After 9 years, my old Smittybilt rear bumper with integrated tire carrier has definitely seen better days. Not only has the Tire Carrier begun to sqeak and rattle, it has started to sag quite a bit! I’m also getting tired of being pulled over by the popo for an obscured license plate. I decided to install the Smittybilt XRC Tailgate along with a new GEN1 XRC Rear Bumper on my 2012 Rubicon.
The Smittybilt XRC Tailgate with tire carrier uses an OE bolt configuration, cast steel hinge points and a hardened steel pin to eliminate tailgate sag forever! Manufactured from 14-gauge steel with a durable light texture finish. The heavy duty coustuction allows the built in tire carrier to support up to a 37″ spare tire. This is a direct bolt on application that comes with a third brake light and will work with Smittybilt or Factory bumpers.
The XRC Tailgate sounds like it will be the answer to my problems but let’s find out if this is as easy an install as Smittybilt says it is.
I would like to thank the Edmonton 4 Wheel Parts store for their help getting my product shipped to me quickly. They also stepped up when I had questions about the install as well as fixing a tiny little booboo 🙂
