RIGd Ultraswing tire carrier

[Stan H]

I take it there is no love for this thing...

The big concern for me would be having to get that tire up on that carrier . Unless of course you leave it attached and lift it with a hoist of some type . Plus it places additional weight further back and a catch point for ascent angle. Maybe okay for those who do mild forest roads but not step ascent angle climbing ..

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[JTdiRtyD]

Let people like what they like.

There is far more out there than just rock crawling that warrant lifts and larger tires. In MN departure angle isn't nearly as big of a concern, but we have boulders, we have trees, stumps, mud, rutted and washed out trails, etc that warrant more ground to axle and ground to underbody clearance. Putting the spare up higher off the bumper and gaining a few inches of under bed clearance to mitigate snags is sometimes more important than departure angle.

 

[RhinoJT]

For me, it seems to be the best option. I don’t want to lose bed space, and I think it looks pretty good. I don’t hardcore rock crawl like I used to with my old built 2 door, but the jeep is still very capable. Getting the 40 up there won’t be a birthday party, but I am capable of it. At least the JCR bumper integrated the hitch in the license plate hole, so you get rid of the main hitch hanging below the bumper. Will it make it a little more difficult for obstacles, sure, longer and something hanging off the back.. but If she gets scratched up, then so be it.

 

[darkhorse13]

For me the Rig'd made the most sense with a high clearance bumper. I personally gained 8" of clearance at the hitch and my tire (and bikes) were significantly more out of the way when heading to campsites. Without the bikes, departure angle at the tire would have allowed for a much better wheeling experience (if that's what your JT is doing most of the time).

Again, my application was mostly MTB'ing so getting the receiver up high (along with the tire) was my priority and the Rig'd worked great. Why didn't I have the 37" tire in the OEM location?.... I carried a Trail'd Boondocker 14gal water tank under the bed. My "problem" of not having a spare in the OEM location was self-induced but our JT was built for longer adventure style trips.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/jt-high-n-tight-rear-bumper.60300/page-2

 

[Flyin6]

We are returning to being a free country, so with that in mind, the hitch-mounted tire carrier is acceptable. Wanna crawl around a mall with pink door hinges and the angry grill, go for it.You know, do what you want, if it makes you happy.
Having said that, there is no way that thing would work on the Kentucky adventure trail, which is a wet/muddy version of the Rubicon. I do bounce my spare off a rock now and again (Thank goodness eastern Appalachian rocks are mostly smooth!), but in my view, the factory spare mount is the best option.
The most significant negative for running this thing would be the loss of clearance and now driving something as long as a Semi. Equally important is the added weight. These trucks do not need any additional weight, with the sheepish little V6 being all it can be most of the time.
It does look cool and appears well-engineered, but for my usage of the Gladiator, it is a hard pass.

 

[Alpine Warthog]

I learned a long time ago with my Ranger, never leave the spare under the bed. When you finally do need it, it'll be when you're unable to get the rear high enough to get the tire out from under the bed. Mine stays in the bed, strapped down with strong ratchet straps. That being said, I am looking for a better way. I love the DV8 version, but it's so dang expensivvvvvve.

 

[Zachanadandy]

I learned a long time ago with my Ranger, never leave the spare under the bed. When you finally do need it, it'll be when you're unable to get the rear high enough to get the tire out from under the bed. Mine stays in the bed, strapped down with strong ratchet straps. That being said, I am looking for a better way. I love the DV8 version, but it's so dang expensivvvvvve.

If only I had a jack when I needed to change a tire...
The Jeep has enough lift on it I'm pretty sure I could get the tire out from under it with the axle sitting on the ground with no tires.

 

[Alpine Warthog]

Sounds fun, I too enjoy wheeling where it is flat and my rear end never sits on rocks, or ruts, or mud.

 

[MSFTMatt]

I’ve got the Expedition One dual swing out and love it. I also have a hitch skid plate. I have not been hindered so far with departure angle. Various trails in the Sierra, Broken Arrow plus a bunch more in Northern AZ and Sand Hollow UT. Do I scrape my hitch skid? Yup. Do I care, nope.BUT, there most certainly is the issue of frame bending and that’s why I’ve had mine reinforced.
Ps, I can’t remember the last time I went to a mall

 

[Zachanadandy]

Sounds fun, I too enjoy wheeling where it is flat and my rear end never sits on rocks, or ruts, or mud.

If only they invented a jack that would lift a truck 5' about 100 years ago? I know everyone's afraid of the hilift jack these days but that's because it's hard work and nobody knows how to do that anymore. And even if you somehow managed a flat with a boulder right under the spare, winch the truck forward and then change the tire?

 

[ericw.]

If it's just for the mall I'd just leave the spare at home, odds are you aren't cutting a side wall on the side walk.

I run trails and I plan to leave the spare at home anyway for the weight savings. lol

Good tires are strong and pretty resistant to flats.. and plug/patch kits work great. So far, in all of my years carrying a spare on a wrangler, I've not had to use it once.

 

[Crane]

If only they invented a jack that would lift a truck 5' about 100 years ago? I know everyone's afraid of the hilift jack these days but that's because it's hard work and nobody knows how to do that anymore. And even if you somehow managed a flat with a boulder right under the spare, winch the truck forward and then change the tire?

Lmfao how are you a real person. You're a gem. Please never change.

 

[Zachanadandy]

Lmfao how are you a real person. You're a gem. Please never change.

Don't know your wheeling experience but in 30+ years of wheeling I can count the number of flats on 1 hand and most of those were from running too low tire pressure without beadlocks. Exactly 1 of those was in a bad spot, muddy, steep hill climb. Winched the Jeep up to where it flattened out and wasn't muddy and THEN changed the tire. Why anyone would change the tire on a bad spot is beyond me. It's as dumb as the people trying to change their flat on the freeway where there's not enough shoulder to get out of the lane all the way. You can move the vehicle on a flat tire. Especially in the mud, you won't do any damage to the wheel or tire. At least on the trail you don't get smoked by a big rig because you were afraid to move the vehicle with a flat to a better spot. The idea that I'd permanently give up bed space in our already tiny bed to make the spare I may never need more accessible than the spot that has worked fine on tricks for 60+ years is wild to me.

 

[Crane]

Don't know your wheeling experience but in 30+ years of wheeling I can count the number of flats on 1 hand and most of those were from running too low tire pressure without beadlocks. Exactly 1 of those was in a bad spot, muddy, steep hill climb. Winches the Jeep up to where it flattened out and want muddy and THEN changed the tire. Why anyone would change the tire on a bad spot is beyond me. It's as dumb as the people trying to change their flat on the freeway where there's not enough shoulder to get out of the lane all the way. You can move the vehicle on a flat tire. Especially in the mud, you won't do any damage to the wheel or tire. At least on the trail you don't get smoked by a big rig because you were afraid to move the vehicle with a flat to a better spot. The idea that I'd permanently give up bed space in our already tiny bed to make the spare I may never need more accessible than the spot that has worked fine on tricks for 60+ years is wild to me.

I wasn't kidding. You remind me of my uncle and he's a gem. They don't make em like you old fellas anymore. I figured when I saw the line about people not liking hard work you had to be older lol.

My experience is I tend to listen to people who've been on this planet longer than me so I defer to you on this.

 

[Zachanadandy]

I wasn't kidding. You remind me of my uncle and he's a gem. They don't make em like you old fellas anymore. I figured when I saw the line about people not liking hard work you had to be older lol.

My experience is I tend to listen to people who've been on this planet longer than me so I defer to you on this.

There are plenty older than me on this forum, but I've been wheeling since I was 15 so I've been around and seen a bit. I know I'm a smart ass by nature and a lot of my posts come off as a "my way is the right way", but I'm just sharing my experience and what I've seen work. If it saves 1 person some headache or encourages them to get the vehicle into a safer place to work on it that's a win for me.

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