Every once in a while a product catches my attention that is so unique I just can’t help but try to review it. The Excessive Industries Gatekeeper is one of those.
What is it?
In simplest terms, it is a tire carrier. It’s a tire carrier that can mount up to a 40-inch tire inside your Jeep. They make one for TJ’s, and 2 and 4 door JK models.
Why put your spare in your Jeep?
Let’s be honest, a 37-inch tire hanging off the back of a Jeep eats up a lot of space. It adds undue stress to any kind of tire carrier that has to move, it becomes an impediment on the trails, and having all of that weight past the rear axle reduces stability.
Moving the tire inside and over the axle eliminates all of that. Well, everything except the tire taking up a bunch of space.
You can see in the pictures the space that’s left. One thing to consider is that the carrier and the tire are load bearing and can have a ton of things mounted to them, around them, and under them. Making space that was normally wasted useable. It is a trade off, but one we have found easy to live with.
Advantages over a rear tire carrier.
There are zero moving parts. That means there are no rattles to deal with, no parts to replace and maintain, and a small child can open the tail gate.
Weight distribution is improved resulting in improved traction, front to rear weight bias, and handling is improved.
Disadvantages versus a rear tire carrier.
It takes up interior space. Seriously that’s it. It’s even easier to load your spare onto the carrier since you can rest it on the bumper and maneuver it in. We really dig the entire setup.
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Can it be mounted on top of the hard top ? Or does it have to be mounted underneath???
It can be mounted over. Eventually that’s how I mounted mine so I could run the TeraFlex Nebo roof rack.