Preventing tailgate damage with a tire carrier

T

Testlab

New member
Hi everyone,

Last week I bought a new JKUR, and while I love it, I HATE the tires. So, I'll be putting 315 Duratracs on it, like what I had on my WJ that the JKUR is replacing. Obviously, that means I should do something about the spare to prevent ruining my tailgate.

Most of the swingaway units are pretty slick with one latch operation and such, but, so far I cannot find a single one that would prevent the issue my dad ran in to with his TJ - when something hits the back tire (trees in his case), the fact that everything is coupled to the tailgate causes the gate to get bashed in by the linkage on the tire carrier.

So, I come to you asking if there is a tire carrier out that meets the following criteria:

1: One handed" operation - Basically works like factory. Push button, pull handle and everything opens.
2: Reasonable isolation from tailgate damage. This could be from stops for the arm so the linkage isn't the only thing setting the closed position of the arm. I'd even be fine with adjustable stops to prevent "overclosing". Or something else I haven't though of. MAYBE this is a feature one every one made, but I just don't know!
3: "No" rattle. If it thumps once in a while then fair enough, but I DD this, and won't be happy with a box of bolts in the back.
4: Carries up to 37" tires. I don't like MT tires, so they won't be super heavy. Colorado is too fun with a Jeep with tires that actually can be used on snowy roads!
5: Looks "good". Super subjective, but if I was looking for a big rectangular piece of steel for a bumper, I'd make it myself.

The Metalcloak one seems to have a reasonable method of isolating the tailgate, but it is far from the one handed criteria. Looking at the way it works will let you know what I mean by isolating the tailgate though.
3900-Animation.gif


As you can see in this picture of the PSC single action system, the double rod end linkage would push the tailgate in if the carrier/tire was hit. 2012-10-04_8489-S.jpg

Any help is much appreciated!
 
Most bumper mounted carriers have some kind of bump stops between the carrier and the tailgate so I would think if you back into a tree with any kind of force you're going to damage your tailgate regardless of whether it's isolated from the carrier or not. JMO.


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Factory works well. [emoji106]

Or I'd look at the new EVO carrier that replaces factory one that WJCO linked, or the AEV one.
 
WJCO said:
If you're set on a new carrier though, check out EVOs new one.

https://www.offroadevolution.com/product/evo-mfg-proseries-hinged-gate-carrier-jk-2007-current/
Click to expand...

I'd be a little hesitant about this carrier to be honest.
I have no doubt that the metal itself is strong, and the hinges.
But say you backed up into a tree, the majority of the load is going to be transferred directly into the tailgate.
I had this happen on my Crawler Conceptz carrier, albeit it's a different design, it mangled my tailgate.
 
JKDream said:
But say you backed up into a tree, the majority of the load is going to be transferred directly into the tailgate.
Click to expand...

You back into a tree hard enough to dent something, you will most likely do that with any carrier unless you jump up to the EVO carrier with corners.
 
mudmobeeler said:
You back into a tree hard enough to dent something, you will most likely do that with any carrier unless you jump up to the EVO carrier with corners.
Click to expand...

I see where you're coming from, but personally I think that something that is directly mounted to the tailgate is much more likely to cause damage. Compared to a bumper mounted carrier that connects to the tailgate.

Most of the damage I received was because the mount for the wheel put a ton of force into the backplate which buckled my door in. If it was bumper mounted, that likely wouldn't have happened.
 
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Other than the EVO tire carrier that uses the skins to mount I can't thing of any "one handed" operation carriers that fit your requirements.

If they are one handed they will link to the tail gate so that they open with it. So if you were to back into a tree hard enough it will cause damage. Don't get me wrong, mistakes happen, but unless you are being reckless I can't imagine backing into a tree hard enough to do that amount of damage to the tail gate through the steel bumper and tire carrier.

If you haven't seen it, the new LoD Destroyer series bumper might fit what you are looking for.
 
Testlab said:
Hi everyone,

Last week I bought a new JKUR, and while I love it, I HATE the tires. So, I'll be putting 315 Duratracs on it, like what I had on my WJ that the JKUR is replacing. Obviously, that means I should do something about the spare to prevent ruining my tailgate.

Most of the swingaway units are pretty slick with one latch operation and such, but, so far I cannot find a single one that would prevent the issue my dad ran in to with his TJ - when something hits the back tire (trees in his case), the fact that everything is coupled to the tailgate causes the gate to get bashed in by the linkage on the tire carrier.

So, I come to you asking if there is a tire carrier out that meets the following criteria:

1: One handed" operation - Basically works like factory. Push button, pull handle and everything opens.
2: Reasonable isolation from tailgate damage. This could be from stops for the arm so the linkage isn't the only thing setting the closed position of the arm. I'd even be fine with adjustable stops to prevent "overclosing". Or something else I haven't though of. MAYBE this is a feature one every one made, but I just don't know!
3: "No" rattle. If it thumps once in a while then fair enough, but I DD this, and won't be happy with a box of bolts in the back.
4: Carries up to 37" tires. I don't like MT tires, so they won't be super heavy. Colorado is too fun with a Jeep with tires that actually can be used on snowy roads!
5: Looks "good". Super subjective, but if I was looking for a big rectangular piece of steel for a bumper, I'd make it myself.

The Metalcloak one seems to have a reasonable method of isolating the tailgate, but it is far from the one handed criteria. Looking at the way it works will let you know what I mean by isolating the tailgate though.
3900-Animation.gif


As you can see in this picture of the PSC single action system, the double rod end linkage would push the tailgate in if the carrier/tire was hit. View attachment 238307

Any help is much appreciated!
Click to expand...

I think you're on a unicorn hunt. You can either have one handed operation or a carrier that doesn't connect to the tailgate.


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Mount the tire in the cargo space of the Jeep. One handed operation of tailgate and if you back into something it'll probably hit your bumper before your tailgate.

Other than that, I'm with JK_Dave
 
Doesn't the Poison Spyder Rockbrawler connect the tailgate to the tire carrier?

Edit: Yep, it does

2012-10-04_8489-S.jpg

20130403_464-S.jpg
 
you back into or hit the back end hard enough and the potential for damage is there, even if you pack your tire inside the Jeep or on a roof rack on top.

even with the metal cloak design, hit the tire hard enough and it'll shove the top portion of the carrier into the tailgate.

I carried my 315 spare on the stock carrier for 5 years without issue and did back into parking garage walls a couple of times but not going fast enough to do damage. I extended my tailgate bump stops so they were firmly against the spare to help keep it stable as well as made sure the wheel was flush against the mounting plate.

I now have the AEV carrier on my stock bumper for the BFG KO2 37's I'm running and it works fine for one-hand opening of the tailgate.

accidents happen - not sure how you would eliminate that risk unless you left your Jeep parked - but then again, a tree could fall on it, someone loses control of their car and hits it, a meteor drops on it - you get the idea....
 
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jeeeep said:
you back into or hit the back end hard enough and the potential for damage is there, even if you pack your tire inside the Jeep or on a roof rack on top.

even with the metal cloak design, hit the tire hard enough and it'll shove the top portion of the carrier into the tailgate.

I carried my 315 spare on the stock carrier for 5 years without issue and did back into parking garage walls a couple of times but not going fast enough to do damage. I extended my tailgate bump stops so they were firmly against the spare to help keep it stable as well as made sure the wheel was flush against the mounting plate.

I now have the AEV carrier on my stock bumper for the BFG KO2 37's I'm running and it works fine for one-hand opening of the tailgate.

accidents happen - not sure how you would eliminate that risk unless you left your Jeep parked - but then again, a tree could fall on it, someone loses control of their car and hits it, a meteor drops on it - you get the idea....
Click to expand...

I think what I mentioned was taken a little bit out of proportion.
I was moving ~5mph when I backed into a tree. It wasn't a hard hit in theory, it's just the design that broke shit.
I agree with Dave though, I think OP is on a bit of a unicorn hunt.
 
I second the AEV or EVO. We have installed quite a few of the AEV carriers here in our shop and I like their design and they seem to be pretty tough. One handed opening and a pretty straight forward install.

The EVO carrier looks to be a good option but I haven't seen one in person but if its anything like the rest of their stuff... Its squared away.

Eddie may chime in here and if so I would listen closely. He has some pretty good insight in to the why behind the what. Lots of good info

Welcome to WAL! :thumb:
 
Maybe a good compromise would be to use the stock tire carrier modified for the larger tire and use some of that money you saved to get a backup camera if you don't trust your driving skills.
 
Haha, you all are cracking me up!

Yes, I'm on a bit of a unicorn hunt. However, it's a weakness in all the designs I've seen, so I was unsure if someone had tried to address it.

Yes, some stuff is unavoidable. But, just like sliders, it isn't about preventing damage, it's about damage mitigation. Obviously the JK isn't nuclear warhead/meteor/act of God proof, and I will never try to make it in to such a thing. It just seems like there should be a closing stop that isn't tailgate sheetmetal for the onehanded carriers, just like there is an opening stop. I realize this makes it so you'd need to do some precise adjustment to then make sure things latch and don't pull on the door too... but that's off down a design rabbit hole.

JKDream is totally right. The situation that brought this up was hunting. In the snow. Driving up an underestimatedly icy hill led my dad to slide back down, and bump a tree. I mean BUMP. Not slam. I've felt people hit me in a parking lot with more force. We aren't talking bashing a tailgate in from accidentally having it in reverse or something like that. The tailgate is flat out wimpy and it doesn't take much to crunch it in. However, it is a hell of a lot easier to replace in the even t of such a thing than trying to fix a corner, for instance, if you got rear ended with an EVO/PSC/Genright body mount. So, you all have me thinking I should just suck it up and deal with a hinged setup, or even a strengthened stock one (wile I work up a CAD model of a carrier that meets my design criteria in the OP!).

I'll check out the LoD.

Oh, and no. I won't be buying a backup camera :) Driving skills here are not the issue. It's just the "shit happens" factor driving this.

Thanks for the ideas!
 
Unless you remove the tire carrier from the tailgate entirely there is no way to stop the potential damage to the tailgate or body of you back into something hard. Only way to avoid damage is to not hit anything

sent from your basement
 
I was rear ended by a mini van with the brawler 2 on my jeep and it actually took the shot very well. No body damage! It just twisted the carrier and bent parts on the back side of the carrier. I was able straighten everything out myself.

You are hunting for a unicorn [emoji882]


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It's worth noting a difference between the stock carrier and the EVO tailgate carrier. The stock is mounted solely on the center of the gate while the EVO is mounted to a new hinge point and the gate (it becomes the new hinge for the gate). If you back into a tree with the stock carrier, all the force is transferred to the small mounting plate in the center of the gate. The EVO is structurally different because 1) the frame is stronger and 2) it is mounted to the sub structure behind the hinges which was beefed up substantially in the JK. In fact, the Genright and PSC carriers are mounted to that same substructure. The force from that tree gets transferred to those points in the sub structure.

Nothing will prevent damage and the EVO w/skins would be the best in that respect. But I do think the hinge mounted carriers like EVO would fair better against the tree than the stock carrier.

You want the tire mounted close to the gate for departure angle. But that means if you hit the tire hard, it's going to move into the gate no matter what.

And yes, I'm an EVO fan-boy and a sucker for gate-mounted carriers. I had the TF POS for 3 years. In my opinion the EVO design is significantly better because they pay attention to details and the build quality is in another league. I didn't want to mount skins, so I almost bought either the Genright or the PSC.

Dave


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