Rear tire carrier

[Superduty]

I think the old Smittybilt ones were not made well. The one shown in post #9 above is off a TJ. That bumper/carrier was a copy of the Currie Enterprise bumper and I guess they didn't build it as well as Currie. I have looked at the bumper/carriers that Smittybilt is making for the JKs and they are built very heavy duty. The bumper in Post #12 above is their really heavy duty version that can hold jerry cans. I know they had a recall on some of their JK tire carrier bumpers, but they sent out a completely new assembly to people, which I thought was excellent customer service.

I don't know how many options are out there for the XJ. I am not saying smittybilt is the way to go, but if it is their newer design, then I would not hesitate to run it.

 

[NorCal1P10]

I can speak to my recent experience with the Smittybilt tear bumper with tire carrier for my 96 Jeep Cherokee XJ. I just finished installing it last Sunday. First, it was the least expensive bumper I could find. The JCR and others cost significantly more. I read multiple reviews and debated the pros and cons of each. For me it came down to cost since my XJ is a toy for mountain exploration, not extended overland trips. It wasn't that I couldn't afford the ICE it's that I decided the cost vs benefit wasn't worth it for ME.

After installation I can say the Smittybilt bumper is pretty stout. The frame brackets had some serious heft and slide into the unibody frame along with attaching to the OEM location. I must say, though, that getting the brackets to line up with the holes in the "frame" took much more work than it should have. There just isn't much adjustment to line up all the bolt holes. I had to use a die grinder and grind away some material to make them work. Because of the lack of adjustment the reveal of the bumper is off between the left and right fenders. Not much but enough for me to spend lots of time trying to make it for better. Truthfully I ended up making it better but not 100% because I was tired of removing the bumper and brackets to grind a little more material.

Do I think this is a fault of Smittybilt? Well, I do think the brackets could have more of an adjustment slot but I believe all XJ owners will have some fitment issues with whatever bumper they purchase. After all even the newest XJ is almost 19 years old. I am satisfied with the bumper once it was installed but I would be lying if I didn't curse throughout the entire process.

This bumper does come with mounts for a gas can and hi lift Jack without additional cost. When I compared it to the other bumpers they all charged more for those mounts. Sometimes significantly more. Then add the cost of powder coating to the total. Although I would love a JCR bumper and tire carrier, I personally didn't believe their bumper was worth $1,000 more. I will spend that savings to use exploring the woods and mountains.

As always YMMV. I hope this helps with your decision.