Snubbers

[UKTJ]

While "snubbers" may sound like the nickname of a BBC football commentator, it is actually the term I have heard used for the rubber bumpers on the tailgate that the spare snuggles up against when in position.  I have fitted an uprated Rugged Ridge spare carrier onto the tailgate of my TJ to take the weight of the spare with the new 285/75 tyre (basically a metric 33" x 11.5").  In addition to hanging further off the back of the tailgate the new carrier also sits at more of an angle than the stock one...

 

I like the angle as it happens, as it seems to pretty much exactly match the angle of the hood line.  It is without doubt much stronger (and consequently heavier) than the stock one and may be fine without snubbers.  But, in an ideal world I would still like to have the functionality of the snubbers that the stock one used to minimise the chances of the spare carrier flexing and ultimately cracking (which is what seems to happen to at least some stock ones with tyres much bigger than stock fitted on them).  Trouble is, particularly at the bottom with the angle, the gap is pretty substantial.

 

 

The top snubber is about 80mm from the tyre and the bottom one closer to 150mm from the tyre.  I have come across a few options for solutions online.  Some have bought more OEM snubbers and cut them down to remove the domed section and then used these to space the original snubber further off the tailgate; but with the Rugged Ridge carrier, even at the top I think I would end up needing a pretty big stack of them to do this.  Some have used the head of a rubber mallet, removing the handle, drilling and cutting it to size, but again they seem to have been dealing with lesser distances.  Finally, I have seen one person use plastic plumbing pipe and fittings to create a standoff for the snubber, this was even made to be adjustable, but the one I saw looked very much in the 'function over form' category.

 

I wondered if anyone had solved the issue themselves, seen other solutions or just had a bright idea having read this post?

[Overlander21]

How tall/long is a rubber bump stop from the rear suspension of something like a Fiat Ducato van?

 

 

[V]

Cut the new bracket midway in the top and bottom sections and overlap them. Re-weld the overlaps so that the tyre is snug against the OEM snubbers. This will reduce the tyre overhang by 6" and could save your tailgate on a drop off. Due to the angle in the lower part of bracket you may have to flip the top bracket that attaches to the tailgate or bend it (off the Jeep) to fit.

Edited June 13, 2022 by V