MikeyLikesIt

As you know, Jeeps are not known for their roominess...so, a couple of years ago, when I built some bumpers for my TJ, I also built a 1 1/4" reciever hitch for my spare tire carrier. I use this rack all the time for carrying everything from beer to bicycles. When my wife got a new 08 Rubi Unlimited, I wanted to find a way to mount the rack on her Rubi.

Here's the rack on my TJ...as you can see, the reciever is behind the tiny center hole in the spare wheel. The 'hitch' part of the rack just fits.





I built this rack using angle iron from an old bed frame and a 1 1/4" style reciever. I also made it so the keeper pin goes in from the top as it would be almost impossible to place the pin through the side...it is a tight fit.

the keeper pin on the TJ



Also, when I built this rack, I made the 'hitch' part rather long so if I went with wider tires someday, all I would have to do to make it work is drill a new hole for the pin placement...



Since I don't plan on building new bumpers for the Rubi for a while, I needed to find a way to make this rack work without any major mods...

The spare tire carrier on the Rubi...





A little over 3" to work with. Also, I think the carrier is made from magnesium or some such metal, so I don't want to do anything that might compromise it's strength. There is also a steel brace on the inside shown in the pic below...



OOPS!...I hit the 'post new thread' botton instead of the 'preview thread' botton...more to come tomorrow. Be patient, i can build a bumper faster than I can type.

Mikey

Goose

Looking forward to seeing it.

MikeyLikesIt

Here is what I came up with...





I had some 1/8" plate and some 1/4" plate laying around and decided to use 1/8" because I thought that it would be strong enough. I also thought the 1/4" would effectively 'shorten' the lug bolts too much. The place where I buy steel had a 1 1/4" receiver for $16.00...he also had a peice of 1 1/4" ID scrap that was plenty long for $0.50. I go the cheap route.

The plate simply mounts between the spare tire carrier and the spare tire...the lug bolts holding it in place. The 'reciever' being welded and braced with 1"x1/8" strap. I angled the braces outward slightly to provide verticle and lateral support.

As you can see in the following pics, I drilled a hole in the top of the spare tire carrier so I could place the keeper pin in from the top like on the TJ.

First...I measured the depth on the wheel itself for clearence. A little more than 1/2"



Then I cut the plate to 6"x6" and marked for the holes. Did a test fit after drilling. Then I marked the square cutout for the reciever...IT IS NOT CENTERED...be sure to line up the lug holes on the wheel and make sure the marks are centered with the center hole on the wheel before cutting.

another test fit...I also put the tire in place just to make sure all is well...



Here's how the braces were angled then welded. Be sure and check for clearence.



Painted and installed. The plastic film (green arrow) was factory..not possitive what it was for, but I put it between the reciever and the wheel. I also put a bead of RTV between the reciever and the spare tire carrier. That should allow for seperation between the two disimilar metals and should also hold the reciever in place when the spare is removed...not that it is going anywhere. The red arrow points out the hole the pin will go through. (I used 'captive ball' type pin with an extension welded on since there is no way to access the lower part of the pin.)



The reciever behind the wheel. (BTW, there is room to put the little cap back in place when not using the rack...I never do cause I use the rack so often.)



DONE!



The rack sits high enough that I won't be dragging it on every rock, BUT, the best part of a spare tire reciever hitch is that you don't have to unload the $%&! thing to access the back of the jeep!



On the Rubi, the pin can be reached through the gaps in the wheel...I've thought of a way to lock the pin in place, but haven't done it yet...I'll update this thread when I do.

This rack is one of the best mods I've done on any of the jeeps I've owned. Anyone can build it if you have a drill, hacksaw, and access to a welder. With a little thought you can come up with a multitude of ways to use the hitch, ie. hauling jerry cans, off road gear, BEER, etc.

Mikey

FunN4Lo

Looks good! You could eaisly turn that into a dual jerry can holder if you wanted too.

BaltChief

I like it, my concern would be the weight on the rear . I am already concerned about the weight of my larger tire. I believe it is only designed for 75#'s, my tire and wheel take every bit of that up.

MikeyLikesIt

Thanks for the comments, guys.

About the most weight I carry is a couple of bicycles...less than some tire mounted bike racks are designed to carry. When the wife and I are wheeling, i keep a small ice chest on the rack for lunch and cold drinks. (Probably won't need this on the Unlimited JK since we should have room for it inside) I have a plastic box that I use on the rack when when traveling and I usually load it with lite weight bulky items. I do try to keep weight lite and forward on the rack.

How the JK carrier holds up time will tell. If it starts showing signs of fatigue...well then it will be time for some custom built bumpers.

Mikey

MikeyLikesIt

Yep, I may build a dedicated jerry can holder. I won't really need the rack for my ice chest on the new Unlimited...but I don't like going into the desert without extra fuel. Or, I may just build some way to secure a jerry can on the rack itself.

Efaray

Nice job, clean look, I like it. Good work.

jelvis

Thinking Juice

MikeyLikesIt

Thanks for the comments everyone.

When I'm messing around on the jeep I do like my 'thinking juice' ... but, a little too much and it becomes dumba$$ juice.

Mikey