you were going to see it anyway. So I actually put it 2" lower than he wanted anyway. I should have just put it down low.

Thats very cool. Its missing something though between all those stickers....

I like it. Its different and has its own style.

I personally don't like Tire Carriers and would never run one, but if I had done it, I woulda angled it in like said above.

Also, your upper latches appear to have a pivot point, is that just so its easy to latch. I don't see any real reason for their to be a moving point at those joints, so I'm curious as to why you went that route.

Oh, and is there anything to stop a side rub from pushing those lower wrap arounds in and bending them?

It looks great... but how heavy is that tire?
Billy

Nice fab work but I have to admit, it's not a design I would like having.

If the tire needs to be that high for clearance/license plate/departure angle, it should either be inside the cabin or on the roof. If those options aren't available, incorporating a skid plate below the tire and mounting it lower might make sense, similar to the PSC piece for SWB rigs.

Using something like the THOR 1/4 armor would have provided a cool mounting spot for the upper attachments that would put them behind the hatch, not out on the side where they may catch an obstacle.

Running wiring through the tire carrier for a lighted plate mount would be easy and since the hatch handle is going to be exposed when the tire is down, that's not a problem.

A guy in my club that built something similar for his YJ is looking at incorporatin his Hi-Lift and co2 bottle on the carrier as well as a CB antenna and some other gear to make room inside.

Lots of ideas there....nice work.

WheelinJR said:

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Oh, and is there anything to stop a side rub from pushing those lower wrap arounds in and bending them?

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I did the same basic thing on mine and I've never had a problem. They take a lot of abuse and aren't even tied into the "frame".

My concern wouldn't be those tubes as much as the outboard mounting setup.

I built the tire carrier to the specs the owner wanted. I spoke with him on the tire carrier design and tried to talk him out of it. He already had the tabs on the quarter guards and want this design. I also told him that the tire should be lower on the carrier than what it is and he actually wanted it higher. The design is cool but the functionality has something lacking. He says he does not get in the back much and it would be o.k. I had to design the out mounts for the tire carrier due his design would not work. Because the tabs were mounted on the quarter guards where they ran horizontal to the vehicle the tire carrier would not hinge down. So I went to work and had to machine some pieces to make them pivot out then the tire carrier could fold down. If he would have mounted the tire where it should have been then you could not have angled it back towards the vehicle. If I knew that it still would have had such a gap I would have put a couple of more bends in the carrier so that the tire would match the angle of the rear window.

There were a couple of things I would have done extra if I had time, but the Moab trip he is going on is this week. When you build things for others sometimes you just do it their way unless it is not safe.

Like you said, the design was less than perfect, but I think the execution was top notch. Looking at the pieces of work involved, it's nicely done.

I built something similiar for a YJ. kindof a cool bumper I agree though; not very practical especially for a closed top rig. The guy with the YJ rarely ran a top and no back seat.

really good attention to detail and nice welds.

who made those sweet rear tube fenders?