SmittyBilt HD PIVOT TIRE CARRIER - SB2843

My tailgate now opens as if it was new and had no tire on it! It's amazing how nice this is for an upgrade replacement to the EAG that I had previously.It's nice to have all the rattles gone. I did also install a new upgraded tailgate latch bump stop to go with it.It's really heavy! The instructions aren't great, but here's what I did...Hold that big heavy hinge up to it's closed position. Insert top torx bolt by taillight and get a few threads started. Support it as you insert and thread the lower one. Tighten these down until they're almost seated. Open the hinge to expose the 4 inner torx screws and insert and start those. Once they're all in there, start torquing them all down. Close the hinge. Insert and start the tailgate bolts. Tighten them down until almost seated, allowing the tailgate to be adjusted still. I used a wire cutting tool under the edge of the tailgate to pry and lift the gate until the upper angle on it was aligned with the angle on the upper body. Then I tightened two bolts before letting go of the bottom. Then fully tightened all 4.Hold the mount inside the spare tire to figure out which holes need the studs. I stuck the stud through, and added a lock washer for a larger bolt, and a flat washer to it and then used the supplied lug nut to pull the stud through. The base of the stud will come through the hole, so the over sized lock washer allowed it to come through to be fully seated.The instructions show you how to figure out what depth to set the tire mount to. If you're going to use the brake light mount, install it's "L" shaped brace on the top before torquing that bolt down.Next figure out where you need the tire mount to be on the carrier. That's tricky. I put it where I thought it should fit, and had to move it two holes higher. I have 35" tires and a barricade rear bumper. I needed the bottom of the tire mount barely above the bottom center of the carrier.The brake light extension goes between the carrier and mount. The way it goes is with the channel opening to the brace. This part can be installed after the carrier is bolted to the tailgate though. I cut the bottom end off so I could get it to sit lower than intended.Putting the carrier assembly on the tailgate is awkward, assistance would be helpful. The 4 rubber gaskets in the kit go between the carrier and the mounting surface. With my left hand and my belly, I held the carrier up and pushed a top right bolt through and placed the gasket on it then started the bolt threads. I then grabbed the next bolt for that corner and positioned the gasket in place and started the threads. The bolts are long enough to make this easier to do than it sounds. Then torque the bolts down.Time to put the tire on and see if you got the mount in the right place. My first attempt was too low.Now you can install the brake light extension. As I stated earlier, I cut mine at the 3rd hole from the bottom, so I could get it to sit low enough to line up with the tire. I have a brake light tire ring, so my plan is to use this spot to mount an additional backup light, or the VHF antenna.

Ordered this because the rattle and noise coming from my stock carrier was driving me NUTS! Don’t even off road, and the rattle was awful! Did a lot of research and found the Smittybuilt to have the best reviews when it came to noise control, sturdiness and ability to lessen the stress on my stock tailgate. I have 35s and the stock carrier just couldn’t handle it and I was beginning to get small stress fractures at the pop welds on the tailgate. This takes two people to install. But once it’s on, it works and looks great! Worth every penny!Cons:1. All the reviews are correct-the directions are ABSOLUTE GARBAGE! Watch the numerous videos on YouTube for installation. The pictures are blurry and it makes NO SENSE the order in which they want you to install!2. In order to get my spare closer to my Jeep, I do have a bit of a clearance issue. Now to open the back glass completely, I have to open the tailgate fully. Not the end of the world, I’ll just have to watch the tailgate stop when my kids swing open the tailgate.Pros:1. SILENCE!! I know all Jeeps make noise….but the dreaded tailgate noise is gone! The tailgate itself is much heavier now, but soooo sturdy! I bought a ring brake light and it did take some pushing to get it to fit just right on the new carrier.2. Delivery was quick and this thing is HEAVY! It has added some muscle to my otherwise girly Jeep.3. You can adjust your spare up/down and in/out. After playing with it for a bit, we found the perfect fit that sets my spare MUCH closer than the stock carrier ever would have.4. The hinges are solid! After taking off the stock hinges, I realize how weak they really were since they weren’t meant to hold my big 35s.

I love everything about this carrier. It is heavy duty and very well made (even though it is made in China). But OMG those instructions suck. They are about three steps beyond suck to be honest. Advice: There is a YouTube video on installing this thing. 2 very important points, one of which I did and the other I didn’t. Put some wood under the tailgate and ensure there is some pressure. This holds the tailgate in place and saves you from a bunch of trouble. Tape the gate in place wherever you can put tape. Don’t scrimp. :). The next is to measure the distance from the studs in the old spare mount to the ground. This will save you some disassembly and adjustment pain (ask me how I know). The best instruction that comes with the mount is the color picture on the outside of the box. That is of more value than the entire instruction pamphlet. Seriously could they use worse pictures and the steps leave out critical things. They reference part numbers of brackets and bolts but the parts themselves are not labeled. So first step is a practice assembly with an adult beverage of your choice. That was something I didn’t do and it would have saved me hours. But it is not on and it is what I wanted, looks good and will hold up. And the story of how one old man got that 20” wheel with 35” tires back on the mount is one for another day.