- 1). Unlock and lift the rear hatch and leave it open. Raise the cover over the cargo area in the floor of the hatch and remove the tire jack.
- 2). Place the removable tire jack handle into the nut located in the position of the now removed jack. Steadily rotate the handle to lower the spare tire from the underside of the Jeep. Set the spare tire, jack and handle aside.
- 3). Lie on your back and look under the rear bumper to locate the plastic clips holding the bumper to the frame. Carefully pry the clips up using a flat head screwdriver. Do not put too much pressure at once or you risk breaking them. Set the clips aside for use when reattaching the bumper.
- 4). Remove the bumper by lifting slightly and sliding straight off. This is best done with two people, one on each side, and removing it slowly and squarely to avoid damaging it. Place the bumper somewhere safe for later re-installation.
- 5). Find the four mounting holes in the bumper support bar. They are drilled into the bar so that they face the front and rear of the vehicle. Make sure that these holes are not damaged or filled with any sort of debris.
- 6). Raise the new hitch assembly so that the holes in the support bar line up with the hitch holes. Fit washers onto the bolts packaged with the hitch and slip them through the holes so that the bolt head is facing the front of the Jeep. Place nuts over the other end of the bolt and tighten them down securely with a socket wrench.
- 7). Place the bumper back over the support bar by carefully sliding it back on and lowering it. Replace the clips, and adjust the position of the bumper as needed to get the clips back into their original locations.
- 8). Lift the spare tire back under the car and tighten the nut back down inside the cargo area to hold it firmly in place. Replace the tire jack and handle and close the cargo cover and the rear hatch
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