Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier

Difficulty 3/53–6 hrs$500–13001984-1990, 1991-1995, 1996, 1997-2001

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

{'title': 'JCR Crusader rear', 'url': 'https://www.jcroffroad.com/'}

Written and maintained by an AZ wheeler and driveway wrencher. Always cross-reference your factory service manual — modifications affect vehicle safety and warranty. Work at your own risk.