Spare Tire Carrier: Side Or Rear?

Looking for opinions based on experience. Steel rim with 750x16 tires.

Side mount vs body mounted rear swing with the two Gerry can holders vs the fold down? All of these are correct factory or OEM dealer options. Which do you prefer, or detest due to your experience?

 

Side mount OEM is what I have.
But there is always the chance of taking out the mailbox, and on tight trails it can catch trees. Seriously.

Rear mounted swing can rip the body apart just from gravity.

 

Me too. I keep thinking, "How bad could it be?"
Bad. The rattles, the inconvenience of accessing the tailgate, the loss in rearward visibility...

But the side mount also has its drawbacks. Catching on obstacles as Pete said, the inability to run tires wider than stock, body rot behind the mount...

Pick your poison.

I've contemplated not bringing a spare, and just carrying a plug kit for minor holes and a tube for major ones in conjunction with onboard air. That would cover 99% of flats.

I ride some seriously remote areas on my dirt bike, and a patch kit and a hand pump is good enough for that. Why carry a whole spare on a jeep? Just a thought...

 

I prefer rear and fold down. My fold down rear mount doesn't rattle one bit and it has no weight on the body so it won't rip it apart. I feel like it's just a matter of time with a side mount to snag it on something.

 

Side mount is the best if you work your jeep,the tail gate can be utilized! Rear mounted is military style, CJ stands for civilian jeep!

 

Always had a Tailgate Military style mount on the 2A. We never used the tailgate. This time around I am building a Swing away style mount that can swing either direction. It will have internal support in the Wheel houses for the pivots that ties from the Roll bar plate down to the frame. SO no weight on the sheet metal.

 

I have a Jeep with an original side mount and a Jeep with a rear swing out that holds the tire and two jerry cans. I much prefer the looks of the side mount, but the swing out is so much better when off road. I never found it too inconvenient to swing it out before opening the tailgate. The side mount is in constant jeopardy of being ripped off, and if your tires are any bigger than stock, the spare will rub against the rear tire when articulated.

 

I am interested in putting in a side mount myself (for my '73 cj). I know abut the "exterior" mount element and what element will it take on the "inside" of the rear wheel well to shore up the side mount?

 

Thanks fro the pic! Any detail (diagram?) as to how the mounting elements are affixed both inside and outside of the wheel well?

 

mine is on rear . yep it rattles . when you hit a bump

 

If you have a rear seat, having the tailgate is pretty much a moot point anyway. I have a home made rear swing down carrier, it mounts on to the frame in the drawbar mounting holes, and pins in the tailgate chain holes. I can access the tailgate if need be, which isn't very often, it's lightweight, holds the tire well, and doesn't rattle at all. I think it's the best solution for a spare tire carrier on a Jeep.

 

Agree. Mine pivots (folds down) at the part it's mounted to frame and is bolted thru the body/tailgate tabs. It has zero rattle and still allows access to tailgate with the removal of the two bolts thru the tailgate.

 

Rear swing...........or bumper mounted swing off bearing.........side mounts are good for grocery getting , ripping up your body or running into things............but not good for trails , trees and rocks..............I still think the old 1970's body mounted swing versions by aftermarket suppliers that held a tire and two 5 gallon cans were the hot set-up. Never had a problem with them......