Reviews for Smittybilt KIT 76896 XRC Rear Atlas Bumper and Tire Carrier for 07-18 Jeep Wrangler JK
Installation took about 3 hours and that included removing factory bumper and installing new bumper and rewiring/rerouting 3rd brake light as well. Looks really great and is built really well.
I purchased this bumper back in 2019 for my jeep JK. The installation was fairly simple and instructions where clear. My kit came with all the required hardware. After years of ownership and countless adventures this bumper was robust enough to carry equipment, gas cans and a heavy 35" tire. There is one issue I have had with this bumper/tire carrier. The tire carrier unloaded rattles on the road. From day one the tire carrier rattled at the locking mechanism and hinge. I had installed more shims to the hinge which helped with the rattle on the passenger side however the locking mechanism still rattles with every bump in the road.
Latch mechanism kinda sucks
Only complaint is the difficulty of setup and adjustment. Once it is adjusted properly it works flawlessly. It is a beast. I have a 37" tire mounted on it along with 4 two gallon rotopax cans in the jerry can slots. Also have my high lift on it. I have been running this bumper combo for 2 years and it still works perfect. Latch is perfect, opens and closes as it should. Pretty impressed especially with the weight I have on it. I wheel this rig hard so it does get some abuse. No rattles or issues with the latch. All I have to say to those who have problems with the latch. It takes a lot of time and patience to adjust it properly. It also helps to have an extra set of hands or two to install and adjust it. If you can get it dialed in you will be very happy. I plan on going up to 40" tires this winter and am confident the carrier can handle the added weight with no issues. Now if they would develop something to help lift the large tire on and off the carrier that would be awesome.
Really nice bumper/tire carrier. I got a good deal hanging on this thing and it’s holding just fine. Some complain about the latching after a while. I’ve owned mine for 2 years and what I have to say about that topic is that by pushing on the carrier as I pull the latch, it opens fine.
This bumper is all about correct setup. When I first installed it everything was perfect. Then I went to a bigger tire and started having alignment issues with the added weight. I was ready to literally throw the bumper in the trash. Until I decided to call Smittybilt and go off on someone, when I called they did everything they could to help me get the right parts to fix the issues. Now I have way to many extra parts for this also. But the bumper works perfectly with zero issues.
Gives the wrangler a unique and good look and is super functional, allowing you to carry so much more stuff for off roading without taking up the little amount of space we have inside of cabins. My only complaint is that the instructions included were blurry and not at all clear and some of the steps were difficult to figure out because of it.
Nice bumper mine has had up great. It will lower the backend of your jeep 1 1/2" to 2" very heavy bumper. If I had to do over I wouldn't add this bumper unless you have a air lift system.
Great bumper and tire carrier. Looks good, well made.
The two things keeping this from a five-star review are:
1. The release handle takes an awful lot of effort to actuate. I've taken the carrier off four different times and tried multiple variations of spacers to get the latch lined up perfectly. No matter what I do, it takes two hands and a heck of lot of force to get the latch to open. (I may attach a small steel cable to the release lever and just open it that way.)
2. Wavian NATO Jerry cans do not fit properly in the driver's side of the carrier due to their cap style. The cap will rub the top bar.
Had this on my JK for over a year now. Recently bought a pair of nice (expensive) Wavian MilSpec/NATO cans. They do NOT fit the rack. Contacted Smittybilt. They admitted to "Not doing their due diligence" in design and didn't check dimensions for the milspec cans. They used Midwest Can Company, part number MDW5810. Aggravating.