MAF tire carrier (1 Viewer)

[jmode]

http://www.man-a-fre.com/parts_accessories/towbumperHDtirecoolercarrierFJ404Plus.htm

Anyone have one of these? What is the quality and will it fit on a 79.

Currently i have the heavy duty tube bumper from Sor.






If i got that tire carrier/jerry can holder, Im guessing i would need to remove the tube bumper.

 

[yldbill]

I don't own one, but I know it's one of the best rear combo units made . The company that makes these for man-a-fre is top notch is a serious cruiserhead himself, so he builds things to last.

 

[Poser]

They are a top quality carrier.....I have abused mine for years and it works great.



You will need to remove that rear tube bumper. The carrier has a reciever built into it that is far stronger than your existing bumper.



Here is a pic of a buddies truck that we installed another one of the MAF carriers on earlier this year.

Good luck!


-Steve

 

[jmode]

Ok so...what do you have to do to install one of these? Drilling/welding required?

 

[Hugh Heifer]

I don't have one but recently ran across a web site that shows the install. Looks easy and you only need help when you initially put the carrier up to the bumper. There is no cutting or welding involved. The site (I think it was cruiser.com) even showed the guy standing in the open basket. I will try to find it when I get home on my other computer.

 

[corsair23]

The MAF carriers are VERY nice and VERY stout...Have one on my '74. It came with the FJ40 when purchased but I also don't believe any welding is required. I'm pretty sure (for the most part) it is a bolt up deal. Although I would think you'll need a couple 'helpers' to hold the thing in place until you get at least a few bolts in...

They don't come cheap but I guess you've already figured that out!! ;p

Edit: Here is a pic of how it attaches...IIRC there are 12 bolts...4 on the left, 4 in the center, and 4 on the right
.
.

 

[Hugh Heifer]

Here is the web site that shows installation. Looks easy to me!
http://tlc.off-road.com/tlc/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=305862

 

[corsair23]

Aside from having to drill 8 holes which is always fun it looks pretty straight forward...

I like that the weight is distributed on the two swing arms as opposed to one big long one...

 

[Poser]

Twelve 12" grade 8 bolts attach that carrier to the rear crossmember....

 

[Hugh Heifer]

The proper bushings are a real plus. The 35" hanging off the back of my Cruiser about shkes the truck apart. It was someone's cruel idea of a homemade joke. They welded the hinges to the bumper and wedged a few washers in for support on the hinge side. It will be coming off and replaced with the MAF one.

 

[dgangle]

While it sure looks nice and everything Dave Gore makes is awesome, that thing costs more than some of the 40's I've bought. To each his own and I guess it's all about priorities. Besides not having as much of it anymore, I'm tired of throwing silly money at this hobby.

 

[jhaha]

Not trying to steer you away from a great product, but do you have the ability or do you know anybody that can weld? I only say this because I was thinking about buying the MAF one, but instead made one and it cost me less than 150 bucks. The most crucial parts are the spindle (I used the IPOR one, which is awesome) and some sort of latch. It really is a simple piece, and to be able to save ~$500 is well worth it.

Plus, it is a great way to take advantage of this board to see all of the designs used by everybody else, and figure out exactly what you want. Or maybe the MAF one is exactly the one that you want, and in that case, I say buy it!!

Let me know if I can help!!

 

[yzftaco]

These bumpers are Great! I installed it by myself

It's pretty heavy to do it yourself BUT.. I used a couple sawhorses and eased the bumper up to the rear cross member... Bolted the center flange up then drilled the other 8 holes, and bolted those up as well... The thing rocks. Very well built

 

[REZARF]

Well,

I have made my own, I went down that road and I am glad I did. However, I learned a lot in the process. The time, resources, time, materials, time and design process in all took me several months from start to finish... and I am still not totally done with it.

That said, I have about 250 bucks into mine, but the MAF carrier is probably the best one I have seen on the market, the Bullet Proof MFG is also sweet, but nearly 400 dollars more.

If you have the cash, the easy choice is the 4 plus without a doubt. If I did it over again, it is a toss up, for the coin, I now think the 4 plus is a great deal for a product so well built/designed and ready to be abused on a cruiser. Add up time, labor, materials, and design errors and the 900 bucks or so is a great deal in my opinion.

Here is a link to my build up if you're interested:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=75040

Great carrier, you can't go wrong for the money.

Rezarf <><

 

[jmode]

I know a welder, but it looks like a lot of time and effort to make one yourself.. If i was a welder I would do it but I dont want to put someone else to it. The 4 plus looks really heavy duty, i just want to save up for it.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

I got the bumper with tire carrier and I have no complaints. It is alittle costy, but it's a nice unit and it works great.

 

[alumacruiser]

I am running the one with only the tire carrier. The design is good with the bronze bushings and the adjustability for rim backspacing.Definetly built to last.I installed mine in pieces to make it a bit easier on myself.

 

[cruiserjunktion]

Is there a model with the tire on the passenger side?

 

[Poser]

Is there a model with the tire on the passenger side?

Not that I am aware of....

 

[Fman]

I have one and as others have said, it is a great set-up. A very fair price of $850, top quality components and fabrication. You wont be disappointed. If you take the Hi-lift jack off, it will easily fit a 37" spare, possibly even bigger. Man-A-Fre will try and sell you there taillights for a sucker price of $175. You can order them from a trailer shop for about $5-10 each with brackets. I ran the Rubicon this year with it and the lights made it through without any damage, and the carrier never had one bit of problem. I came down on a rock on the passengers side and it did not even come close to damaging anything.