Okie, so I'm working on the rear tire carrier after getting my front bumper done.

Now comes the mounting procedure for the rear-bumper.

On the http://www.jeepfabrication.com/ site they suggest this approach.

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Which seems like a great idea, strong, reliable and properly tied into the frame.
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ONLY. This involves hacking off the rear cross member right?

So then I proposed (to myself) that I would just lop off the ends of the rear cross member, (That sticks out past the frame rails.) and bolt on like they do in the picture.

ONLY. The rear-most body mounts are in the way.. So. I can't chop away the vertical peice and go under the body mounts, because that would leave them hanging on an unsupported 1/8" angle iorn.

How do I do this without too much hacking and fabbing?

Is the version in the pic, with the rear body mounts attached to the bumper mount the only way? Should I leave the rear cross member on, chop the ends off and follow the picture?

Can I do something else that will be just as strong?

Does it have to be 1/4" or 3/16"? (The mounts?)
I'm confident in my 1/8" welding skills, but 1/4" is sketchy with my underpowered welder..

So, what will hold and what will fold?

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To recap. (As per TR's posts.)
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Is the pic the only way to do it?
Can I use 1/8" not 1/4"?
Crossmember off or on?
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Gimme some straight answers too. None of this.. "well, it's up to you."

Put it this way..
I'm going 80kmh down the highway and your in persuit of me, there's a 33" mud-terrain, hi-lift, shovel, 2 jerry cans and an axe on the back. Do you want the mounts in 1/4" welded shoddly.. or 1/8" soundly?
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Howd's that for a comprehensive TR style post?

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Take a look at this:
I was able to retain my rear cross-member, and still make my bolts hidden. I cut a slot in the bottom of the bumper for an open end wrench.

http://bbs.off-road.com/wwwthreads//...5&Old=allposts

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Gimme some straight answers too. None of this.. "well, it's up to you."

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Well.... it is up to you. Who am I to tell you the way you think or feel? I can relate experience and tell what I think and/or how I would do it. But in the end... how you build it, mount it and use it is up to you.

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Put it this way..
I'm going 80kmh down the highway and your in persuit of me, there's a 33" mud-terrain, hi-lift, shovel, 2 jerry cans and an axe on the back. Do you want the mounts in 1/4" welded shoddly.. or 1/8" soundly?

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A straight answer? IMHO - both of the above solutions are not acceptable. I would not hang the mentioned items on the back of my Jeep with either.
I would make the mount hardware from 3/16" thk or more, not less. If you can not build a system like the pic you posted... design a system you can construct with the tools you have. i.e. brackets & sub-assemblies <font color=red>securely</font color=red> bolted to the Jeep frame and bumper. If you can not weld thick metals, maybe you will need to take the pieces to a place that can.

Check the attached pic for how I did mine as bolt on with no cutting to the Jeep. I built a few of these and the design has held up well to DD and med trail use with 31" to 33" tires plus plenty of yanking Jeeps out of mud holes with the 2" rec. A big reason I did it this way is because it uses OE hole locations for all mount points. Notice how this design has no tie to frame at the top of the bumper beam. I think this point (is a flaw) allows too much flex through the bumper beam, spacers attaching bumper to crossmember and the crossmsmber. This flex when amplified by the length of the arm holding the tire, causes bouncing of a 33" tire while driving. A 31" tire is mostly stable with this mount design. Note: The one shown has large spacers between the crossmember and bumper. These are to make room for a hi-lift on the vertical mast of the swing out. This same design with smaller spacers makes a more stable assembly. So... consider how you mount yours, especially because you are planning to carry a 33" tire plus extra items and 1/8" thk tube is less rigid.
I eliminated the 'bouncing' issue of my bumpers by adding a quick release clamp, to the tail gate, which stabilizes the load. No other problems have occurred. If building another... I would add an attachment to the top of the bumper to top of frame.
Several aftermarket bumper mfgs do it kinda like this - Fab 90deg angle brackets (w/gussets) in "L" shape to fit at the frame and the crossmember. Bolt the long leg of the bracket to the frame. Bolt the short (through the crossmember) to your bumper mount. Now you are tied to the frame. Only drilling - no cutting, no welding to the frame. Clearance inside the frame rails is tight on TJs so I'm not sure how this would all fit to use four of the brackets instead of only two. You will have to measure and find what will fit. I would still use the strap to the OE mount hole at the bottom of the frame as yanking with the receiver transmits most load at the bottom.
IMHO - the above two are good for mild to med trail and DD use. For hard core trail use, something more like the pic you posted (an excellent mount job - IMHO) would be much better.

What will you do with it? What do you have tools/abililties to build?

My opinions, how I would do it... etc. I posted my opinions when you asked about these bumpers the first time. Others posted opposing opinions. You considered both then made your own choice regarding what to use and how to build your bumpers. Do that with mounts too.

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another...

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How about this for an option. You leave you rear cross member intact, bolt the main portion of the bumper/tire carrier to it, then have a bracket bolt onto the backside of the rear crossmember and onto the framerail. Make any sense?

I get you..


Bolts from bumper to cross member. Bolts from cross member to frame..


As per a Frame Tie in for Rollcage "N'est Pas"?

Trailsman.. how would you feel about driving behind this..

Your setup on the bolts through the bumper, through the tube (vertical) through the cross member, through a backing plate that is in turn L shaped and bolted to the frame rail?

It's a mix of yours and Jammy's

It would be...

Bumper->Tube Peices
Tube Peices->Crossmember
Crossmember->L-Bracket
L-Bracke->Framerail.

And I was thinking of using all grade 8 hardware, 3/16" on all brackets.. and insead of 1 vertical tube on either side, I would have 2 with 2 bolts in bumper 2 in crossmember for each.

Get it?