Spare tire carrier.

C

Cavscout263

New member
So I am going to be getting 35" tires on 17" wheels. I was wondering if the stock spare tire carrier can carry it? Or do I need to get an aftermarket spare tire carrier? I have a 2011 Jeep wrangler unlimited Sahara
 
With proper bump stops on the tailgate you will be fine. The tire needs to be pressed firmly against the stops to keep it from rattling.
 
I have been doing this for more than 3 years. You will be fine except you are desert racing or jumping with your jeep.... :driving:
 
My brother has been carrying his 35" tire on the factory carrier for like 4 years. Like overlander said, just as long as it is tight against the bump stops and does not rattle, should be fine.
He also just recently made a cool little platform that goes into his receiver hitch to take some of the weight off of it.. This should really help. I don't have a pic of it, but he will probably chime in..
 
I ran a 35 on my stock carrier for over 5 years with no problems and I had wheels with 3.75 backspace so it didn't seat against the rubber cushions on the tailgate and I had no problems whatsoever other than I got rear ended once and it broke the carrier, but that was not the fault of the 35 tire on it.
 
It depends a bit on the type of trail riding you do or plan to do...

I agree that the stock carrier is all you need for the road if you control the wiggle, but IMO not for heavy trail use. My wife's tailgate is tweaked from the previous owner sliding down a hill and hitting a small tree. So, if the trails you run are tight and slick, you might think about an alternative. Many are also concerned about dropping off a ledge and the ledge grabbing the tire. I haven't seen this, but I do see where it could be an issue.

To counter my thoughts, EVOLander has been running a stock carrier and a heavy 37 I believe. Lord knows that thing has seen some trail action.
 
re:

Had a friend weld this up for my wifes JK. She's running 35" Nitto Mud Grapplers, so far, so good..
Very snug fit, but not so snug as to affect the position of the door when closed, that was a little trial and error...
If she comes down on a rock, the hitch should take the brunt of the force..

On mine I use a trailer hitch with a 2" drop, mounted upside down, with a washer under the ball to adjust the height for a tight fit, good on the backroads, we'll see on the trail...

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As mentioned, you can do it and without any problems SO LONG AS you make sure that the sidewall of the spare is pressing firmly against the rubber isolators. That will help prevent jiggling and that's what ultimately causes breaks.

Also as mentioned, if you play on trails with a lot of big ledges and/or obstacles that can catch your spare, you can do significant damage to your tailgate and rear glass. This is the biggest reason why I do NOT carry a spare on my tailgate.
 
20jk08 said:
Had a friend weld this up for my wifes JK. She's running 35" Nitto Mud Grapplers, so far, so good..
Very snug fit, but not so snug as to affect the position of the door when closed, that was a little trial and error...
If she comes down on a rock, the hitch should take the brunt of the force..

On mine I use a trailer hitch with a 2" drop, mounted upside down, with a washer under the ball to adjust the height for a tight fit, good on the backroads, we'll see on the trail...

View attachment 142724View attachment 142725
Click to expand...

Of all the DIY solutions to this problem, this has got to be the slickest looking! Nicely done :thumb:
 
20jk08 said:
Had a friend weld this up for my wifes JK. She's running 35" Nitto Mud Grapplers, so far, so good..
Very snug fit, but not so snug as to affect the position of the door when closed, that was a little trial and error...
If she comes down on a rock, the hitch should take the brunt of the force..

On mine I use a trailer hitch with a 2" drop, mounted upside down, with a washer under the ball to adjust the height for a tight fit, good on the backroads, we'll see on the trail...

View attachment 142724View attachment 142725
Click to expand...

That's pretty cool. I believe that OverlanderJK is running a rear hitch mounted stinger that helps out in the same way too.
 
As mentioned I have been running a 35" tire on my factory carrier for about 4 years. It's important to keep it from rattling. Most 35s will rest on the rear bumper slightly when closed and that will help alleviate some stress of the tailgate. When I removed my bumper to go the EVO d rings in the frame my spare started rattling alot more without the support of the bumper. After talking with Mel at ORE he showed me that on Evolander they have a support plate on the rear bumper that the tire rests on when closed. I fabbed up my own version of this that slides into my hitch. I haven't had any rattling since giving the tire the support. I do not feel that this is a permanent solution and would recommend that if you can afford to get a aftermarket carrier you should, that's next on my list.

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1431442683.499623.jpg
 
4x4Jesus said:
As mentioned I have been running a 35" tire on my factory carrier for about 4 years. It's important to keep it from rattling. Most 35s will rest on the rear bumper slightly when closed and that will help alleviate some stress of the tailgate. When I removed my bumper to go the EVO d rings in the frame my spare started rattling alot more without the support of the bumper. After talking with Mel at ORE he showed me that on Evolander they have a support plate on the rear bumper that the tire rests on when closed. I fabbed up my own version of this that slides into my hitch. I haven't had any rattling since giving the tire the support. I do not feel that this is a permanent solution and would recommend that if you can afford to get a aftermarket carrier you should, that's next on my list.

View attachment 142746
Click to expand...

Nice job. It always amazes me how a simple cost effective solution like this can be so much more effective than a fancy set of $700 hinges made in China. I'm surprised that nobody is making and selling something like this yet.
 
wayoflife said:
Nice job. It always amazes me how a simple cost effective solution like this can be so much more effective than a fancy set of $700 hinges made in China. I'm surprised that nobody is making and selling something like this yet.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it amazed me too. I will probably be retooling it soon to make it adjustable. I made it when my tires were relatively new and now with some wear it's not quite so snug anymore.
 
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