Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier
Stock plastic rear bumper offers no recovery and no spare tire mounting for larger tires. Swing-out tire carriers move the spare from inside to outside, freeing up interior cargo space.
Stock XJ rear bumper is plastic and the spare tire mounts inside the cargo area (early years) or under the rear (later years). Once you go to 31"+ tires, the spare won't fit in either location. A rear bumper with swing-out tire carrier solves all of this.
Good options:
- JCR Offroad Crusader rear bumper with tire carrier: ~$1100. Heavy-duty swing-out, multiple shackle mounts, fuel can/jerry can mounts.
- Iron Rock Off Road XJ rear bumper with tire swing: ~$900.
- Smittybilt XRC rear bumper + tire carrier: ~$500. Budget option, gets the job done.
- C4 Fabrication tire carrier rear: ~$1300, high-end build.
Features to evaluate:
- Tire carrier swing direction (passenger side preferred — opens with the rear tailgate hinge direction).
- Swing mechanism strength (spring-loaded, gas strut, or straightforward latch — the spring/strut variants hold the tire up more manageable).
- Recovery shackle mount placement (D-ring tabs).
- Jerry can / fuel can mounts.
- Hi-Lift jack mount option.
- License plate relocation.
- Third brake light wiring (must be relocated to swing-arm).
Weight: 100-200 lbs with tire and gear. The rear leaf packs should be rated for this load (OME Heavy, Alcan custom, or IRO HD rear pack).
Install: bolt-on to factory frame mount holes, sometimes drilling required. 3-6 hours.
Why it works
- Big-tire spare mounting
- Frees interior space
- Recovery shackle mounts
- Fuel/jerry can mounts
Trade-offs
- Heavy
- Expensive
- Requires HD rear leaf pack
- Third brake light rewire
Tools required
- metric sockets
- torque wrench
- drill
Parts
| Part | Vendor | Est. price |
|---|---|---|
| JCR Offroad Crusader rear bumper+carrier | JCR Offroad | ~$1100 |
| IRO XJ rear bumper+tire carrier | Iron Rock Off Road | ~$900 |
| Smittybilt XRC rear+tire carrier | Smittybilt | ~$500 |
Sources
Related
Written and maintained by an AZ wheeler and driveway wrencher. How we source guides. Always cross-reference your factory service manual — modifications affect vehicle safety and warranty. Work at your own risk.