Built a rear tire mount for my ZJ

[cyclic]

Eventually I will be building a rear bumper with a swing mount, but for now this is what I built..................................

A hitch mounted swing down tire mount. The actual part holding the tire on is adjustable and should fit up to a 32 or 33 inch tire. I have a 2 inch BB lift waiting to be installed and I am seriously considering going with 245/75R16 or 235/85R16 tires. I'm just not sure the 235's will fit.

 

[link30204]

i like it, do you have pictures of the build?

How much did it cost to build?

 

[cyclic]

I can't quote you on cost, it was pretty cheap. I used some 2x2 heavy wall tubing and a 24" receiver hitch tube from Tractor supply. A couple hitch pins ( I used a bolt on the bottom but its also the same size ), I welded a piece if 2x2 to the top of my current ball mount at an angle that matches the bumper. I cut out one side of the hitch tubing to pivot down at the bolt point. I also reenforced the holes with some thick washers, but in retrospect they were not needed. After the pivot assembly was complete I added some 2x2 to the top and 2 inches inside the large tube. A notched piece of angle iron to back the tire and stop any pivoting side to side. The end of the receiver tubing is where I mounted my tire carrier bolt It is not welded to the verticle tube to allow me to place a larger tire there in the future. A scrap 1x2 tube makes a small shelf for the bottom of the tire. I did place a weld bead under the tire mounting bolt slide to give it a stop point for my stock tire. I used another piece of heavy steel ( 1/2 inch ) to sit on the ball when its in the down position. After painting I used a couple of pieces of skate board tape where the tire touches the mount to help prevent movement. Make sure you get real good penetration on your welds as leverage can be severe.

Biggest thing to note........... you must build some welds and file them to fit to tighten up the hitch to receiver fit on your vehicle. If you leave it, it will rattle all over the place. I did use some expanding foam sealent to seal water from getting inside the verticle part of the mount. The very top is a welded cap. The plate mount was basically just scrap stuff welded and screwed together. A fence hinge and a cabinet magnet completes it.

 

[4xdog]

Very professional job! I'm impressed. Simple, versatile, functional.

How does it do on uneven roads? The swing away on my XJ's Kaymar bumper is built seriously heavy, and it will sometimes rattle back and forth depending on the road. It's positioned far enough away from the bodywork to not be a problem in my case, but I wondered how your design does?

What about license plate lights? Does your state require one? I had to do some rewiring to move the license plate to the side of the carrier on my XJ, and run a different light.

Don

 

[cyclic]

Yep, we require plate lights. No, I haven't installed them yet. I'l tie a wire to the tow wiring and a ground. Going to be just two simple LED lights that don't take much current. I will also have a disconnect both top and bottom, one for removing the tire and one to remove the wire's entirely. A couple of "P" clamps will hold the wires to the arm. I've been doing automotive wiring for over 15 years, so the wiring wasn't really a big issue for me. Probably take 15 to 20 minutes total. But you know how it is family life dictates I do work only after other matters are taken care of. So between work and home I probably won't have the wiring done till tuesday or wednesday.

With the extra welding tightening up the ball mount there is very little play even at the far end of the mount. Less then 1/4 inch if I had to guess.

 

[4xdog]

The way my XJ's license plate is routed might be worth looking at for ideas. It has a galvanized plate that "offsets" the original plate mounting to the side, and outside the recess in the tailgate. I was able to take power from the original lights and route it along the offset plate.

Not as elegant as the hinged mount on your carrier, but at least prevented the wiring from exposure to damage from flexing and mounting/demounting the tire. This installation is also a little easier 'cause the tire is offset to the drivers side, so the license plate offset toward the left doesn't need to move as much.

Did you find it a better idea to build up the receiver tube on your Jeep to take up slack and prevent rattles than to build up the stub on the ball mount? Maybe I didn't read your OP carefully enough...

 

[cyclic]

First let me knock on some wood.............................

I've been very lucky over the years as I rarely ever get flat tires. My last truck, a 2002 GMC full size, had a total of three sets of tires and never once did the spare tire even get lowered from its mount. When I sold it last month the buyer could not believe the spare had never touched the ground.

I had several ideas on how to tighten it up, but the only thing that would work decently with the Jeeps hitch and the current ball mount was building up the outside of the stub to a tight fit in the hitch. Eventually it will be a moot point as I hope to build a bumper with a swing gate and fuel tank holder. I have four of the good Dueschtec Optic cans that I had Rhino lined the entire outside which will finish out my bumper. I have a decent ammout of pictures and ideas for a bumper, but most of the garage is taken up right now with 1000 sq ft (two pallets worth) of tile waiting to be installed. And I'm really in no hurry to do that project.

The main reason for doing this mount was to get extra interior room for some up coming trips.

 

[Mr. Moore]

I love it...I might just have to steal this design! have you considered making a bracket to attatch to that when it is folded down to turn it into a table? that would make a great camping table!...just a thought.

 

[OlScratch]

Genius!

 

[TNxterra]

checker plate

The way my XJ's license plate is routed might be worth looking at for ideas. It has a galvanized plate that "offsets" the original plate mounting to the side, and outside the recess in the tailgate. I was able to take power from the original lights and route it along the offset plate.

Not as elegant as the hinged mount on your carrier, but at least prevented the wiring from exposure to damage from flexing and mounting/demounting the tire. This installation is also a little easier 'cause the tire is offset to the drivers side, so the license plate offset toward the left doesn't need to move as much.

Did you find it a better idea to build up the receiver tube on your Jeep to take up slack and prevent rattles than to build up the stub on the ball mount? Maybe I didn't read your OP carefully enough...

Where did you find the checker plate, and what id it called here? I'm working on a nice step plate for my sliders and I'm having a dificult time finding that stuff.

 

[Herbie]

Where did you find the checker plate, and what id it called here? I'm working on a nice step plate for my sliders and I'm having a dificult time finding that stuff.

Its usually called Aluminum tread-plate or "diamond plate". I think the stuff pictured is usually called "five-diamond" since each "square" has five diamond treads.

Check imsmetals.com to see if one is near you. If not, onlinemetals.com sells over the internet, but they only have the "regular" diamond plate, not the 5-diamond.