I've since decided on not going with a tire carrier at all as my my CJ7 will be a pure rockcrawler and will carry its spare in the bed for better departure angles and lower center of gravity.
I put this info together on a webpage so as to help others save some money and also enjoy a better designed carrier than some of the home built setups I've seen.
Read on....
The latch that's used by most of the top bumper/carrier manufacturers (including Bulletproof MFG) is made by Destaco. Have a look at their webpage for an online catalog or you can order their free print catalog to see the different type of latches that are available. They dont sell to the public as far as I know but it doesnt matter as they are available from many places (see below).....
The latch we are interested in is Part# 344 or if you live where rust is a problem the same latch is available in stainless steel #344-SS. Pricey, but the best available!... about $30-$40. Reid Tool Supply is where I bought mine but they are available from a number of places and quite possibly you'll have a local source. Again, there are many types of latches made by Destaco so get a catalog!
Some of the better aftermarket
carriers use a trailer axle spindle welded into the bumper for the pivot.
These can be had from Northern
Tools for about $20 (sold in pairs).
Part #12461-C146 (same as
above except that the base is square) seems to be the common size but I
would consider going slightly larger if I were running 35" or bigger tires.
A bearing kit will cost
about $10 from the same place.
It includes two bearings
w/races, an oil seal and a cap.
Part # 12582-C147
Bulletproof MFG. uses a Nylatron bushing instead of bearings but they still use the trailer axle. I've never heard of Nylatron and if anyone finds a source let me know.
Here is a diagram to help set up this pivot using the above items...
Some comments to go with the diagram....
"It took me a long time to come up with a suitable design that I could fabricate at home for the spindle. I ended up buying a set of 1" weld on trailer spindles from Northern Hydraulic (nowNorthern Tools). After receiving them I tried to locate someone that could turn the bushing part on a lathe. I could not get anyone that would do it for a reasonable price and then after some more searching I located some 2.5" OD (2"ID) tube that did not have a seam.
I bought 36" of this for $50, still cheap considering
that a machinist wanted $45/hour. I cut about 4" of this and then cut a
2.5" piece of 2" OD tube that I had. This was split lengthwise and I also
drilled 1/2" holes at about 6 locations. This small piece was then inserted
into the bigger tube and welded in place. This formed the seat for taper
bearings at top and the bottom." Christo Slee
You can see how this hinge
setup (in the above diagram) looks by clicking here.
He (Christo Slee) makes a lot of unique stuff for Toyota Land Cruisers
but also does bumpers for Jeeps. He also sells the spindle setups complete
for $90. Not a bad price actually.
More pics of a similar setup using the same parts....
Above pic has Destaco latch and trailer spindle.
Closeup of another (homemade) bumpr with trailer
spindle.
Different view....also see the plunger to keep
carrier open.
On most of the better carriers,
there is a spring plunger that locks into place when the tire carrier has
opened to the furthest desired point. The pin(plunger) that Bulletproof
uses is part # is FRSN-62 from Reid
Tools. If you have a 4Wheel Drive Hardware catalog around you can
look at their tire carrier and get a better idea of how the
spring plunger works and
how to mount it.
I think thats all I have. Hope this info has helped someone. Good Luck.