Rock Hard 4X4 RH-5050 Freedom Series Body Mount Tire Carrier for 07-18 Jeep Wrangler JK

Great product

I'd give this tire carrier 4.5 stars if I could. PROS: Very sturdy carrier that maintains original ease of use of the tailgate. This is the only carrier of which I'm aware that include a CB antenna mount and a Hi-Lift jack mount. This design carries all of the weight of the spare tire, accessories, and tailgate. Basically everything, even the tailgate is supported by the carrier instead of the tailgate bearing any load. CONS: I also chose to add washers to the 12 buttonhead bolts that affix the tailgate to the carrier because of the large opening in the carrier. The spare tire does mount about 6" higher than the stock position which does reduce visibility from the rear window. Although there are 4 potential mounting locations for the antenna bracket, only the one on the far passenger side worked for me because I chose to mount the spare as low and close to the body as possible. The mounting angle of the spare causes interference with the antenna in any other location. I understand the tradeoffs that cause some of the negatives, to mount the spare lower would mean you'd have to attach it before bolting the carrier to the tailgate and complete disassembly would be required to change the location. Also there are potential clearance issues with the rear vent. The spare is mounted at an angle to help provide clearance for the Hi-Lift jack when mounted. All acceptable tradeoffs for me, and I'm very happy with this carrier. I would recommend getting plugs for the bump stop holes before mounting this carrier.

Pretty close to 5 stars, but a few issues with install. I know this is a pretty new product as of my purchase, but the holes for the main mounting bolts of the carrier to the door were way too big for the button head allen bolts, and no washers provided. Also, the hinge bolt holes in the bracket were not well aligned top to bottom, are super tight fit to the 1/2 bolt (which is good) and needed to be drilled out to get the bolts in (bad). With those items addressed (although nicer washers still due to be swapped in), the install went pretty well, and the thing is definitely rigid and looks great. I think it'll be a great compromise as I didn't want a bumper mounted carrier, but still wanted all the features like the included hi-lift mount in one clean package, and was a better cost than other brands. I do wish the tire brackets had a bit lower mounting option, as my bumper allows for the clearance, and visibility is pretty much zero with a 35" tire in the lowest mounting setting. Did some mild off-roading since the install and put it to the test over bumpy sections, and it's very solid. Definitely a heavy tailgate to swing now, but I was expecting that, so I'm quite happy overall. I'm using the AEV third brake light with my AEV wheels, and that's an awesome option, although adapting my wife's backup camera to fit on the same bracket was a bit tricky and needs improvement :-)