Review on 🚙 Rugged Ridge 11546.25 XHD Generation II Swing and Lock Tire Carrier: a Must-Have for Jeep Wrangler JK (07-18) by Owoeye Reed

It's ok - I like working with one hand and overall the design is good. However, as is common with many Rugged Ridge products, there are small details that keep it from being a 5* product. I've had this for a few months now. Likes: 1. Smooth operation when properly configured.2. The antenna mount is great and the brake light relocation mount works well.3. Tip threads are compatible with factory nuts (this is an issue with some other Jeep trunk options). It is very durable. Pretty easy to set up with no rumble.5. I love the one hand operation.6. Finishes are generally quite good. Dislikes: 1. Parts supplied were missing a bolt (spare wheel bracket, 3 of 4 included).2. The nylon bushing that holds the lever in the tailgate has friction and vibrates. I almost lost it after 100km. I drilled and tapped a stop bolt to secure it.3. The swing mechanism uses wheel bearings, which are fairly durable. However, the mechanism is not sealed, so grease constantly gets on the surface of the bumper. It also skips debris, which isn't ideal if you submerge it in water (yes, I got it that deep coming out of the riverbed). 4. There are no oilers on the swing mechanism, disassembling for maintenance is PITA. A $.25 oiler certainly wouldn't have killed an RR?5. Slight clamping of the trailer hitch when the barrier is fully open. A little sanding and touching up the paint will fix the situation. The curves are a bit steep.6. The packaging isn't very good (but not as bad as some other RR products). Another $5 for parts and some design and this could easily be a 5 star product. Just not quite there (for the money).