Web Development on a Stick
Cooler Rack
I wanted a place to carry a cooler and water jug for trail runs, but Jamboree rack designed for the Cross bumper prevents the spare tire from opening when the rack is installed.
It also sits on top of the tire, stealing what little rear visibility you have left. I needed a rack that would allow the tire to open for getting kids in and out, and also to access the little storage spot behind the seat. Seeing an aftermarket backup light that mounted on a little receiver setup in the middle of the spare tire led to the following design.
A short section of receiver tubing is welded to the spare tire mount, centered so the spare tire will slip over it.
For the rack, I welded up a tray sized to fit our cooler and a water jug. The tray is welded to a 2” tube that plugs into the receiver and gets secured with a standard hitch pin. A set screw threads in the top to minimize any slop.
Large nuts welded to the outer angle iron give the tie down strap places to hook to:
The Cross tire carrier mounts the tire pretty high - so keeping all of this behind the tire will help preserve the little rear visibility we have left.
I thought it might be nice to have something other than cold sandwiches on trail runs, so underneath the cooler I mounted a Coleman camp stove. It’s hung by 3/4” tubing and mounted on heavy duty drawer slides.
To keep the stove secured under the rack when not in use, I cobbled together this latch:
It uses a magnet for a safety catch, then a bolt sticking out of the stove passes through a hole in the frame, which gets secured with a small clip. I wired the clip and the plastic bushing to the frame so I wouldn’t lose them on the trail.
The spigot-type water jug seems handier than the jerrycan type, as we can just turn the spout to fill or rinse pots:
Or get drinks..
So far the rack hasn’t added any squeaks or rattles - although I do put some rags around the fuel cylinder for the Coleman stove when it’s stowed inside the stove. Everything seems to cool down quickly once turned off. Now I just need to figure out where to carry the pots and pans…
June 20, 2003
Hi Mike I have been checking your writeups you have a very nice cj 5 . I like the wheels, nice retro look. I like that. You put together a nice rack, I’ve been thinking of making one myself. I like the coleman stove idea, some fresh coffee would be good. -Bob
June 20, 2003
Thanks Bob! The drawer slides I used were used in file cabinets - I bet you can almost find a used file cabinet to get the slides out cheaper than buying them new.
September 01, 2003
Wow, I helped my buddy make a bumper and gates for his Blazer, but we didn’t put a stove on there… got me thinking.
November 13, 2003
Very nice Mike, i am going to copy your rack for my 68 CJ-5, George.
July 29, 2004
Update - I figured out where to carry the pots and pans. Just needed a bigger Jeep!