O-R Fab rear tire carrier - When having no rattles is a must.

Overall Rating:  Excellent

When choosing a tire carrier, I factored in several things before buying.  In no particular order they were: What size tire will it need to support?  Will it rattle?  How will it tie in with other mods? And what products have been proven to work on the trail already?  When factoring in those questions, the OR-Fab tire carrier had what I was looking for in excess.

Ease of installation:  Moderate

The actual installation is not that difficult. You may be able to do the entire install alone, but it's nice to have a second set of eyes and hands around.  If nothing else if you're like me you'll need a buddy to help lift your spare up to the mount, my spare is HEAVY.  You have to consider beforehand that you will be drilling through the body and once you do there's no going back.  Don't worry, it's worth it.

Function:  Excellent

Here's where the product shines.  The latch is easy to use and holds securely, my two Scepter water or fuel cans mount perfectly and tightly, my spare is locked and secure, and it does not rattle whatsoever.  I am thoroughly impressed and I am very critical about rattles.

Value:  Excellent

In my opinion, you can't put a price on a product that works as well as this one does for it's intended purpose.  I would feel confident running any tire/wheel combo up to 40" and perhaps larger if it fits. 

Pros 

• Carries a 37" tire, two 5-gallon fuel cans, and a Hi-Lift with no rattles
  

• Very stout
  

• Good powdercoating
  

• Tabs for mounting CB antenna
  

• Through-the-tub mounting provides ample strength
  

• Lockable spare
  

Cons

• Requires drilling through the body to obtain the strength.  (Just do it and get it over with, girly-man!)
  

• I don't see why the main latch wasn't designed to lock with a standard sized padlock.  It would have made it easy to buy a two-lock set and have the latch and the spare keyed alike.
  

The O-R Fab (Off Road Fabrication) rear tire carrier has proven to be an excellent choice for my tire carrier needs.  It not only holds a 37" spare and 17x9 Walker Evans beadlock (NOT the lightest wheel/tire combo!) but it also goes a step further and provides storage for two 5-gallon Scepter cans, a 48" Hi-Lift, and two antennas.  And it does so without rattles.  I have tested it at high speeds (60+ MPH) loaded across rutted roads and on three or four occasions driven away after airing up without latching the thing shut.  That is not recommended let me say, (just trust me) but I never had more than a bruised ego.  Just got out and it latched right up.  The latch is lockable, but you will need to use a smaller lock due to the size of the hole for the shackle to fit through.  The spare locks with a regular sized lock.  I used a rubber coated sealed Masterlock and it fits snugly enough that it doesn't move around.  I assume if I had a regular type padlock without the rubber protection I would get a lot of clanking on the trail, but my lock doesn't move.  I would highly recommend this setup for anyone looking for a strong, rattle free setup capable of carrying an oversized spare.

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