XJ - roof rack tire vs. rear bumper mount tire

[squareaffair]

ive had my tire on the roof, and now have a swing away. anything bigger than a 31 and i would say dont bother with the roof its just too heavy to safely get it up and down. It also kind of depends how much you think you are going to use the spare, if you do a lot of city driving something like the hitch mounted option above would be nice, you can just hook it up when you need it. the swing away is the best permanent solution. in any case you are on the right path deciding to get that tire out of the trunk

 

[bldeagle10]

I carry mine on the roof rack out of necessity, I can keep it in the back but in cases like today, with a canoe on the rack I needed it inside. saving the pennies for a detours tailbone system. I think a swing out carrier on the bumper is just the best way to go. frees up a lot of cargo space and you can fab up a place to mount jerry cans on the tire carrier, or a hi lift, shovel, ax, etc.

 

[206WJ]

I used to have mine on the door of the wj. It wasn't bad at all up there. I mainly had some clearance issues and lost a ton of rack space. Handling was the same as it is now in the rear, and that's even without a rear sway bar.

I would not want to go back to the tire on tue roof, but it worked while I needed it.

 

[katuah]

Great info here, folks. Looks like the rear mount wins.

FishPOET, you have the exact rack I bought. I dunno what the company is, though, cos I bought it used from someone who also bought it used, and there's no name left on it. Did you buy it new? Do you know what kind it is?

irish1371, OR-Fab does not make a swing bracket for the XJ rear. I'm thinking I see a way to add one, though.

GregB, I have emailed with Mark at Detours, but in the end I will probably use a local fab shop like MarsFab to do the work. The receiver mount does not look like a good option for me - I actually don't have a receiver hitch on the back, and even if I did (which I do plan to) I would want to keep it "free" to use for recovery and/or actual towing.

I have to admit I was not fond of the tire on the roof plan, as a 5"2" female it's not exactly easy to manipulate ANY tire much less one up on the roof. However, very temporarily until I can afford to get a proper swingout fabricated, I may throw it up there for space reasons. It's not a daily driver, but it does tend to get called upon for the tough hauling jobs around the house, so space is important. I started this build with 32s, considered 33s briefly, but went back to 31s when I realized they would be easier to find replacements for out in the boonies. I'm not building this to climb vertical walls, just to take fun long trips through rougher country.

Black_ZJ, how did you extend the stock tire bracket? Love to see a pic if you have one.