booberj

My brother is building a custom hitch carrier for my Jeep so I can take that on vacation next month. He is building from spare tubing and expanded metal that is lying around the shop he works at but he needs a measurement from the receiver pin to the back of the spare tire to make certain that it clears.

I don't have the hitch installed yet but he wants to get started on it so I need someone that has a hitch installed to pull a tape measure on this for me.

Thanks,
-Gary

BLK08JK

Don't have tape measure on me but here's a pic, the pin sits at about the middle of my spare.

BKGM Jeepers

No pic but mine is part of my bumper and sticks out less than 2" from the back of the bumper. The pin is under the bumper and still slides in and out without problem.

booberj

Thanks for the feed back guys...I'll go measure from my bumper to the back of my spare...it should be close enough

BKGM Jeepers

Remember that the more it sticks out from the bumper the more it will drag when you wheel. They make extensions to clear your spare. I wouldn't want my receiver to stick out more than an inch or two from the bumper.

KDBinAZ

Agreed, get an extension that you can take off when wheeling. I have a bike carrier that, when needed, I use an extension on to clear a body armor tire carrier. The hitch is flush with the bumper and still hit the bumper now and then coming off a ledge

Mark Doiron

Don't make your hitch receiver excessively long, and extensions are usually not necessary. If you have trouble connecting up a trailer because it won't clear that space between the top of the hitch ball and the bottom of the spare (happens with certain hitch styles, not with others), there's an easy work-around. Put the hitch ball into the trailer's hitch BEFORE sliding it into the hitch receiver on the Jeep. Then, back the Jeep up while someone else inserts the hitch into the hitch receiver--like a--well, you know like what (use your imagination).

Pull the hitch pin and drive away to disconnect.

Hskr4x4

I have the rugged ridge setup and mine doesn't stick out eve that far. Plus it has welded in wire cover.

http://www.ruggedridgeoffroad.com/je...h-&-towing.php

Under $100 with OEM style wiring. No ground mount needed and snaps right in factory holes in bumper. Total install on everything under 20 min

As for extensions, walmart sells under $10 to make come out further than the normal style arm

booberj

I'm buying a hitch/receiver (what ever the part that bolts onto the Jeep is called) like the original Mopar one. The basket carrier is what my brother is manufacturing... he wanted to make certain that he made the extension long enough to clear the spare tire and have room to put essentials like a cooler full of beer

thanks for the pics and feedback... and Mark that is an idea I would never have thought to try hooking a trailer up that way... interesting thought process

Hskr4x4

Here is a link to a more expensive one, but maybe get the specs from this to build own

http://www.walmart.com/ip/HitchMate-...-Lock/16318385



If you're buying hitch, hands down get the rugged ridge one like I posted prior