OEM wheel carrier strength

[yogi]

Was looking at the rear wheel carrier on my '91 HDJ81 today (yes it was a slow day) and I got to wondering just how sturdy it is, the anchor points on the swivel sides seem solid, but I'm not that convinced by the latching mechanism.

Am I just worrying over nothing, or Is it a potential weak point?

 

[Bat21]

My HDJ81 with spare wheel carrier has done 3 trips to Morocco now... the corrugations don't seem to have taken their toll on it so far.

 

[Wandering Aengus]

I've seen a couple of latches fail and a lot of carriers squeaking after a few years on bad roads in Africa. To be honest i'm just impressed that ALL the carriers i've seen haven't been squeaking after a few years on bad roads in Africa, much stronger system than the 70 series anyway.