Must-Have Accessories for SUVs With Barn Doors and Rear-Mounted Tires

The Ineos Grenadier, Land Rover Defender, Ford Bronco, and Jeep Wrangler are some of the most versatile SUVs for adventure seekers and off-road enthusiasts. These vehicles stand out for their rugged design, including barn doors and full size rear-mounted spare tires, crafted to handle tough terrain. However, accessorizing them comes with its own set of challenges.

From understanding barn door hinge weight limits to navigating the complications of modular roofs, finding suitable and safe accessory solutions is crucial for enhancing your SUV’s functionality without compromising performance. This guide will walk you through the key challenges and offer practical accessory tips, with an emphasis on why hitch-mounted racks might be the perfect choice.

The Limits of Barn Door Hinges and Rear-Mounted Tires

Barn doors on SUVs provide exceptional accessibility for loading and unloading cargo. However, they're not designed to bear excessive weight from accessories. Overloading the hinges can compromise their alignment, leading to sagging doors and difficulty with opening and closing the barn door. This problem becomes especially problematic during off-road driving, where the forces of dynamic weight shifts put even more strain on the hinges compared to static weight.

Barn Door Hinge Weight Tolerances

We consulted directly with manufactures to learn that each SUV model has specific weight limits on its barn door hinges, which you should never exceed.  Many of these figures are lower than we expected but after factoring in the weight of the door and the spare tire there is typically not a lot of excess weight capacity tolerance for other gear in the door hinge specs.

• Ineos Grenadier: 10 lbs of accessory weight tolerance for the main barn door.

• Land Rover Defender: Handles a slightly higher limit of 18 lbs.

• Ford Bronco: Offers the most hinge tolerance at 35 lbs.

• Jeep Wrangler: Similar to the Grenadier, it supports 10 lbs of accessory weight.

Exceeding these limits, even by a small amount, can cause significant damage over time. Dynamic weight stress, caused by moving or off-road conditions, amplifies stress on the hinges. For instance, the Ineos Grenadier’s side ladder door can handle up to 300 lbs of static weight, but once in motion, the tolerance plummets to just 70 lbs.

The Risks of Overloading

Ignoring these weight tolerances results in more than inconvenience—it can lead to costly repairs or safety hazards. Misaligned barn doors affect the structural integrity of the vehicle and can fail to seal properly, exposing the cargo area to water intrusion, dust, and debris.

Why Roof-Mounted Accessories Are a Challenge

While roof-mounted accessories seem like a logical space-saving solution, SUVs like the Bronco and Wrangler have limitations that make their roofs less practical for carrying gear. Here are the key reasons why:

1. Modular Roof Design

Modular roofs, a feature on both the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco, allow for open-air driving. But as a trade-off, these removable panels aren't engineered to support heavy equipment like bike racks or roof boxes. Attempting to mount accessories on these roofs risks damaging the panels and their locking mechanisms.

2. Height Restrictions

Most SUVs in this category have a height clearance over 7 feet, making it tough to load or unload gear placed on the roof. Imagine the hassle of hoisting heavy bikes or skis onto a roof rack without extra equipment like step stools or ladders—especially in rugged terrain or in ski boots.

3. Fuel Efficiency Concerns

Roof-mounted racks create significant wind resistance, reducing your SUV’s miles per gallon. Over the course of a year, the added aerodynamic drag could cost you anywhere between $150 and $750, depending on your roof mounted accessory and driving habits.

Because of these issues, roof-mounted accessories aren’t the most practical solution for SUVs like these.

Hitch-Mounted Accessories — The Perfect Solution

When considering the best way to store or transport gear on SUVs with barn doors and rear-mounted tires, hitch-mounted racks stand out as the clear winner. These racks attach directly to the vehicle frame, providing a strong and stable platform for carrying bikes, skis, or extra cargo.

Benefits of Hitch-Mounted Racks

1. Stable Weight Support

Unlike hinges bolted to paper thin body panels or plastic roof panels, the hitch receiver is designed to handle extra weight of towing large loads without stress or strain by supporting the load directly on the vehicle’s frame. This makes it a reliable solution even for dynamic weight conditions, whether you're driving on a highway or tackling rocky trails.

2. Ease of Access

Hitch-mounted racks keep gear within arm’s reach, making them far easier to load and unload than roof-mounted options. Skiers packing for the slopes or mountain bikers heading to the trail won’t need step stools—everything stays at ground level.

3. Safe Weight Distribution

Placing gear on a hitch-mounted rack keeps the weight low and centralized. This is particularly important for tall SUVs, as it reduces the risk of rollover accidents caused by a high center of gravity—often a concern when stacking equipment on the roof.

4. Barn Door Compatibility

Some hitch-mounted racks are designed with barn doors in mind. Swing-away or tilt-away models allow you to access the rear cargo area without removing the rack or your equipment. This compatibility ensures you get the convenience of barn doors alongside the reliability of a hitch-mounted system.

5.  Easy to Remove

Unlike roof mounted accessories, hitch mounted racks are very easy to remove.  All that is required is removing the hitch pin and pulling the rack out of the hitch receiver.  Removing racks in the off season helps improve fuel efficiency and shorten the profile of your SUV making parking easier.

Popular Hitch-Mounted Accessories

When choosing hitch-mounted gear, think about your needs and adventures. Here are a few great options to consider:

Bike Racks

• Look for tilt-away bike racks that can carry multiple bikes.

• Consider anti-sway features to keep the bikes stable, even on bumpy trails.
• We like Kuat, 1Up and RockyMounts, in order to access the trunk adding swing away arm is necessary.  If trunk access is not required, you can often just add an extender to your hitch.

Ski and Snowboard Racks

• Opt for racks with flexible fitment allowing the rack to avoid blocking the back up camera.

• Swing-away and tilting designs make it easy to load and retrieve items without fuss and minimize the footprint behind the SUV when open.
• We very much like the Gravirax for Wranglers, Grenadiers and Defenders and Broncos.  Bronco owners may need to add an extender to ensure trunk access when the rack is tilted down, but Wrangler, Grenadier and Defender owners will not need to add an extender or swing away arm to access the trunk.  Additionally, the Gravirax won’t block the backup camera because it sits off-center. 

Tips for Choosing the Best SUV Accessories

1. Check Compatibility

Ensure your chosen accessories are rated for your vehicle’s specific hitch size and weight capacities.

2. Prioritize Heavy Duty Materials

Striking the best balance of cost, strength and long-term durability steel is the real deal.  We powder coat every part to make sure it will withstand use on corrosive winter roads. Aluminum and plastic might not be strong enough to handle the conditions you demand of a burly SUV.  Plastics tend to become brittle and break below their glass transition temperature which for many plastics is around -4F. Aluminum often lacks the strength expected on off road adventures and will show signs of sagging and stretching critical mounting locations when subjected to automotive vibrations.

3. Consider Your Travel Needs

Tailor your accessories to your lifestyle—whether that means bike racks for trails, ski racks for winter getaways, or cargo storage for road trips.

4. Follow Manufacturer Instructions

Always adhere to both your SUV manufacturer’s and the accessory company’s guidelines for safe installation and use.

Final Thoughts

Customizing SUVs with barn doors and rear-mounted tires—like the Ineos Grenadier, Land Rover Defender, Ford Bronco, and Jeep Wrangler—requires careful planning to avoid damaging your vehicle or cutting into its efficiency. With their design limitations in mind, hitch-mounted accessories emerge as the most practical, safe, and efficient solution.

From biking to skiing, cargo hauling to towing, hitch mounted systems ensure your adventures are seamless and worry-free. By choosing the right accessories and treating your vehicle with care, you’ll unlock its full potential for both daily use and extraordinary escapades.