Landrover spare tire mount on 3 cargo rails?

Just curious if you guys think that a bolt-on spare tire mount attached to 3 XJ cargo rails could support the weight of a 31" BGF AT spare?

The rails are $2 each at the Junkyard and the tire mount is $5.

$11 for a roof mount sounds like a good deal if it'll support the weight. I searched and only found information about using the cargo rails as rack mounts and about strapping a spare to the cargo rails. Nothing about a perm. set-up.

Thanks guys!

I set a 31 on the roof on top of 2 bars and it was fine.

^How high up did the tire sit? Thats all im worried about.

Don't know. Never measured.

^Is it obscenely high over the roof line? Wind noise? Notice a change in gas mileage?

Thanks!

You are a yard dog, you must spend 3 or 4 days there a week but come up with some cheep solutions too. The height will be the width of your tire + height of the cross bar + height of spare mount. It will affect the MPG and I am sure there is bound to be wind noise but there is a noticable vibration with the load on the rack and it will also make you more top heavy. But for little $$ it frees up a lot of space to get the spare out of the cab. Below is Chugly with a 33x10.5 TSL sitting on the cross bar, best and free solution to the spare but only when wheeling or space is needed. All in all it should not sit above the lightbar you made and would ballance the look of Betty a little better.

^Thats got to be my sig when I sign up lol. Thanks.

What can I say, im a college student who has finally learned how to weld and powdercoat and im getting out of hand

Thanks chugly!

I put my 32x11.5 spare on my roof for my run last weekend. I noticed it was like someone was holding my back dirivng on the highway going up to the place. I can't really remember much wind noise, but I only drove it to the trail, it unfortunately had to get trailered back.

ive allways liked the look of spares on the roof, but with 35s and the kind of stuff i enjoy, i think id have to worry about putting that much more weight on my roof

Mines a 31in on the roof on 2 bars. Works fine. No noise, really dont even notice its up there. Actually waiting for the bars to rip off the roof and the tire to go bouncing down the freeway!!!!

Okay, first question - what year?

I can't speak for later models (95 up maybe, NOT the body style transition, just the roof rack transition) but the early models had two distinct cross bars.

The really early ones, 1984 - 1988 (possibly midyear) were hard to deal with and had a metal knob on either end that you stuck a coin in to turn. These are shit to adjust (the knob only covers a bolt, that knob rounds out EASILY) but the bars are stronger.

The later early ones (oxymoron?), 1989 (or, as stated before mid '88) through whenever had a plastic knob on each side that you turn by hand. Really easy to adjust and position but the bars themselves are VERY flimsy.

In either situation I wouldn't put it up to the task of a spare tire in traffic. The earlier ones because getting them locked into position can be a problem and the laters because they are so flimsy.

Just to drive the point home a long time ago I mounted a full five gallon gerry can to two stock cross bars (with ratchet straps) for a run. While the can held just fine up there and I tested the hell out of it (I tried to rip it off every way I could think of before I left the house) the early bar didn't deform much but the later bar bowed a LOT (my red Jeep has one of each).

I have no experiance with the Chrysler style push button cross bars.

Sequoia

^Well My XJ doesn't currently have any bars. It didn't have any when I bought it.

Can I just buy the metal ones at the Junkyard or do I need to buy bars for my 96 in specific?

Thanks

good ? since i am wondering this too.
i plan on addin more bars just for those menards trips etc

I'm not a big fan of the tire on the roof. If you have a full cargo rack, then maybe.

I've seen a few of my buddies roll thier XJ's and in both cases the tire on the roof encroached into the passenger compartment. In one case it trapped both guys in the rig. Not a happy time for them.