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Tailgate failure with 35" spare tire on stock carrier

  • No problem carrying a 35" spare for over a year

    Votes: 21 44.7%
  • No problem carrying a 35" spare for over two years

    Votes: 10 21.3%
  • Tailgate broke carrying a 35" spare within 1 year

    Votes: 6 12.8%
  • Tailgate broke carrying a 35" spare after 1 year

    Votes: 3 6.4%
  • Using a homemade option to support a 35" spare

    Votes: 7 14.9%

Tailgate failure carrying 35" tire

45K views 41 replies 23 participants last post by  ThingsAbove 
#1 ·
So... forum wisdom says that carrying a 35" wheel tire combo on the stock JK carrier (with extension to clear the bumper) will sooner or later cause the failure of the rear gate, either spot welds will go or the sheet metal will buckle.

My local Raleigh 4WD says that the rear gate can handle a 35" tire just fine for years unless you are wheeling out West with big drops. I even said I'm willing to spend the money on a tire carrier and they said it's not needed. They don't seem to have anything to gain by telling me it's not needed.

But I'm paranoid from reading the "forum wisdom". I've spent the past two weekends wheeling at OHV parks (Uwharrie and Brown Mountain). Lots of shake rattle and bumps. I even spent an hour and a half on the most bone jarring, washed out, gravel road I've ever driven. I've watched the rear tire for bouncing and looked at the gate for signs of sheet metal fatigue and so far there's no evidence of either. However I do have an inverted hitch under the spare to keep it from bouncing so I'm not truly letting it hang out there.

So... how may of you are running 35's on the gate with the stock carrier without trouble. How many failed and when.

I'm not interested in those with aftermarket solutions. I know there are lots of great options but there are other things I'd like to do with my Jeep money before spending it on a tire carrier if it's not needed.

I'm not interested in hearing about 33's unless they are made of lead.
 
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#2 ·
Mine began to fail after about a year. I don't run 35s but I do run big 33s which are, in fact, made of lead (tire itself weighs about 75 lbs). However I did tweek the tailgate coming of a ledge and that may have accelerated the process.
 
#3 ·
It really has more to do with weight not tire size. A lighter 35 with light 15" alloy wheels will have less a chance of causing damage then a heavy 33 on 17's. One reason heavy tires like Nittos and similar tires aren't recommended. Great tires but heavy. The closer you get to 100 lbs tire/wheel combo the more likely of failure.
 
#9 ·
35's make a difference on the stock carrier over 33's. 33's will fit on the stock carrier without a spacer. That spacer puts a 35" tire 2 inches (or more) further out from the gate. That distance creates more leverage and multiplies the effective weight on the stock carrier.

That is the reason I'm asking about 35's. I think in general they are going to be harder on the gate than 33's.
 
#10 ·
Doesn't the handbook mention 33lbs as the max weight on the tailgate

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Nope. Stock rubicon wheel + tire comes in right around 74 pounds. If you can stay less than 80 you're probably ok. 6 extra pounds isn't life threatening
 
#8 ·
I think washboard roads are the hardest on the tailgate. If you have the bump stops so they’re pressing on the tire, and an added support on the bottom (I just installed a stock bump stop with extension on the bottom), and your spare tire and wheel is not one of the heavier models, you can run it for years - I have.
 
#13 ·
^ Just to comment on the above. I run the or fab tire carrier and it does go out far enough for the tailgate stopper to catch. Hope this helps your decision. I love mine :thumb:
 
#15 ·
I think the Teraflex carrier is much cleaner looking than the others. I wonder if they'd(Teraflex) stand behind their product & warrant any failures to a tailgate when running 35's on their carrier. It would be worth asking! I think I will purchase the Teraflex when funds will allow.

... you'll regret putting off buying a good carrier if your tailgate does fail!
 
#16 ·
One of the biggest things is keep everything TIGHT...a little bit of play makes a big difference and multiplies the forces pulling on the tailgate. I run a 35" on tailgate, I include tighting my spare with my regular maintinance schedule. My buddy has run a 37" with Beadlock on his 86 CJ for 10 years with no problem. I've been looking at the OR Fab too.
 
#17 ·
I've got a Duratracs 315/70/17 on a Fuel Octane 17x9 with 4.5 back spacing. Can I run this on the stock carrier at least for awhile until funds are replenished for a full bumper/ carrier? Will I need some type if spacer? Shat else might I need.
Sorry, im sure this is posted somewhere but search function is not getting me anywhere.
 
#18 ·
I've got a Duratracs 315/70/17 on a Fuel Octane 17x9 with 4.5 back spacing. Can I run this on the stock carrier at least for awhile until funds are replenished for a full bumper/ carrier? Will I need some type if spacer? Shat else might I need.
Sorry, im sure this is posted somewhere but search function is not getting me anywhere.
With your back spacing it will physically fit on the back without spacers. And they are light wheels which is good. My suggestion is if you choose to run it on the back, only do it on road. When you go off road just undo the 3 lugs and put the spare tire in the trunk. Then all of the jarring you do off road won't affect the tailgate at all. Also don't run any kind of spare tire bike/cargo rack and make sure to have good bump stops. Those suggestions will increase chances of it staying safe. Idk how much your combo is but you should be fine for a while. No one can make definite answers on how long it will last- only speculations. But the above suggestions will help reduce strain and you should be good for a while
 
#19 ·
jkjeeper06 said:
With your back spacing it will physically fit on the back without spacers. And they are light wheels which is good. My suggestion is if you choose to run it on the back, only do it on road. When you go off road just undo the 3 lugs and put the spare tire in the trunk. Then all of the jarring you do off road won't affect the tailgate at all. Also don't run any kind of spare tire bike/cargo rack and make sure to have good bump stops. Those suggestions will increase chances of it staying safe. Idk how much your combo is but you should be fine for a while. No one can make definite answers on how long it will last- only speculations. But the above suggestions will help reduce strain and you should be good for a while
Any recommendation on the new bump stops? I've seen the ones from Daystar.
 
#20 ·
Daystars are what most ppl go with. Above there was actually a suggestion to place another one at the bottom of the tailgate to prevent even more wiggling. If you reused one of your old ones and got it to fit in between the tailgate at the base that could prevent more wiggling. I've seen ppl get thick hosing or foam from lowes/home depot and stick it in the existing bump stops to extend them
 
#21 ·
joe002 said:
I think washboard roads are the hardest on the tailgate. If you have the bump stops so they’re pressing on the tire, and an added support on the bottom (I just installed a stock bump stop with extension on the bottom), and your spare tire and wheel is not one of the heavier models, you can run it for years - I have.
Do you have a pic of the extra support on the bottom?
 
#22 ·
#27 ·
I have had my 35's for a few months now and right now using the smitty tire carrier. It def feels more solid than the regular tire carrier. But I am still worried about future damage.

Do you feel that will solve all your problems. The TF hinge is pricey and I feel just buying a whole new rear bumper/tire carrier would be the same amount if not a little more.
 
#29 ·
The TF HD combo is great if you don't plan to get a bumper/carrier combo. At most I may get a new bumper in the future, but I don't want to have to open a carrier and then the tailgate in 2 different motions. I like the simplicity of the HD for that. Right now running 33" and at most 35" in the future.
 
#30 ·
I popped welds after 2 months carrying 35 MTR on 15" Level8 Tracker wheels using a Smittybuilt HD Tire Carrier. Once the welds popped the gate started to sag and and was problematic closing. I've since installed a new bumper with swing out tire carrier.
 
#33 ·
No. I only tried the Daystars. I looked at stuffing some heater hose in the existing bump stops but with that much of a span I don't think the compression offered by the heater hose as a bump-stop is very effective.

I simply have the spare sitting on an inverted hitch as shown in the post #12 above http://www.wranglerforum.com/f33/tailgate-failure-carrying-35-tire-245372.html#post3798189

The spare "slides" over the inverted hitch rather snugly with a thin layer of wheel bearing grease on the bottom of the tire. The hitch is oriented toward the outside half of the spare so it's pressing it back toward the gate in it's current position.

Trying to get to items in the back of the Jeep without getting grease on you takes some concentration since that hitch sticks out and up.

The only advantage to my current setup is that once you hoist the 100lb spare up onto that hitch it's much easier to get it on the carrier because it's held up for you. Trying to lift and hold while I fit a 100lb spare on a 3-lug carrier with bump stops trying to push it off would probably result in a hernia for my aging body.
 
#34 ·
My sister has an 08 with 35's been on there since a week after she bought it ..no problems .i have a 2010 with 33's and had problems about a month after i went bigger ..i was hearing a metal cluncking noise ..like the tailgate wasnt closed driveing around ..i went and bought the TF hinge carrier .and it fixed my problem ..i know it pricey but its well designed and it looks stock and it spreads the load across the whole tailgate .and you can run up to 37's on it.now my sister want to get the hinge carrier also because shes afraid its going to eventually happen to hers ..good luck
 
#35 ·
I ran a 315/70/17 Duratrac on a Moto Metal 951 for 14 months without issues, but nearly all of my driving is on-road.

I replaced the rear bumper with a Paramount bumper with tire carrier this past weekend. Not because of any worries about the tailgate, but because mod fever is setting in again with the warm weather.
 
#38 ·
The Poll results so far show about 1 out of 4 gates are failing with 35's. 65% reported so far have not had an issue. Some of the posters have said 35's have been on the stock gate for 4 years with no problems.

I would guess that there is probably significant variability in the quality or strength of the factory spot welds on the JK gates. That variability may have more to do with people's success with carrying an oversize spare than the weight of the spare itself.

Just speculating but it seems reasonable why some work for years and some fail within a year.
 
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