EDH_JL
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- Joined
- May 21, 2019
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- State of Jefferson
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- 2018 JL Sport
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- #1
As 2 door owners know, space is at a premium especially when loaded up. The last hunting trip I used a hitch mounted rack to hold fuel, the CO2 tank, and a cooler which caused the headlights to shine in the treetops. In search of a method to carry fuel and the CO2 tank while keeping the weight off the rear end, I found the Morryde Side Mounts. Only the JK model was listed on the site, but I emailed and they reached out when the JL model was available in early March. I decided to take a chance since this was exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately, in my opinion, there are some major design flaws which had I known about I would not have purchased these mounts. I have provided this feedback to Morryde but wanted to share here as well so others know what to expect.
The side mount is bare with pre-drilled holes for their jerry can or rotopax accessory mounts, sold separately. I ordered one bare to add a Powertank holder and one jerry can mount. Product arrived and was well packaged, welds look good as well as the powdercoat. I received the install instructions beforehand and knew they would be mounting to the holes in the pinch seam and the cowl bolts using vertical slots in the side mounts. If you get a bare side mount, you really can put whatever you want on it with a suitable accessory mount that will fit between the door and the front fender - high-lift jack, air tanks, lights, fire extinguisher, tool box, small cooler, etc.
First problem encountered was the fact that the mounts were designed to sandwich between the Mopar side steps and the pinch seam, using the studs on the side steps as the bolts to hold the lower part of the mount. If you don't have Mopar side steps or others that use the pinch seam as a mounting point, like my sport, it won't work. I reached out to Morryde and they overnighted me some hardware, but as you can see the bolt diameter to fit in the side mount slots is much smaller than the hole in the pinch seam. I will be drilling out the mount holes to fit a properly sized bolt for the pinch seam. I attached the install instructions to this post.
Second problem encountered was because all four of the bolt slots are vertical, it is very difficult to get the mount to stay in one spot once aligned. Without the bolts in a regular hole or at the top or bottom of a slot, the weight of a loaded fuel can causes the mount to slide around. I needed it as high as possible to clear the LOD Destroyers, but it keeps sliding down and contacting the LOD's. I suggested to Morryde that a regular hole at the bottom or horizontal slots would help support the weight better. This issue might be corrected once I drill out the holes from problem one.
Third problem, and although it's mentioned in the instructions I didn't realize just how much of a problem this would be, is that you have to install the accessory mount to the side mount, then install the side mount to the Jeep. This means if the accessory mount bolts to the side mount have loosened a bit during that offroad trip or you want to remove the accessory mounts between trips, you must remove the rock rails then the side mounts just to tighten the bolts. The side mounts should have captive nuts welded to the back of the panel so you can remove the accessory mounts or tighten them without removing both the rock rail and the side mount. This is by far my biggest problem with these mounts.
Fourth problem after taking them off-road, the location of the bolts holding the jerry can mount to the side mount are more towards the middle of the mount instead of the corners. This causes the bolts to rub on the jerry can and when the jerry can is full, the weight causes the corners of the jerry can to pull away slightly from the side mount causing a rattle over rough terrain. I put a stick between the accessory mount and the can to stop the bolt heads from digging into the can and will be drilling new holes to move the bolts outwards as well as welding nuts to the back of the panel so the accessory mounts can be removed/tightened without taking off the rock rails.
Because of these 4 reasons, I don't recommend these side mounts unless you are willing to do some modifications. I am hoping Morryde will address these issues since I really believe this can be a great product and solution for those trying to keep weight from hanging off the rear of the Jeep.
Pics (the mounts do look good, my kids say it makes it look ready for adventure):
The side mount is bare with pre-drilled holes for their jerry can or rotopax accessory mounts, sold separately. I ordered one bare to add a Powertank holder and one jerry can mount. Product arrived and was well packaged, welds look good as well as the powdercoat. I received the install instructions beforehand and knew they would be mounting to the holes in the pinch seam and the cowl bolts using vertical slots in the side mounts. If you get a bare side mount, you really can put whatever you want on it with a suitable accessory mount that will fit between the door and the front fender - high-lift jack, air tanks, lights, fire extinguisher, tool box, small cooler, etc.
First problem encountered was the fact that the mounts were designed to sandwich between the Mopar side steps and the pinch seam, using the studs on the side steps as the bolts to hold the lower part of the mount. If you don't have Mopar side steps or others that use the pinch seam as a mounting point, like my sport, it won't work. I reached out to Morryde and they overnighted me some hardware, but as you can see the bolt diameter to fit in the side mount slots is much smaller than the hole in the pinch seam. I will be drilling out the mount holes to fit a properly sized bolt for the pinch seam. I attached the install instructions to this post.
Second problem encountered was because all four of the bolt slots are vertical, it is very difficult to get the mount to stay in one spot once aligned. Without the bolts in a regular hole or at the top or bottom of a slot, the weight of a loaded fuel can causes the mount to slide around. I needed it as high as possible to clear the LOD Destroyers, but it keeps sliding down and contacting the LOD's. I suggested to Morryde that a regular hole at the bottom or horizontal slots would help support the weight better. This issue might be corrected once I drill out the holes from problem one.
Third problem, and although it's mentioned in the instructions I didn't realize just how much of a problem this would be, is that you have to install the accessory mount to the side mount, then install the side mount to the Jeep. This means if the accessory mount bolts to the side mount have loosened a bit during that offroad trip or you want to remove the accessory mounts between trips, you must remove the rock rails then the side mounts just to tighten the bolts. The side mounts should have captive nuts welded to the back of the panel so you can remove the accessory mounts or tighten them without removing both the rock rail and the side mount. This is by far my biggest problem with these mounts.
Fourth problem after taking them off-road, the location of the bolts holding the jerry can mount to the side mount are more towards the middle of the mount instead of the corners. This causes the bolts to rub on the jerry can and when the jerry can is full, the weight causes the corners of the jerry can to pull away slightly from the side mount causing a rattle over rough terrain. I put a stick between the accessory mount and the can to stop the bolt heads from digging into the can and will be drilling new holes to move the bolts outwards as well as welding nuts to the back of the panel so the accessory mounts can be removed/tightened without taking off the rock rails.
Because of these 4 reasons, I don't recommend these side mounts unless you are willing to do some modifications. I am hoping Morryde will address these issues since I really believe this can be a great product and solution for those trying to keep weight from hanging off the rear of the Jeep.
Pics (the mounts do look good, my kids say it makes it look ready for adventure):
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