If you've got a big tire hanging off of your tailgate, you've probably ran into the same issues that Andrew and I did. You don't want your tailgate to be ruined by the heavy Swamper you just put back there, but you also don't want to spend a good 700 bucks or more on a quality bumper and tire carrier.

Besides finding yourself a Sugar Mama or only go wheeling with someone who has a spare that would fit your Jeep perfectly, you can also build your own. Andrew and I didn't have access to a welder, but one of our fellow Rough Riders did. Little did we know, Tim is one heck of a fabricator.

So, for around 110 bucks in steel and hardware and two, 100 dollar Sears gift cards, Tim designed and built two bumpers/tire carriers for us. The detailed specifications are listed here, for those of you looking for actual measurements and materials. (Bumper Specs)

Here's the final product:

The Bumper...

The bumper is made from 3/16", 3"x3" square tubing with the ends tapered and ground smooth. In my case, I painted it with 4 coats of Hammerite black paint. It is attached with eight, Grade 8, 7/16" bolts utilizing the stock holes. We contemplated going with 4"x4" tubing, but we didn't want the extra weight. 3"x4" would have been ideal for us.

The Pivot Point...

The pivot is essentially two pieces of round tubing, with one fitting perfectly inside the other. The inside tubing is welded to the bumper and the outer tubing is part of the swing arm. A washer was then welder to the top of the outer tubing and a large bolt was welded on the top of the inner tubing. A large 15/16" nut is used to apply pressure and keep things snug when the two pieces of tubing are fit together.

A large welding bead was layed at the base of the inner tubing and ground smooth, so that the outer tubing (swing arm) would move freely. A grease zerk fitting finishes things off and helps keeps everything smooth.

Notice the gusset for the swing arm. This helps eliminate any sag.

The Latch...

The latching mechanism is simply a spring loaded pin which falls into a hole in the bumper. The pin is shown below.

The pin is kept from falling too far down by a washer and a retaining pin inserted through the main pin. A plastic end cap will be inserted into the end to keep dirt out, but still allow for maintenance on the spring if it is needed later.

The other part of the latch consists of a channel for the pin handle and a horizontal plate on the left side so that once the pin is in the retaining hole, the handle can be swiveled under the plate.

With the handle under the plate, the pin doesn't have room to pop out of the hole. This is the "locking" mechanism.

Here's what it looks like with the swing arm latched and locked.

The Swing Arm...

The swing arm consists of a piece of box tubing mounted to the pivot point with a gusset thrown in for strength. There is then a vertical, capped piece of box tubing used for the upright with some diagonal pieces used as supports. Two pieces of 1/4" flat stock are used for the two crossmembers, which are drilled to match the mounting holes of the stock tire carrier. The stock tire carrier and 3rd brake light are then bolted to the crossmembers as shown above with the brake light spaced to clear the 32" tire.

As for the 3rd brake light wiring, I reused the stock, flexible wiring to go from the tailgate grommet to the swing arm. I then used some stiff copper wire to go from there up to the light itself.

Also, between the two crossmembers, I bolted on one of my old tire bump stops. (Shown by red arrow) This puts pressure on the tire carrier when it is closed so that the system stays rattle free.

Finally, there is a steel tab welded to the inside portion of the swing arm with a hole drilled in it so that a pin can be used to hold the swing arm open. (Shown by red arrow)

Conclusion...

I am absolutely thrilled with my new bumper and tire carrier. The swing arm rotates smoothly and does not show any sag with my 32" tire and steel wheel on it. The system is rattle free and the latch is robust. I want to give a big thanks to Tim Sullivan for making Andrew and I a quality "Sully-Made" bumper/tire carrier.