Hi.....please don't ban me. I'm just a guy looking for a spare tire roof rack for my 96 XJ. I would've posted in the classified forums, but my post count is not high enough. I don't want to artificially inflate my post count, and I'm on a timeline. Any chance someone out there has the Mopar Tire-Roof Rack Mount and doesn't want it anymore? https://www.moparpartsoverstock.com/.../82203257.html

I don't want to spend the money on a more elaborate rack; I just need to get the spare up there. I'm a postal worker and need the space inside.

Thanks for any leads!

Here's what's on my roof now.....

 

(Not a seller)

Wow, takes me back years. I found one for my 1996 XJ around 2002 or so. Part of my search was going to a dealer and they got on the network and saw other dealers who still had them in stock. But, I think I found online someplace a dealer in NH(?) that had clearance parts listed. Real clearance, i.e. stuff cluttering up the parts department that they really wanted out of there. IIRC, it was $76.00 and they were adamant that it would be more but wouldn't say how much more. Also that it sounded like stuff rattling in the box, so it could have been broken. And they were going to charge me for shipping.

By the time they emailed me an invoice, if I am remembering right, it was just $76 and I called their sales desk and paid by credit card. Ended up total cost was $76 and the bits rattling around were just chipped off pieces of plastic that cover the metal mounting hardware. It mounts into the same channels as your current roof rack.

Not sure if any of those deals are out there, but check at a dealer and see if that part number is available anywhere in the US, then call that dealer and make sure it exists in reality, not just in their computer.

 

wrecker, or a local guy on craigslist or watever that is parting his junk

 

That is going to be a tough find.
Thinking I have maybe seen 2 for sale over the years.
And I stalk Craigslist (nationwide) and Ebay (worldwide) pretty good.
The one thing I have learned sourcing parts for my XJ is that patience does pay off.
Sooner or later, if you put in the work, you will find one.
Something like this unfortunately most likely later.
I would also familiarize yourself with it as much as you can.
Cause if you do find one you want to make sure you get all the necessary parts.
So knowing exactly what should be there if you find one.
Lot of time guys sell stuff and you find out the hard way that something is missing that you
really need. Not hardware so much, even though sometimes that could matter, but more the little
pieces that come with the item.
I am under the impression that some guys have put it up there with ratchet straps.
Thinking postal means regular tires. Hopefully nothing you will really need to get at.
Also hoping for your sake that it is not a DD so maybe no highway driving which would
probably be a good thing.
Probably more then you want to spend but.....

https://kevinsoffroad.com/products/j...d-tire-carrier

If I do come across one in my travels I will be in touch.

 

I misread your earlier post, (and the link wont open)

I passed on an item that seemed to be a home made, as I wasnt totally happy with the quality, wish I hadnt now, but I bought a lot of other stuff

It probably will be hard to get such a thing as an original Mopar unit, but it should be possible to fabricate something that mounts the spare on the roof with some ingenuity

 

Another consideration is having a spare tire mount that mounts into the rear trailer hitch. If you are accessing the hatch quite a bit, this might not be convenient for you. If you don't mind the rear mounted spare tire, look into one that hinges down to make opening the rear hatch easier.

Its probably not in your budget, but you could also install a receiver hitch yo the front of your XJ & then mount a spare tire on the front of your Jeep. This would also make a good recovery point if you needed to get pulled out from the front.

Do you have a space saver spare tire? They are considerably smaller than a full size spare.

 

Thank you everyone for the responses......

I happened to have the email address of the "local" parts manager and ran it by him. Of course I struck out (just like when I first met him looking for the power window switch assembly for the driver's side on a factory RHD (backwards!)), but I feel confident he actually looked. I appreciate it.

Awesome, thank you Ralph77. Apologies for my noobness......what is "DD"? That rack you linked doesn't look bad....I'll look at it closer and make sure my rails are the "triangular shaped roof rails" that are required. I'm bummed my internet search didn't show me that option, with all the other ones I found.

I've got feelers out to 3 different salvage yards, haven't heard back from them yet.....probably going to force me to call them. If we can make it look ok, I'm considering 3 flat unistrut pieces bolted to the bars I have. Kinda janky, but if it's low profile and works well, may do it. I figure if I upgrade later, to a full rack, I won't miss the bars I compromised by drilling through them on the first version of a spare holder.

If I do anything on the rear, it will slow me down, and get lots of wear, opening and closing to move mail in and out. Hoping to avoid it as you suspected. Never thought of or saw anything mounted on the front......I 'll look more into it. Thank you. The spare is full-size....I kinda wanna keep it that way so if I pick up a nail in someone's driveway, I can finish my route with confidence.

Thanks again everyone!! After I typed all that...I know someone's gonna reply with that old Mopar rack! ;P

 

I have asked this before, but got no response.

I cannot see any issue with just using 4 quality ratchet straps, and the OEM bars, its within the rating of both items to withstand a spare ?

might want to slide something in between roof paint and rubber tyre to prevent discoloration ?

 

Can't you just get a couple more roof bars at the JY?

 

Daily Driver.
And in your case I meant other then work.
Thinking if the Jeep is just used for work you are only driving local.
No highway driving.
And since you are delivering mail not driving fast.
So putting the spare up there with ratchet straps would probably be more OK.
Thinking it would be OK anyway.
And realistically how often are you going to have to use it?

Of course back in the day when I was a kid the mail carriers would drive those little Jeeps
and floor it between mail boxes that were maybe 50 yards apart. LOL.

 

the roof racks are rated at 60kg, straps at 80-200kg each, weight of spare wheel is 25kg

I am conservative when loading my roofracks with building materials, even with an older vehicle, seems plenty of margin for safety

I dont really need the room, so I keep it inside, which is better for fuel economy and tyre life not outside, if camping, its good to move it to the roof

dont want an expensive, heavy, get in the way rear tyre carrier

 

All that info, which I was not aware, is why I was alluding to that he could probably get by with it.
I figured a vehicle used for mail delivery most likely meant a more stock tire. Smaller meaning lighter in weight.
Also thinking fuel economy would not be much of an issue. Limited if any highway driving.
How fast do drive delivering mail? LOL.
Tire life was a good point though.

 

In an ideal world, tyres are rotated, including the spare, so you could cut sun damage down, could even cover it

It is a bit of a pita getting the spare tightly ratched down on the roof each time though

 

Here are some links to a front receiver.


https://www.quadratec.com/products/92011_800_07.htm

I'm not sure which one is better. I'd assume the one with more tie in points, but for what you intend to use it for, which ever you pick will be fine.

I'm not sure if you tow at all, but some of those smaller trailers are a pain to back up with, because you can't see them behind the Jeep. By putting the trailer in front of the Jeep, it gets easier. For example, those steep boat ramps to launch a boat. I watched someone at a boat ramp switch the trailer to the front of their truck. The less than 2 minutes it took to move it around, probably saved him a ton of time. I imagine recovery is even easier, since it be easier to judge distance when driving forward to the trailer.

If you are driving slow for your mail routes, you might want to consider some of the things I did (I'm not a mail carrier);
- Transmission cooler & gauge
- 2 row radiator (I put a 3 row in my Jeep, which is overkill from what I understand).
- new / quality working radiator cap
- high flow water pump, I used one from HESCO
- high flow thermostat housing, I used one from HESCO
- quality thermostat with a steam hole
- silicone hoses, upper & lower radiator hoses, alone with heater hoses
- distilled water coolant mix
- snake oil / water wetter
- hood vents / louvers.
- flush the cooling system really good and perform the cooling system flush per manufacturer guidelines.

My XJ would run just on the "plus" side of 210*, now it runs just below the 210*.

Keep us updated with how your project goes & what you decide to do. Document with pictures, and talk about your struggles with solutions.

 

I appreciate everyone's input! This is what we came up with:


lol, don't laugh at the tire, it's just holding onto my wheel for me!

It's mounted offset to the side for access, and I'll be using one of those foldable truck service steps that goes on the tire to get to it when the time comes. I almost went with centering it and access with a hitch-mounted step, but because I access the hatch throughout the day, I wanted to spare my shins. We built it with stuff laying around the shop, with the exception of the 6 u-bolts, so it definitely fits the budget......a little welding, a few cuts and a little bur removal, and some hacksaw time and it was done.



We put anti-seize on the top of the bolt to prevent corrosion so I can actually get the nut off down the road.




While it will be parked inside, I think I'm still going to find a cover for the spare, to keep crap from collecting, and to reduce UV damage mentioned by some earlier.

@MaskedMallard Thank you for your post about all things heat! This one came with a transmission cooler, but it also has a small leak in the radiator. We're replacing it with an even bigger overkill one than you described as soon as it gets here. I'm going to see how the temp goes after that and make adjustments if necessary then. One thing for sure, there won't be a lot of >45MPH time to cool things off. The front receiver is my back-up plan if this doesn't work out.