Tire Carrier:

Knowing that we would be adding a bunch of weight to the Eeyore’s tailgate it was important to switch away from the factory tire mount to a proper tire carrier.  The specifications were relatively simple; had to carry a decent amount of weight, allow the tailgate and carrier to open in a single one-handed operation, and have space to mount extra goodies.  Terra Flex, AEV and Maximus-3 were quickly placed on the short list, and we elected to go with the Maximus-3 unit due to the unique adjustable mechanism that allowed both the tailgate and tire mount to operate on separate hinges yet operate with the factory latch.  The mount proved to be very well built and installed easily (after we figured out which way was up the hard way) Directions were clear and the packaging was good and none of the parts were damaged during shipping, however they did assemble some of the bolts thru their mounting locations rather than a separate bag allowing some hardware to vibrate apart and somehow fall out of a tiny crack in the box.  Maximus-3 customer support did express ship replacements out right away.

Along with the tire carrier we purchased a metal mast that allowed mounting of the third eye brake light above the larger tire and also a antenna mount for a CB antenna. This is a poor location for an antenna on a Jeep due to ground plane issues and a lot of gear nearby.  Finally got decent results from a four-foot Firestick with top loading coils to get above the RTT.  Not as flexible as a metal whip, but as CB is mostly a tertiary communication means in our vehicles, so we can live with it.

Maximus-3 had some add on brackets for the tire carrier for gas cans, jacks, etc.  but nothing that I was sold on either aesthetically or engineering wise.  We elected to fabricate a rack for our Traction boards from steel tube and Maxtax mounting pins to carry the boards in a vertical configuration.  Room was left on the backside to add a NATO fuel can mount when we find one that we like.  (Spoiler – we plan on installing a long-range fuel tank under the Jeep eventually to lose the gas can.  Will switch out the mount to a propane tank at that time)

there was a conflict in the directions but measuring twice (well 36 times in my case due to an engineering background…) did the job without any unneeded ventilation holes in the roof.

Rock Rails:

Eeyore’s previous owners had removed the factory rock rails that come with the 10x Rubicon models and installed plastic running board steps in their place.  Fortunately, they kept the rails tucked away in storage and provided them with the sale.  I placed them back on the Jeep for now, with the expectation that after a lift Michelle would probably appreciate a set of Rockslide Engineering retracting steps.  Otherwise, we will likely fabricate something custom as the factory rail and mounting is not well engineered for as heavy as it is.

Rock Lights

Although we don’t typically need rock lights for their advertised purpose, we do find ourselves in the backcountry searching for epic camp in the dark and would like to avoid stepping out into a deep puddle. It would also be nice to have some ambient camp lighting .. We selected the KC Cyclone lights and added yellow filters with the anticipation that they might keep bugs at bay in camp as we do not need super bright lights on the trail.  We purchased a set of six lights and installed them at the rear near the bumper and at each end of the rock rails, this provides a nice light pattern around the jeep in camp but leaves the front end a bit dark for trail work, so may add a pair somewhere up front later. The yellow lenses do cut the overall light a bit more than expected and if trail use was primary, we would switch back to white.  The lights are controlled from the switch pro controller and can be turned on/off or dimmed from the cell phone while in camp for the ultimate of laziness.

Fenders

Contrary to most folks who drive and modify Wranglers we had planned on leaving the stock plastic fenders in place and not opt for aftermarket narrow fenders for tight trails.  That was however before we drove Eeyore with some nice new 35” tires that slung mud and various cow byproduct found on the trail all over the exterior and sometimes interior of the Jeep.  An immediate quest for the opposite of narrow fenders was started.  It soon became apparent that wider fenders were the unicorn of aftermarket Jeep parts. A very small selection of fenders was quickly narrowed (no pun intended) down to two. Warrior products manufactured in Oregon (US made), and Black Mountain by Collins Brothers Jeep in Texas (Manufactured overseas).. We went with the Black Mountain fenders as they were aluminum and much lighter than the Warrior fenders, we also scored a super good price as a result of an advertisement error that Black Mtn still graciously honored.  The fenders were a pain to install as most are, we opted to replace the troublesome rubber well nuts with SS Rivnuts to make the fenders more removable for service. Even though somewhat a lightweight build, once installed they are very sturdy and work well. They do not hang down as far as the stock, so we have added some custom fabricated mud flap mounts for the rear that allow the flap to be removed if desired.  The fenders perfectly cover the 35X12.5 tires and along with the mudflaps keep the local law enforcement officers and anyone behind us happy.  Soon to be added will be some front mudflaps to further reduce the amount of mud flung up on the doors.

Inner Fenders Now that we have installed the flat top aluminum fenders the factory inner fenders that had been hacked up to clear the new Falcon shocks look terrible.  After looking at a few inner fenders we selected the JCR aluminum inner fenders as they fit in and around the Falcon shocks nicely. In addition, they mounted independent from the outer fenders so we could easily remove them front ones for better access to the engine bay for service and repairs.  The fenders installed easily with only minimal fuss getting my large hands into some tight places.  The only poorly designed part of the fenders is the small end caps that cover the open area of the fender by the firewall. They fasten with self-tapping screws and do not really seal off the area and have some annoying squeaks.  Some slight bending of the tabs has removed the squeaks, and eventually I will design and fabricate something that fits properly and removed for cleaning. Even with this design flaw, we would still purchase and install them again.