ok, so i just spend the last bit installing my teraflex carrier and hinge combo. I've got some comments to share with the community.
first of all - this is on bad a** hinge... i cannot imagine anything better constructed for this purpose than this. it appeared lightweight at first, then i mounted it up... wow. if the frame it mounts to is as strong as it's engineered to hold, then you've got no problems with this - worth the money.
then comes the tire carrier. i'm sure you, as i, have read sorted reviews of past performance and excellence. having just installed, i can't comment on the long term performance. what i can say is that I've got some initial concerns.
the cylindrical tire carrier's grip on the actual mounting bracket is based on friction, much like a thule carrier's grip is based on the downward pull against the cross bar. given, there is no way the mounting bracket can actually come off of the mounted carrier due to the retaining bolts - that said, there is still some movement in my tire against the horizontal axis.
the instructions call to push the carrier in 3-4mm after dry fitting. i was able to move my carrier in almost a full inch to get a "movement free fit". i'm no engineer, but I'd rather see a vertical, hardened, carriage bolt assembly to supplement the current design.
i'd do this myself, but as i said teraflex has engineering beyond my years that say this will work. i'm no lightweight with the spare (104lbs), so i have my concerns. we'll see what time has to offer. (other setup info - cragar wheels have a 5 inch rim offset and the wheel/tire measurement was almost 8 inches that i used to get an initial setting point for the tire mount, see instructions...)
until then, i'm snugly fit against the oem rubber stopper and hinge, with a bit of vertical movement when i push on it. in the rear-view, everything seems solid.
also to mention to all who are mounting this up, i'm running 35s, i opted to use the 37 inch lug holes. it has virtually no visual difference - and gives me more clearance for a non-stock bumper.
looking forward to years (the rest of my life at this price) of carrier excellence for everything i can throw at this thing.
please let me know if you have any questions, or trepidations before dolling out the massive scratch on this thing. install or quality questions, that's why this is a forum!
first of all - this is on bad a** hinge... i cannot imagine anything better constructed for this purpose than this. it appeared lightweight at first, then i mounted it up... wow. if the frame it mounts to is as strong as it's engineered to hold, then you've got no problems with this - worth the money.
then comes the tire carrier. i'm sure you, as i, have read sorted reviews of past performance and excellence. having just installed, i can't comment on the long term performance. what i can say is that I've got some initial concerns.
the cylindrical tire carrier's grip on the actual mounting bracket is based on friction, much like a thule carrier's grip is based on the downward pull against the cross bar. given, there is no way the mounting bracket can actually come off of the mounted carrier due to the retaining bolts - that said, there is still some movement in my tire against the horizontal axis.
the instructions call to push the carrier in 3-4mm after dry fitting. i was able to move my carrier in almost a full inch to get a "movement free fit". i'm no engineer, but I'd rather see a vertical, hardened, carriage bolt assembly to supplement the current design.
i'd do this myself, but as i said teraflex has engineering beyond my years that say this will work. i'm no lightweight with the spare (104lbs), so i have my concerns. we'll see what time has to offer. (other setup info - cragar wheels have a 5 inch rim offset and the wheel/tire measurement was almost 8 inches that i used to get an initial setting point for the tire mount, see instructions...)
until then, i'm snugly fit against the oem rubber stopper and hinge, with a bit of vertical movement when i push on it. in the rear-view, everything seems solid.
also to mention to all who are mounting this up, i'm running 35s, i opted to use the 37 inch lug holes. it has virtually no visual difference - and gives me more clearance for a non-stock bumper.
looking forward to years (the rest of my life at this price) of carrier excellence for everything i can throw at this thing.
please let me know if you have any questions, or trepidations before dolling out the massive scratch on this thing. install or quality questions, that's why this is a forum!