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How to Install Rugged Ridge Spartacus HD Tire Carrier Wheel Mount (87-06 Wrangler TJ & YJ) on your Jeep Wrangler
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Important Safety Information
Your Rugged Ridge® Tire Carrier is intended to increase the utility and enjoyment of your Jeep® by providing easy access to your rear cargo area and secure mounting of your off-road spare tire. Before installation, please take a moment to review the following safety information and installation instructions. Important safety information is generally preceded by one of three signal words indicating the relative risk of injury. The signal words mean:
WARNING:A hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in serious injury or death. You can be killed or seriously hurt if you do not follow instructions.
CAUTION: A hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in minor or moderate injury. You can be moderately hurt and may also suffer property damage if you do not follow instructions.
NOTICE: Careful attention is required to this instruction or operation, but does not generally relate to personal injury. Damage to your product or other property may result if you do not follow instructions.
Installation Instructions
To reduce risk of personal injury during assembly and use of this product:
• Wear gloves and safety glasses during installation.
• Tire Carrier and spare tire/wheel are heavy. Use jack or seek assistance when lifting, fastening parts, or installing wheel/tire to carrier.
• Tire Carrier is subject to vibration and shock loads from on and off road use. Regularly inspect carrier and lug nuts fastening spare to carrier. Do not use and repair if damaged. Use thread locker and keep lug nuts torqued to 80 ft./lbs.
NOTICE: If using HD Wheel Mount with Rugged Ridge HD Hinge Casting (Part# 11546.61), it is necessary to use the installations included with Hinge Casting.
1. Remove spare tire.
2. On vehicles equipped with a third brake light, using Phillips screwdriver, remove wiring cover inside tailgate. Note where each wire is attached, then disconnect and rout wires out of the cover bracket. Pass third brake light wiring through tailgate.
3. Using 13mm socket, remove third brake light housing.
4. Remove stock spare tire carrier.
5. Attach Wheel Mount to tailgate using supplied 5/16” hardware.
6. Install OE third brake light using supplied M8 hardware. Feed third brake light back through tailgate and reconnect wires to tailgate ...
7. If using a 5x5.5” bolt pattern wheel, thread supplied 1/2” bolts into outer threaded holes on Wheel Mount. If using a 5x4.5” bolt pattern wheel, thread supplied 1/2” into inner threaded holes on Wheel Mount.
8. Re-install spare tire and torque lug nuts to 80ft•lb.
CAUTION: Have another person help lift the tire onto tire carrier.
WARNING: Failure to tighten lug nuts to proper torque specification could result in serious injury or property damage.
