Should I worry about mounting bikes on my spare tire? I have the 17" package, and I was worried about my bike putting the gate over its limit. Any thoughts?

 

Just for peace of mind, you may want to get a hitch mounted bike rack. I carry 4 bikes with no problems that way. Not sure of the weight limit on the tire carrier. If you don't have a receiver, you can install one pretty easily. They mount where the rear tow hook is located and use the same bolt holes (if you get one for the 07 jk). If you need to find a receiver, check around, or pm me and I'll let you know where I got mine.

 

Funny you should mention that, just installed my receiver last night along with some other goodies. My only complaint would be having to shell out another $100+ for another bike rack, but you can't put a price on safety! I would hate to lose the use of the gate while the bike is on, and I did notice Mopar sells one for the spare tire. I will contact a dealer today to see if they know, doubtful, but worth a shot...

 

I bought this one from 4wd.com

It clears my 35" spare tire, It will also clear a 37" when we go that big.. It holds 4 bikes. I'm impressed with the quality
http://www.4wd.com/productdetails.aspx?pid=6477

 

I wanted to re-use my hitch mounted Allen 4-bike carrier on my JK, but it hits the spare tire when rotated into position. I will have to go out and get a 12" coupler extension. I saw one at Cabela's for $45, but will look on the web today for a better deal.

 

There are companies that make hitch mounted bike carriers that have a pivot point that goes the same direction as the gate. You just have to pull a pin and rotate the bikes out of the way.
I have a 3 bike Hollywood, and it rotates down, but not enough to open the gate all the way. Since I have a soft top, this doesn't bother me much.
Here is mine.

 

I forgot to mention

I bought a hitch receiver extension that goes from 2" to 1 1/4" that is long enough to clear the spare, so I don't have to take it off. I have a bike rack by Bell that holds 4 and swivels down just enough for the gate to open without having to remove the rack.

I got the rack at walmart sometime in 05...

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=4645494

 

That looks like a better set up than I am using...may have to go buy that one when this one tears up.

 

I have a Thule rack with the pivot, holds 4 bikes. It works perfect with the rear gate. I needed to get a hitch extender after I put the 33's on. You can see it in one of the photo's.

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I'm using a Yakima Spare Joe 2. I'm not seeing any flex with two canondale mountain bikes mounted to the spare. Don't think I would be comfortable wth four though. Definitely go with a hitch mount for that.