Tire carrier: bumper mount vs hinge replacement?

[foxswimmer]

I prefer a hinge reinforcement type kit. Many of the bumper mount options I’ve seen sag over time. Additionally I had a vehicle that had a two step process with the tailgate and tire carrier years ago. It was a pain in the a__. I had a Smittybilt Pivot HD Hinge Kit on my JK for years and couldn’t have been happier. I just ordered the Rugged Ridge Spartus Hinge Kit for the JL to support the 37” wheels I installed last week.

@Seanst34, how has the Rugged Ridge Spartus Hinge Kit been working out for you? Looking for someone who has been running it for a while. How is it holding up?

I saw some sales for Labor Day, and was looking to get the RR hinge kit and mate it to the stock tire carrier. I am only running a 35, and the RR with the hinge replacement seems like a nice sweet spot between the budget options and the over-engineered options meant for 37" to 40" tires.

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[Mr. Curti]

Mikej

I think a lot of your inquiry depends on how big of a tire you run/plan on running and what other equipment you plan on attaching to it... i.e. high lift, fuel cans, cargo bags etc. If you are running big tires, you might want to look at a cage mount like GenRight, EVO or DV8. If it’s a moderate sized tire, maybe a bumper mount might fit your needs. And if you are looking at 35’s or smaller, a tailgate mount will work. But I can’t stress enough that you get a reinforcement. I had a 35 on mine (no reinforcements) and my hinges are already out of wack. So I took my spare off.

 

[mikej]

Mikej

I think a lot of your inquiry depends on how big of a tire you run/plan on running and what other equipment you plan on attaching to it... i.e. high lift, fuel cans, cargo bags etc. If you are running big tires, you might want to look at a cage mount like GenRight, EVO or DV8. If it’s a moderate sized tire, maybe a bumper mount might fit your needs. And if you are looking at 35’s or smaller, a tailgate mount will work. But I can’t stress enough that you get a reinforcement. I had a 35 on mine (no reinforcements) and my hinges are already out of wack. So I took my spare off.

Thanks for the reply, Justin. I should have come back to this thread to mention I went with the Ace hinge replacement carrier. I'm a few months away from having it on for two years now and I'm reasonably happy with it.

 

[Hayseed_JLUR]

Have the Rock Hard rear aluminum so I cannot use the bumper mount tire carrier. Love the weight and rust proof savings on it. Have hit it harder than steel and no deformation or bend.
For a tire carrier, I went with Rustys. Have beat it on trails and roads - no issues, no sagging, no bouncing. My tire is just a 35" - maybe tire/wheel is approx 105lbs.
Would do this set-up again .

FWIW, if I were to go steel, it would be the LOD with bumper mount.

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