Standard Cross Member or Tire Carrier???

[fcb212003]

I am trying to decide if I should just get a $100 standard rear cross member and use the stock spare tire swing for my 1983 CJ7 or spend $600 for the rear cross member with reciever and tire carrier attached (see link). Throttle Down Kustoms REC BUMPER - Throttle Down Kustoms Unpainted Bolt-on Rear Bumper with Receiver & Tire Carrier for 76-01 Jeep® CJ-5, CJ-7, CJ-8, Wrangler YJ & TJ - Quadratec

When the day comes that my jeep is finished, I plan to maybe have a 2.5in lift. I'm not sure what size tires. I don't plan on doing any 4wheeling. I will also have a steel body.

What are your thoughts?? I am leaning more to the stock set up but am affraid of putting too much weight on the stock tire swing if I choose to get big tires.

 

[gillmore]

I've got a stock setup. Although I am just running 31" tires and don't intend on going larger, I'm now looking at a bumper mounted carrier that also has gas/water can holders, a receiver for a bike rack, and recovery points (Rearbumpers). In my CJ5 I'm looking to maximize cargo space without putting too much weight on the tub.

 

[fcb212003]

Has anyone had any problems with 33" tires with a staock set up? Im not 100% sure, but I think I mightput a 2.5'' lift with 33s. I jsut don't want to do all of that and bend the stock tire carrier.

 

[phyrph0enix]

The tyre carrier is pretty hefty... pretty sure you'd bend the tub before you bend the carrier.

As for larger tyres on the stock setup, the issue you'll have is with the offset of the wheels and the width of the tread not allowing the lug studs on the carrier to reach the holes on the wheel. A good option for this is to find a full-floating hub at a junk yard and recondition it/weld it together so it bolts to the carrier and then sticks out another 4" to the larger wheel. I'm not sure about your rear crossmember, but mine is pretty dinky... I doubt it would hold much more weight than my tub.

Another option is to make a brace out of sheet metal and put it under the brackets to distribute the load on the tub.

Or... you could just throw the spare in where the back seat should be! But now I'm not being very helpful now, am I?