BookFinder 

After 21 years in Ford Ranger pickups as a daily driver I have an '06 Jeep TJ that I am tending to drive more and more. So I'm looking at putting a rack on the Wrangler to take the bike along for my late afternoon, on the way home from work rec and fitness rides.

Next, while I like what I know about hitch mounted tray style racks, I'm shying away from a hitch mounted rack because I want easy access to the rear storage via the tail gate. In other words, I don't want to have to unload the bike in a pouring rain to get to the rear storage of the Wrangler.

Finally, the security advantages of the bolt-on rack as opposed to one of the clamp or strap arrangements are a no-brainer. Perhaps I've missed one in the reading, but the big three bolt-ons seem to boil down to racks by Hollywood, Saris, and Yakima. Mercy - they all think highly of their products!

Anyway, stick shock factors aside, experienced opinions of the bolt-on options from other Wrangler owners would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Rick

Looigi

I've got some vicarious experience with the Yakima Sparetime rack. It was very straightforward, looked well designed and built and had some nice features. In another situation an individual had a rectangular framed tubular rack, don't know the mfgr, that was far less impressive.

corrado33

Please excuse the "non spare tire mounted rack experience" here, but many hitch racks fold out of the way (even with bikes on them) to access the tailgate. There are even ones that fold completely out of the way to the side. (They're more expensive of course.) Just letting your know your options if you didn't know them already.

bbbean 

I have an older (15 yrs+) Yakima that mounts to the rear spare. While it isn't as secure as my hitch mounted Thule, it can't be beat for easy on/easy off and allowing me to still access the back after the bikes are loaded. The two downsides are that I don't really like to carry my CF bikes by the top tube, and the bracket that goes on the tire blocks the rear wiper.

BB

spdracr39

I haven't used one but wanted to point out that they make extensions, that will clear the spare tire, to allow use of a standard hitch rack. That should expand your options if you have a receiver hitch installed. The only worry is if you need to carry more than two bikes it could exceed the published weight limits.

gpburdell

Another angle to consider is the loading on the tailgate hinges / latch mechanism. As a former JK owner I know there was a point at which with a large enough spare you needed to change over to a separate support mechanism due to overloading. I'm not sure of the loading capacity on the TJ vis-a-vis the weight of a rack plus bike.

I'd recommend looking at the Yakima Swing Daddy or Full Swing for the Jeep. Depending on your location watch Craigslist or eBay. I recently got a very good ebay deal on an open-box Yakima Ridgeback that was missing the keys. No matter since I was adding a Yakima Handcuff kit which changes out the lock cylinder on the rack to the one in the kit anyway.

gpburdell

FWIW my Yakima Ridgeback clears the spare tire as-is on my DW's 2012 RAV4 (hitch is Reese).

Sangetsu

I had an '05 Rubicon, and used a Yakima spare-tire rack. This rack attaches to the bolts on the spare tire, rather than being strapped around the tire. I also liked that the rack arms could be folded down when a bike is not attached. It is simple and uncomplicated, and works well.

J708

I have a 2012 jeep wrangler and im using the Saris Freedom Spare Tire rack on it. i love it and its very easy to load and unload the bike once you get the hang of it. for security you can always lock the bike on the middle bar. Also zero issues accessing the back storage. The ONLY issue you might face is that it partially hides your rear license plate if its located in the middle directly under the spare tire.

Freedom Spare Tire | Saris

If you are looking for something well built and very practical along with securing the bike from theft, getting the Freedom Spare Tire is a no brainer.

Giant Fuji

I wouldn't put any more weight on the tailgate of a wrangler myself. I have a '13 Rubicon with an LoD rear bumper and connected tire carrier. The tire carrier weight is supported by the bumper and connected to the tailgate buy an arm so it swings open with the tailgate. I used a strap on bike carrier but it was messing up the finish on my bikes and the cables on 2 of them are routed under the top tube. I disliked this setup almost immediately. I scoured CL and found a used Thule T2 platform rack for a song. This is the bees knees. It tilts down with bikes loaded to help gain access but there is no way you are opening that tailgate all the way with bikes. I also have a drop down receiver adapter that also extends the rack back about 6", you need the extension to clear the spare tire when folding the rack up for storage. I say all that to point out that I think the best option for carrying bikes is a platform rack of some sort using your hitch receiver, it is better for the bikes and the vehicle.

SlowAndSlower

I have a 06 TJ Rubicon and use the Thule spare tire mount to haul my bikes around on. I hauled my Bruce Gordon 12 hour to New Mexico and back with zero issues.
Readily open and close tail gate. The only concern is the Rubicon tires are sort of large and the bolt is barely long enough to reach through the tire to secure the rack on.

Been on and using since 06.

J708

The pic is too small to tell but is this the Spare Me 963PRO, older version or something similar?[h=1][/h]

70sSanO

I have a '95 YJ and used a Yakima Spare Joe for a while. Personally, I hated the spare tire rack. I just didn't like putting the extra weight on the tailgate.

I replaced it with a Yakima Kingpin 4 and have not looked back. I also didn't like the lack of security.

John

SlowAndSlower

Older version.

BookFinder 

Thanks to all for the feedback and suggestions. My shopping options have been greatly expanded.

dieselgoat

I too would not put additional weight on the tailgate. I've had a Wrangler for 8 years and have tried different racks. I currently have the Saris Thelma for 3 bikes. It's a hitch mount rack that I can use on any of my vehicles. It folds up or down for access to the rear.

Wanderer

Finally getting back to the bicycle, eh Pastor!

BookFinder 

Howdy Phil! And yep. One of my local buds is pushing me so I'm working my way back towards riding an hour or so a day. That, and a newly diagnosed malady called sleep apnea is prompting me to shed some weight.

For an update on the rack question, The TJ has a 2" bumper type hitch receiver and I already have a Yakima 4-bike hitch-mount rack that, after reading the various responses, is looking better and better. It has been in storage for a while so today I dug it out.

Initially the fit was too close to the spare for it to take the pin so I went and bought a 6" extension bar/receiver at the local U-haul. The extension gave me enough clearance that the rack now clears the spare by some four inches. It also has a fold down option so I can open the tail-gate on the TJ without having to completely remove the rack.

The Yakima is a typical double bar arrangement that calls for stashing the bike using the top tube, but I can get by with it until I save a few more pennies for a tray type.

Problem solved for the near term. Thanks again to all for the feedback.

Wanderer

Consider pipe insulation to cushion the bike/carrier interface. Wherever it fits best.

BookFinder 

Okay. Here's what I ended up doing.

After reading the comments the spare mounted option began to concern me so I opted for our old Yakima 4-bike hitch-mounted rack. However, when I went to install it on the Wrangler I immediately found it would not clear the spare, or allow me to open the tailgate unless the clearance was enhanced.

The answer to that was to get a U-haul drawbar extension. Photos below.

Extension


Clearance (previous was ziltch, as in, the locking cable loop would have rubbed the rim)


Clearance, take II


Tailgate clears nicely


My only concern with this rack now is the Yakima mounting bolt. It's tight, but an enterprising thief with a crescent wrench could easily unbolt the rack and steal it - bike and all.

The other option is to remove the internal retainer and use an ordinary 5/8's hitch lock pin, but that means giving up the snugness of the bolt. And the metal on the Yakima rack is not the same thickness as the hitch-adapter so eventually the wear would exacerbate the rattle issue.

It seems keeping the bolt for the anti-rattle benefit is worthwhile, so do any of you know of a source for a Yakima (or other) lock that will secure that bolt? So far I've been unsuccessful at finding a suitable lock.

Thanks again!

garciawork

I didn't read the entire thread, but I can say that the Thule spare mounted rack I had on one of my wranglers was fantastic. Never had any issues with it. I have also used hitch mounts with great success as well, but the spare tire rack is obviously a bit cheaper.