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Rugged Ridge Spartacus hinged carrier vs Teraflex

103K views 469 replies 136 participants last post by  Faziomba79 
#1 ·
Does anyone have any information on the rugged ridge Spartacus tire carrier? It looks like a great option and is half the price of the teraflex. Just wondering how it compares to the teraflex option.

Anyone with this new carrier have any reviews?
 
#4 ·
Hello, I have been a long-time follower of Wrangler Forum, and when I saw this thread finally decided to join.
First off, I want to let you know that I work at Rugged Ridge as a New Product Development Engineer. I was the principal Engineer for Spartacus Hinge and Tire Carrier, and I have a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and pride in these products. Since its’ 'official' release, I have been regularly searching the web for the first consumer reviews, which is how I eventually found this thread.
I would like to share some of the details of Spartacus Hinge/Tire Carrier, and hopefully answer some questions. I want to make clear that I will not speak negatively about any competitor products, nor will I try to persuade anyone towards ours. I simply want to share some of the product details.

The Technical Stuff:
We have well over a year invested in the development of this product; from concept, through manufacturing, quality control, and most importantly, safety. During the initial development phase, we did examine similar products for reference. As for the Aluminum Hinge Casting, it is about 1.25” nominal thickness, very similar to other products. The Hinge Brackets, as well as the Hinge Pins, are hardened forged steel. We spent many months working with the factory to ensure material quality, precision, and function of all components. The Hinge has oil-impregnated bronze sleeve bearings pressed into the aluminum casting to ensure smooth opening/closing of the tailgate, and to prevent wear and corrosion of the hinge pins/casting. The bronze bearings are reamed to 1/1000th of an inch of the hinge pins to prevent rattling or loose fit. Each Hinge Casting is individually inspected for cosmetics and quality by our QC department as soon as they arrive at the warehouse.
For the Tire Carrier portion, it is made of ¼-inch thick steel, and has undergone extensive testing to assure the design will not fail for up to a 37” Wheel/Tire combo. We had samples lab-tested by ETL Laboratories for accelerated-life-testing, according to Mil-Spec 810 Standards for off-road use. Basically, this means the Tire Carrier was mounted to a shake table, loaded with a 37” tire, plus roughly 150lbs of steel cable wrapped around the tire. It was then shaken violently for many hours to simulate extended off-road use. (Also, one of the units that was lab-tested was later installed on an employee Jeep for several months, during which time it also survived a rear-end collision by another vehicle). As the lead engineer for this project, safety was my first concern.

The Overview:
This is a product which I am proud to have been a part of developing. The quality standards of our Engineering team are very high. We have approximately 6-8 Company Jeep Vehicles that have had the Spartacus Hinge/Tire Carrier for well over a year without issue, and we feel our product is second to none.
Please feel free to ask any questions you have, and I will be happy to reply promptly. I really hope this helps shed some light on this product.
Happy Trails, and stay safe!
 
#6 ·
#9 ·
Good morning! Wow, I am glad to see the replies to my post!

RK, the part number 11546.50 comes with everything you need. Hinge, Tire Carrier, Brake light extension and all.

Also, the Hinge portion is sold (1546.51) independently and can be used with the O/E carrier.

The Carrier portion (with brake light extension) is also sold independently (11546.52) and can be used with the O/E hinges. Though for large size tires, we recommend the Hinge/Carrier kit.

Brandon, As for the Tactik hinge, I am not sure what I am able to say about it. It does look pretty similar though...

I hope this helps. I am very happy to see the enthusiasm for this product!
 
#17 ·
You will if you plan on using the stock tire carrier mount with the hinge. If you get the hinge and the accompanying adjustable tire mount, the tire ends up sitting flush with the tailgate negating the need for any bump stops.

I bought my Teraflex hinge and adjustable mount last year and have been happy with it. I also enjoy the accessories that you can get with the Teraflex HD hinge like the cb antenna mount, the hi-lift mount and rotopax mount as well. Not sure if the RR hinge has any accessories.

These are a bit pricey and not far in cost from some bumper/tire carriers. I personally wanted to keep my plastic rear bumper for weight saving reasons. Comes down to personal preferences I guess as both seem to do the job equally as good.
 
#12 ·
The kits come with everything needed. The Tire Carrier lug-stud plate is adjustable, so the tire can can positioned exactly as needed to hold it against the vehicle and prevent vibration.

The installation instructions can be found here:
HD Tire Carrier Kit; 07-16 Jeep Wrangler JK

The instruction sheets are very informative. They show all of the parts included, and cover the entire installation and adjustment process. There are separate I-sheets for the Hinge (11546.51) and Tire Carrier (11546.52), but flow together pretty well for installation of the Hinge/Carrier Kit (11546.50).

Thanks again. Keep the questions coming! Happy to help, and appreciate the interest.
 
#15 ·
Thanks for the info!

We have the Spartacus Tire Carrier Kit on our site as well and it looks like it's a great product. If anyone is interested in pricing on that carrier or has any other questions just let me know!

-Ryan
 
#21 ·
x2. My last JK was a soft top and it was raining hard one day when I went to purchase some groceries. I wasn't a happy camper when I had to unzip my rear window to access my cargo to fit in some of the large stuff.

That being said, imagine the same scenario with a non gate mounted tire carrier.
 
#28 ·
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I apologize for my delayed response...



DimitriC, I would be happy to post some pictures of Hinges/Carriers that we have been running on company vehicles for over a year without issue. However, I would really like to hear from others out there who currently are running these products, as any input from someone other than myself would carry far more weight. Plus I would very much like to know the opinions and experiences of those who are using these products in the name of continuous product improvement. That being said, I will gladly send you some pics of Hinges/Carriers that have been in-use for quite some time if you would like.



Thanks for the details.. do you know if this is compatible with any of the standard carrier cb antenna mounts ? Like the Rugged Ridge 11503.89 CB Antenna Mount ?
Regarding the CB antenna mounts, like the High Lift Jack Mount, it can be done using spacers, which, at present would need to be purchased/fabricated, as it is not currently a kit we offer. However, again like the Hi Lift Jack Mount, it is something we are currently in development with, and plan to offer as a kit soon. I really appreciate you bringing up this point, as it shows demand for these kits, which will ultimately lead to them becoming higher priority for us to focus our development efforts.
 

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#33 ·
Quadratech

I bought the Quadratec front bumper. I am told they are very similar if not possibly made in the same place (Taiwan) as the RR option. I also brought the 9500 Stealth Winch as well. So far I am please and I was aware of the alternate but after looking at the slight style change and cost I stuck with the Quadratec version.
 
#36 ·
I just sold my lod rear bumper and carrier. Was looking at the tf one but i think ill be buying a rr one instead. Similar product much cheaper. Cant go wrong here it seems. Question though on the tire mounting.. Do u want the tire mounted just off of the gate or touching it? For a squeek free ride.
 
#37 ·
The tire carrier has and adjustable lug-stud plate, in order to accommodate all different sized wheels and tires. Regarding the adjustment of the tire position, it is intended to be adjusted so that the spare tire is touching the HD Hinge casting. This way the spare is inherently limited in movement while driving.

The instructions for installation and adjustment can be found here:

Rugged Ridge 11546.50 Spartacus HD Tire Carrier, 07-15 Jeep Wrangler (JK)
 
#39 ·
ok i did it. got the rugged ridge carrier and all i can say is it is an amazing pice of equipment. great design super solid and easy install. i love it. also put on a boa rear bumper.

Gun

Land vehicle Vehicle Automotive exterior Bumper Car

Land vehicle Tire Vehicle Automotive tire Car
 

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#43 ·
I installed the Spartacus hinge & carrier yesterday. Solid, and easy to install ...

 
#44 ·
Can anyone tell me if any of these hinged carriers are made in the US? I try to stick with the red white and blue when I can.
 
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