socal73

I have a Smittybilt rear tire carrier on my JK. Somehow the handle has opened up twice now going down the road. I can find no reason/any way this could be happening. First time it happened, I have checked it to ensure secure every morning before I leave....today....the rattling stopped which I found odd, so I looked in mirror and carrier had released and was at a 45 degree angle to the Jeep!

Started looking online and found a "Tech Update/Corrective Action" from internal Smittybilt saying apparently this has happened before and they made a handle with a locking pin to keep it from opening up. Anyone heard of this? Going to email them and see if they have ideas but I dont see how it's letting go while moving......

EHarris

Yes I had the issue along with power coating. There is an updated handle. I think I had to pay for it but it was cheap enough.

resharp001

i can't tell from the OP. do you have the little bracket right at the handle that "smooches" the bushing a bit? It would it basically goes between the bushing and the handle....and there are a couple little tabs that pass through the brackety that is on the bumper itself (that part the handle latches to).

The real problem is the bracket on the bumper, not the handle....but, with a $2 cotter pin, you can resolve this if you have the updated bracket on the carrier side by the handle/bushing.

socal73

Yes I do have the bracket that works the way you are referring to. Probably have to find a way to pin it like you mention, to make sure it cant swing open....

resharp001

So, long ago I had this bumper, and I had the same problem you are having, except I had it happening when I was towing the jeep behind a motorhome. In that situation, you can't tell the jeep is back there at all, much less that a tire carrier with a 35 on it is swinging wildly around! Anyhow, I remedied this with a simple hole drilled through that bracket, and then placed a cotter pin in there to secure it. The pin ensured that if the handle every did loosen by itself, the pin would keep the handle from pulling out of the bumpers locking bracket.

There was an old thread on one of the forums in which an old buddy shared my photos with someone else having the issue. It was a simple fix and worked like a charm for couple years until I changed bumpers for a different reason. I can't seem to locate those posts now with the pictures, and I no longer have the pictures myself. If you can snap/post a picture of the carrier locked in and place, focusing on the bracket, from the driver’s side looking across to the passenger side (a profile shot), I can draw on it exactly what I did. It was simple, and provided peace of mind. It meant I had to remove the cotter pin every time I opened the carrier/tailgate, but honestly, it was not that big of a deal to solve the issue. I would never trust any locking latch that was simply a metal pin moving over a metal lip….cuz as the metal wears down with use, it’s no longer that secure.

socal73

Yikes behind a motorhome would not be good. No telling how many people your carrier beat to death along the way! Below is what I've done temporarily...just put a snap over pin in there for now through the factory hole but it's pretty hokey.

Willow Park - nice area. We want to get out of California by year end and move back to Texas...family moving to Weatherford area. Lived in New Braunfels for quite a while, then moved to California....regret....hahah. Want to get back to a normal cost of living.......hopefully Weatherford is in our future soon.

Thanks for the help on this. Seeing your fix would be nice if you can notate the pics. Thanks

socal73

Thinking the snap ring or cotter pin still provides some peace of mind. Glad I'm not the only one that had the issue. Boggles me that this thing cuts loose on it's own, but i open the carrier frequently due to my dog riding.....so it may be wearing the pin metal down. Thanks for the response.

Riptide9

I used a piece of velcro strap on mine screwed into the bottom that fits over without having to undo it. Been running this for the last 4 years.

resharp001

Ok, so based on your picture, you do not have the bracket of which I’m speaking. Just a little background on this bumper. I believe what you have is an older Gen1 model, cuz I don’t see the new handle design. SOOooo, what started happening with these Gen1’s is exactly what you are experiencing. The handles would work themselves loose, allowing the carrier to swing open. I guess what Smittybilt determined the real cause was the bushing would wear over time, and put less tension on the handle locking in place. The fix was an additional bracket, that simply mounted in place between the handle and the rubber bushing. I’ve drawn on your picture generally what it looked like here (sorry, I’ve looked online and can’t find a good picture and I no longer have mine) –



Anyhow, this additional bracket created more pressure in the bushing once the carrier handle was locked in place. Think of it acting similar to a lock washer in a simple bolt and nut application. In my opinion, the real cause of the problem was the “lip” on the metal bracket (bumper side) that the handles pin goes over to “lock” in place, wears over time with all the metal on metal rubbing. Then, big jolts to the jeep tend to pop that handle out of place, and if the tire carrier is adjusted properly, as it should be (so the handle passes smoothly through the locking bracket), boom, it swings freely open.

My jeep was purchased from the dealer with this bumper. I had no receipt of proof of purchase, just my word. I started having this issue and contacted Smittybilt. They told me there was an update (the bracket) and they promptly sent me the bracket. I got the bracket in a couple days and installed it immediately. The bracket made the handle so hard to close that I could only get it locked in place about half way. They had me adjust things a few times to no avail……and with no additional prompting, said “we’re just going to send you a new bumper and tire carrier”. Keep in mind, this was back with the Gen1’s were still the only thing out, and it was about a $900 combo. Few days later pallet with new bumper and tire carrier sitting in my garage. Well, I continued fiddling and I finally got the handle to lock in place easily on the original bumper with their additional bracket. I firmly believed the real problem was the bumper side bracketry, and the same thing would happen with the new bumper over time. The real difference was that now with the new small bracket, I had a plan……since it had a little “tab” that passed through the bumper-side bracket, I could drill a hole and insert a cotter pin, hence keeping it in place. Rough drawing on your picture –


Worked like a charm. New bumper was sold and parlayed in to more upgrades.

Well, since that time, they came out with the Gen2 models which just hooked to the tailgate. It also looks like the real solution was redesigning the handle on the Gen1 models. The handles had a locking pin integrated so they could not rotate -



That is a very long-winded explanation, that may no longer be relevant since you do not have the bracket, and since they redesigned the handle they probably no longer have the brackets at all. However; I would urge you to contact Smittybilt. Via phone gets quicker responses. I would tell them the bumper you have, and that you are having an issue with the tire carrier swinging open. I would mention that you have researched this issue on the jeep forums and it appears they used to have a bracket people added to the handle which helped, but then it looks like the entire handle was redesigned. I would say something along the lines of “I really have to figure out how to keep this thing from swinging open while I’m driving! Is it possible to get a replacement handle maybe??” If you are not the original purchaser of the bumper you might even add “look, this bumper was on my jeep when I bought it, so it’s not like I have proof of purchase and I'm fine paying for it if I need to, but it’s a major safety issue I need to resolve somehow”. Course....you probably would need to be ok paying for it, but I HIGHLY suspect they wouldn't charge you.

I’ve separately had to contact these guys about a Smittybilt X20 10k winch when the wireless function on my controller died. I believe that was 100% my fault as I left it on, killed the battery in the handheld, and that was it. I told them as much….that I believed it was my fault. They sent me a whole new control box and handheld for free. People can say what they want about the products, but they have pretty good customer service from my experience. I would be shocked if they didn’t just get you a new handle with the locking pin to install on your bumper…….and that would solve your issue the proper way.

Hope that helps.

So yeah, I’m just a few minutes east of Weatherford and west of Fort Worth. Aledo ISD, but on what my wife likes to refer to as “the more diverse side of the interstate”. LOL.

socal73

Thanks for all the info. Emailed and have gotten no response. Will give them a call and see if I can make any headway. Thanks again