stock? rear tire carrier questions.....

While at the junkyard today came across a '93 XJ with a tire carrier on the back. So, since I'm lookign for one (fab or stock) I pulled it off (and all the reinforcing brackets, etc) and got it for cheap.

Anyhow, a few questions about this:

1. all the stock XJ carriers I've seen in the past have an upper mount point on the side of the rig, just above the taillight. This one doesn't. This one mounts with two pins (top and bottom) to a piece that goes next to the stock bumper endcaps, and then latches to a bracket that goes above where the stock license plate is.

So, is this a stock carrier or aftermarket??

2. I plan to install this, of course, using all the reinforcing pieces behind the bumper and hatch. But I want to carry a 31 with it. It seems pretty damn well-built, but will it be strong enough for a 31?

3. Any suggestions on ways to make it stronger (if needed)? I'll put longer studs and a spacer on the "hub" so the 31 will clear the hatch, and will rebuild this with all new hardware, of course. It is missing the two main pin bolts that hold the carrier to the bumper bracket, but those shouldn't be hard to source.

Any thoughts/ideas/suggestions are appreciated!

the older AMC designed tire carriers tied into the body above the taillight, my wife's 87 has that style.
The chysler era carriers only attach to the bumper, there's a95 running around here with that style on it.
I wouldn't hang a large tire off either unless it was really beefed up.
I'd say a 31 is about the max it's going to hold without bending.
the picture you have is the chrysler one, you can tell by the latch mechanism, the AMC designed one has a handle at the bottom that you pull up on, not the big handle you squeeze to the side like that one.

87manche said:

the older AMC designed tire carriers tied into the body above the taillight, my wife's 87 has that style.
The chysler era carriers only attach to the bumper, there's a95 running around here with that style on it.
I wouldn't hang a large tire off either unless it was really beefed up.
I'd say a 31 is about the max it's going to hold without bending.
the picture you have is the chrysler one, you can tell by the latch mechanism, the AMC designed one has a handle at the bottom that you pull up on, not the big handle you squeeze to the side like that one.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info!

... though I don't see how it would bend. This mofo is pretty heavy-duty. My plan is to probably weld a second reinforcement bracket to the bumper mount in addition to the one that I pulled off the junkyard XJ, just to be sure. Then get some hardened hinge pins and good bushings.

In any case, 31 is the biggest tire I'll ever carry anyhow. Actually, my spare right now is only a 30 on an aluminum wheel.......

I might also have the actual tire holder rebuilt or reinforced, since it appears to be the weak point in terms of strength.....

Here are some photos of mine.

This is a stock carrier (there were two styles) yet it was not installed on my Jeep until I found it and put it on. The only reinforcing I did was the bracket inside the stock bumper and some plating inside the fiberglass hatch. I also did a different license plate placement.



The hinge



The striker. I put silicon under and around it to keep water out of anywhere.



The install on the bumper. Take out the bumper mount bolts, it bolts in right there. The reinforment plate goes inside the bumper. I had to fab my own.



Then I had to cut out the end cap a bit with a dremel. Up close it looks kind of rough but standing 5 feet away, it looks fine. Another pic of the hinge.



The license relocation. This worked better for me than mounting it to the panel, looks cleaner and hooks right up through the taillight wiring.



I like mine. The weight is on the bumper, not the panel. I have a 31" tire with a 1.5" spacer and it clears it and carries it no problem. Not rattle, no clunk. Been like this for 2+ years.

also I put a little cable lock on the bottom just in case the latch comes undone at an inopportune moment.






Good luck.

thanks! I had actually just a minute ago found an old thread where you posted the pics. I made sure to pull the backing plate for inside the hatch, as well as the frame plate behind the bumper (what a PITA to do this on an XJ sitting on its hubs in a muddy lot...not much room to work).

On yours, have you ever replaced the bushings or the hinge pins? If so, any idea where to get them, since I hear the dealer no longer has them available.

yep, it's easy to tell them apart, the AMC era one doesn't latch to the hatch, it latches down low into a plate that's inset into the bumper.