Do you guys have a lock on your tire carrier?

I was having lunch at a resturant and someone must have unlatched my tire carrier. I went through a few speed bumps then made a turn. Next thing I knew, the tire carrier swung open. Good thing I have a stop so it doesn't swing pass a certain point. Otherwise, it would hit the car coming the opposite direction. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/angry.gif" alt="" />

Do you guys have locks on it or it's not a problem for you?

I have a lock on mine, not taking any chances here in Vegas. The lock is a Master Lock from the local RV store and has the hasp covered so it canÆt be cut. I also built mine so the tire blocks the key switch for the back window and ordered the wheel locks so they match my originals.

I also have a built in stop and an auto locking pin to lock the swing arm in the open position. The rest of the pics can be found here .

That is a nice setup.

where didyou source the auto-locking pin? ANd, can you elaborate on your latch system too?

The latch is a locking pin/rewind pin from a BAK-12 aircraft arresting barrier that the USAF uses. You pull up on the T handle and the two balls in the other end are released and the pin can be pulled. You can find a pin like it at a tractor/farm supply store.




The auto-locking pin is home built. Starting with a ¥ö bolt. I welded a ring on top and drilled a small hole on the side of the shank. The bolt slips in and the spring is held with a cotter pin (on the bottom of the spring) so it is always trying to push the bolt down. As the swing-arm is opened and aligns with the hole in the bumper, the bolt drops down and locks the swing-arm open. Lift up on the bolt and swing the arm when closing.

The genius in this is the simplicity. All around, the best multi-use bumper I've ever seen.

where do you buy the hinge?

www.rockstomper.com
I think there's another place..forgot where though..

4x4 Labs . If I had to do it all over again, I would have used their spindle. I know that some people have had problems with Rockstomper's spindles but I think that too much heat was applied when welding it to the bumpers. My father has one on his Jeep TJ for over 4 years now with a 33" spare, two gas cans and a rack and has had no problems yet.