I was wondering people opinion or has Smittybilts new gen2 frame mounted tire carrier. It is very similar to aev, but a lot cheaper.

 

I wouldn't buy anything smittybilt thy are known for poor quality. I would save a little more and buy something that's better quality. Take a look at the OrFab or the Crawler Conceptz body mounted carrier. Both are Made in the USA and aren't that much more than the smittybilt

 

I know about Smittybilts rep and those other brands are leaps and bounds ahead of them, but I have heard smittybilt is trying to turn things around a little bit. One thing I do see is the spindle mount is a whole lot better than their old clamp style for the carrier.
Really just wondering if anybody has used this new carrier.

 

I am running their front/rear bumpers along with rock slides. I have smacked the heck out of them, they are still holding up. You smack any bumper, you're going to chip the paint. Get over it, its a Jeep, its meant to be used, not look pretty.

 

Well at least they changed the design from the knockoff of ours at SEMA last year.

 

Didn't they just pop the rivets on yours and install their name on it?
(Something similar to that if I recall, from walking by)

 

Yup, something like that.

 

I have not seen this...? What of yours did they copy?

 

Copy? More like they used a modified TeraFlex tire carrier, slapped their sticker on it and tried to pass it off as theirs. It was displayed at the TransAmerica/4 Wheel Parts booth at SEMA 2014. You will have to search facebook and some other forums for it.

 

I have one of these. I like it, it has gotten a lot of compliments from my local Jeep club. It is supposed to be compatible with the 10th aniversary / hard rock edition bumpers.

My issues with this tire carrier are:
- You must drill through the frame for the retaining bracket to securely fit. If you install the reinforcement inside the frame supplied with the Gen2 bumper, the bolt is too short to fit to the supplied retaining nut (and that nut is supplied with the BUMPER). I had to use the bolt for tire carrier cam and buy a new bolt for that spot.
- The hinge pin should have been secured on one side instead of bolts through the top and bottom. It is just a big thick steel cylinder that bolts to the carrier and then through the bottom of the retaining bracket. I have a feeling that one day I'm going to loose the bottom bolt. As a result of this type of connection, the pin has a lot of resistance and is tight in the socket. Lots of grease in the hard to reach zerk fittings is recommended.
- The door connection covers up the door vent. You will need to modify it if you ever want to close your hard top doors.
- A press is highly recommended for the spare tire plate lug bolts.

My positives about it:
- Thick steel plate and tubes with a nice 2 stage powder coat. The top coat has a really nice texture.
- Lots of bolt holes for mounting different tools: CB antenna, Shovel/Axe, Trail Jack, and 2x 2 gallon RotoPax.
- Adjustable tire mount, but it will likely not fit a large tire on stock wheels without an extra spacer (furthest out setting has it very tight agains the back plate.
- Integrated 3rd brake light mount is a nice feature, but it sticks up pretty high with stock 32" tires.
- I purchased the Gen2 SRC bumpers with this, and they all look really good together.