Best shovel for an AEV tire carrier?

[Ratbert]

I recently discovered that AEV tire carriers have a hole in them designed to hold a shovel. My wife ran with the idea and stuck one of our shovels in it before she took her brother for a trail run. Unfortunately nobody realized that the handle is slightly too long and it digs into the back of the Wrangler when the tailgate is fully opened. Yes, my first dent.

What's the best shovel for the tire carrier that's long enough but not so long that it causes damage?

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[Tpom]

Bookmarking. I have been searching for a good option as well for the carrier. From what I have researched so far a lot of people use to buy the True Temper shovel from Lowes and cut it down to fit well. I didn't see the same one is listed anymore though. I'm wondering if something like this one would work when cut down? Based on the size of the hole I'm thinking some sort of pad will be necessary to stop it rattling around.

 

[Rubi6mt]

I went down the same process as you and then decided to just keep it simple. Went to home depot, bought one of their shovels and wedged it into place.

Once I had it wedged against the tire, I measured the excess length to cut so as not to dent the body of the door and sawed it off. Works great.

Here is a pic at Rausch Creek with my group. You can see my shortened shovel on my tire carrier. drove 300 miles round trip, did Crawl Daddy (a red trail) and that shovel didn't budge.

 

[Ratbert]

I went down the same process as you and then decided to just keep it simple. Went to home depot, bought one of their shovels and wedged it into place.

Once I had it wedged against the tire, I measured the excess length to cut so as not to dent the body of the door and sawed it off. Works great.

Here is a pic at Rausch Creek with my group. You can see my shortened shovel on my tire carrier. drove 300 miles round trip, did Crawl Daddy (a red trail) and that shovel didn't budge.

Excellent idea about simply cutting it to fit.

 

[Rubi6mt]

Excellent idea about simply cutting it to fit.

And once wedged against the tire, the shovels handle is tight against the guide holes so I get zero rattles even on the washboard trails.

 

[Tpom]

And once wedged against the tire, the shovels handle is tight against the guide holes so I get zero rattles even on the washboard trails.

Did you have to wrap the handle at all to get it to seat so well (as to not rattle?) or is the press against the guide holes enough?

 

[Rubi6mt]

Did you have to wrap the handle at all to get it to seat so well (as to not rattle?) or is the press against the guide holes enough?

Press against the guide holes and shovel head wedged against the tire more then enough.

I hit the back end pretty hard coming off some boulders including one I was turtled on and needed a winch, shovel never budged or rattled

 

[Tpom]

@Ratbert did you end up selecting a particular shovel yet? If so, which one did you go with. Was looking at shovels at Lowes the other day.

 

[Ratbert]

@Ratbert did you end up selecting a particular shovel yet? If so, which one did you go with. Was looking at shovels at Lowes the other day.

Thanks for the reminder. I still haven't found one that fits, is functional, and looks decent.

@392OVRLND had a friend with a slick Crazy Beaver. Maybe he was able to verify that it fits?

 

[392OVRLND]

Thanks for the reminder. I still haven't found one that fits, is functional, and looks decent.

@392OVRLND had a friend with a slick Crazy Beaver. Maybe he was able to verify that it fits?

I think I showed you that picture of the guy on the AEV Facebook group that tried it with the Krazy Beaver. It’s not long enough. Funny, though, I recently was chatting with them on an Instagram post and asked if they’d make a longer shovel. I will keep you posted on what I hear back. I think their shovels are too short to be useful, but I’m also 6’2”…

I have had 3 Jeeps with AEV tire carriers and I keep giving away my shovels when I sell / trade them. The easiest thing to do is just go buy a standard garden shovel with a fiberglass handle from a hardware store and insert it in the carrier, tug it hard from the handle end to snug it up, and mark it where it needs to be cut. Lop off the end, and re-grip it.

That’s exactly how I’ve don’t all 3 of mine.

 

[Ratbert]

I bought a few and ended taking them all back but this one from Ace Hardware. It cost about $35 and seems like it'll last quite a while before rusting. I looked at the insanely expensive variants and their handle designs would have required too much effort to work around. And, of course, that'd be a lot of money dangling on the rear of my rig.

I cut 4.75" off the handle with a Dremel. The fiberglass is solid red (hollow center) and cut cleanly. Yeah, getting the rubber handle off and back on was a pain, but not horribly. Goo Gone works wonders on removing the glue from the labels.

I wrapped some electrical tape around it (to make it about the same thickness as the rubber handle) at the top point where it rests within the tire carrier. That should prevent any vibration as well as protect the handle.

It fits in there nicely and doesn't rattle. Yeah, you can see where my wife put a standard-sized shovel in there and the damage that it did when the tailgate got opened. Or maybe not since the Jeep is always dirty due to us living about a mile from the nearest paved road. And, of course, from taking it rock crawling quite frequently.

 

[Flip]

I know this is probably not a preferred shovel, but it fits inside my 2 door. I use a trash bag to put over the blade. At my age I'm only willing to do but so much digging, it quickly turns into; go around, winch, or turn around and go home.

Razor-Back 30-in Wood D-Handle Digging Shovel in the Shovels & Spades department at Lowes.com

 

[Ratbert]

I know this is probably not a preferred shovel, but it fits inside my 2 door. I use a trash bag to put over the blade. At my age I'm only willing to do but so much digging, it quickly turns into; go around, winch, or turn around and go home.

Razor-Back 30-in Wood D-Handle Digging Shovel in the Shovels & Spades department at Lowes.com

Understood, but this is about shovels that fit in the slot designed for them in the AEV spare carrier.

 

[Flip]

Understood, but this is about shovels that fit in the slot designed for them in the AEV spare carrier.

Oh ok, my bad bro.

 

[Beachcomber72]

Agency 6 makes one that works specifically with the carrier.

https://agency6.com/collections/shovels

Enjoy…

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