I've been looking for a tire carrier to support my 35" spare so my tailgate doesn't fall apart later down the road. I want a tire carrier that swings w/ the tail gate b/c its my dd as well as my trail rig. $$ is hard to come by right now so the AEV and the Exp 1 tire carriers are out of range.

Which brings me to the bestop tire carrier:
http://www.quadratec.com/products/12203_100_07.htm

This rig has one and it looks pretty good w/ his bumper:


W/ this one I can get a more simple rear bumper or even keep my stocker for a little while. And best of all it swings w/ the tailgate, yet keeps the weight of the spare off of the tailgate and the tailgate hinges, AND it is only $250 (well within my somewhat limited budget). It says it can support up to 200 lbs, so my 35" spare is well under the weight limit.

Does anyone have any experience w/ this tire carrier?

 

I am real interested in hearing more about this as well...

 

I'm considering this as well. This is just like the smitybilt one...which btw is a little cheaper. The description says it has "adjustable arms" to prevent tailgate sag.

How does that work? Do the arms allow you to lower the tire so it rests on the rear bumper?

And if all it does is distribute the weight then I may just look at the MBRP reinforcement brackets. $30

 

How does it do that?

 

Bah, after inspecting it a bit closer, it's nothing like the TJ version of this. It just distributes the weight on the tailgate more evenly, but still keeps the full load on the tailgate. I have a friend w/ a TJ that has one of these and I assumed the JK version would be the same... that'll teach me to assume.

 

I believe this tire carrier just distributes the weight of the spare, but all the weight is still supported by the tailgate.

 

If it did do it, the carrier might be worth the money.