Fred/N0AZZ

Good ones use the Class III hitch mounts also and are very strong mine is.

Fred/N0AZZ

A bumper mount will not decrease the MPG and a good HD Bumper/Tire Carrier like mine can be had for $600 shipped. Price/quality/materials/workmanship can't be beat on the web anywhere for that price. Check it out here www.roxolidtrailarmor.com all they make are XJ bumpers 2 lines I have the Crawler rear. It comes with a Hi-Lift Jack mount and a Antenna mount built on the bumper also everywhere else they charge extra for a jack mount from $50-75. Here is a photo of mine



I had my spare in my roof rack for a while and its a real PITA getting it up and down on a lifted XJ as in heavy. If you on the trail and have a flat then have to place it the flat back on top all muddy or whatever once you do so you will see what I mean

Teephphah

Wow. Fred, I think you may have found me the rear bumper/spare tire carrier I've been looking for. That's mighty impressive. I like it. A lot. THANKS!

superbee1970440

With as weak as the uni bodies are, I wouldn't chance it.

I've been wheeling with Cherokees with rear tire carriers with 33"s and 35"s and they bounce like crazy. All that flex will eventually ruin the uni body. They were just never intended to support that kind of weight.

A co-worker of mine wheeled a 98 2 door for several years with a 35 on a rear mount and he ended up selling the Jeep because the tire mount destroyed his rig.

I do believe there are ways to make a rear/bumper tire carrier work, it's just so much extra work to do it the way I'd have to to be comfortable with it, a roof rack is just too simple.

Rogue4x4

This made me chuckle...
...and if you take the doors off, the unibody will fold like a taco...

884x4

Duh, I can smell the rice and beans already

Jrozar

If I'm not mistaken adding the spare to a aftermarket bumper will decrease gas mileage....any weight added to a vehicle will have an effect on gas mileage and performance. Will it be less than a roof rack with a spare YES but you can't say adding a heavy rear bumper, hi lift, spare tire etc.. Will not have an overall effect on gas mileage it does.

I know guys that strip their vehicle and only add the spare, tools, etc...when they are going on the trail. Most of them have a good tire patch / plug kit and or AAA if it's a daily driver.

If people are really worried about the gas mileage of their Cherokee then leave it stock...because once you start adding in one area you are taking away from another.

884x4

Aaa? They couldn't get where I wheel...
And even with my 35s, front and rear hd bumpers, winch, tools, Ford 8.8 in the rear, and a full tank of gas my jeep is 3900 without me in it.
With doors it's about 4050 without me in it.
The weight of a spare tire on the back would decrease mileage a tiny bit but the added wind resistance of the tire on the top would be more detrimental to the mpgs than the weight on the back.
There's a thread somewhere that a guy had real world numbers, it was like 3 mph highway and another 1 mpg gained by eliminating the roof rack as a whole

tinytrax78

but the friggin slurpies will be cheeeep!!!!

Jrozar

Aaa? Who couldn't get to where you wheel? The people that strip their vehicle as a daily driver to save weight to improve mpg and only add their gear when they go wheelin? You don't even know what they have...

My point was simple...any extra gear you add will have an impact on fuel mileage...true...as I said less loss with the tire on the back compared to a roof rack with spare on it but still a steel rear bumper, high lift, 35" tire will have an adverse effect on mileage.

"they couldn't get where you wheel" unsupported statement...I bet my 97 XJ gets better gas mileage than yours....here in a couple weeks I should be getting over 500 miles to a tank of gas...and one my YJ's would be perfectly fine wheelin with you and I bet it gets worse gas mileage than you. (It's engine and currie rock jocks front and rear probably cost more than your complete rig) I would feel perfectly good with my statements... and with the statement that the more changes...bigger tires, lifts, and weight you add to a vehicle the worse mileage you will get. Supported.

Now I know your proud of your rig..and I would in no way knock it..you have all rights to be proud of it, keeps the sport alive but blanket statements "they can't get where you wheel" could end ugly depending on who you say that to in the field especially when they may roll out rock buggies that cost over 80K....

If people are worried about getting worse gas mileage with a Cherokee, leave it stock. Supported

884x4

aaa, lol say I snap a shaft or tear a sidewall and don't have my spare, they aren't gonna be able to get to my jeep let alone get it on a flatbed when I'm halfway up a trail.

Jrozar

Please read original post again...they strip it as a daily driver and add their gear when they hit the trail. Oh and I can fix a torn sidewall with plugs and how many shafts do you carry?

884x4

I carry both front shafts but no spare tire I was too cheap to spend another 205$ on a new 35. Just gonna pick one up on Craig's for cheap lol
You can fix a torn sidewall with plugs? The ones I've seen in my opinion definitely couldn't be plugged.
And i may be confused but in your post did you not say your buddies have AAA if it's a daily driver? I may be assuming but I would say that's because if they broke something on the trail they could get back right? All I was saying is AAA couldn't get to where my jeep is to tow it. That's why I carry spare shafts and am about to get a full sized spare. I've started to also trailer my rig to wheel in case I do break something I don't have with me.
Either way we are off topic, like I said earlier, a swing out tire carrier properly tied into the nut strips can handle a full sized spare. It will not decrease gas mileage more than a roof rack spare either.
By the way, my jeep gets 20 mpg highway and loaded down with all that armor, 4.88 gears though so that helps

SteveMongr

A weighted down roof rack with gutter mounts, combined with offroading will eventually put holes in the gutter or tear it off. The guys in Australia have this issue due to washboard roads that cross the country.

The stronger rear tire carriers slide inside the frame-rails.

SteveMongr

Here is an XJ version of AAA on the trail..