Is Tailgate Reinforcement Needed?

[Cody6597]

Hi All. Picking up 38" Pats and hearing they are pretty light. My total wheel weight is 35 lbs and Discount Tire has the Pats at 83 from what I am seeing. I know the set up will fit with OEM steel bumper with my RC relocation but is 118 weight too much for the tailgate?

Thanks.

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[NTX Black Moab]

I just got 37 RG installed last week. Using the Smittybilt TC relocation kit. Have not had any issues. In talking with a few people BEFORE I went this route, a few went months (including quite a few off-road trips) with just what we have. No issues. Long term, many went with a dedicated TC as will I.

 

[IndustrialAction]

I have a 35 on my tailgate with a factory installed reinforcement kit and the relocation kit (self installed) and I'm swapping it to the RR Spartacus hinge replacement and the Teraflex Alpha carrier because I don't feel like the stock hinges can handle the stress and my back-up sensors are useless. The tailgate creaks like mad and swings out really hard. Especially if you're at any kind of an angle. Hoping the hinge replacement kit will improve things and take the load off the gate itself

 

[D60]

I dunno ....you'll get equal opinions both ways. I've got a 38" Pat on mine with Redrock reinforcement (doesn't do anything for the hinges)

You'll just have to decide for yourself and "try it" -- whatever you decide

 

[NTX Black Moab]

a lot of the apprehension is from former JK owners. The JK could definitely not handle 37+ without help. The JL tailgate is newly designed. In the owners manual it states what it is capable of (which is likely well below what it is really capable of thanks to lawyers intervening).

 

[EDH_JL]

a lot of the apprehension is from former JK owners. The JK could definitely not handle 37+ without help. The JL tailgate is newly designed. In the owners manual it states what it is capable of (which is likely well below what it is really capable of thanks to lawyers intervening).

Manual says not to exceed a gross weight of 85lbs including the weight of the wheel and tire.

 

[Spank]

The JL gate is phenomenally stronger than the JK, but the problem is that the tire carrier still relies entirely on the gate to carry the weight of the spare. Even though Jeep strengthened both the gate and the hinges on the JL, they should've made the hinge and tire carrier mount a single unit so that that weight goes to the tub instead of hanging off the gate.

The reinforcement bracket from Mopar doesn't make the gate stronger nor move such reliance off the gate itself. I've argued since the day it was released that it's essentially a useless (and expensive) product. EVO's aftermarket tire carrier gets it right as the hinge and tire carrier mount are one single piece and the gate is merely attached to it. Unfortunately, the product isn't without its flaws as it requires a lot of fine-tuning to keep the gate aligned with the body lines.

I ran 35s on the stock carrier with the RC relocation bracket just to clear the bumper and didn't have any issues. When I went to 37s, my hinges started to rattle a little and that's when I decided to get the EVO carrier.

The solution isn't to reinforce the tailgate, but to replace the tire carrier entirely and get a product that sends the weight solely to the tub.

 

[jonpratt23]

I ran 35 Nittos with the RC relocation bracket for about 10k miles. While the tailgate felt strong and capable when I went over bumps or wheeling the tire would rattle on the tailgate. I researched a ton on this same topic. I just upgraded to 37s and felt I needed to do something. I finally broke down and bought the Rugged Ridge Spartacus kit that includes the mount. I didnt like how the RC positioned the tire so far away from the tailgate. I had to get extended bumpers for it. With the new setup the tire is brought in close to the tailgate. So far it does not rattle or shake like before. I am very happy with it.

 

[word302]

The reality is ANY tailgate will eventually wear out when you cantilever weight off of it. Adding more weight will just speed up the process. I would never run that much weight without a bumper/frame-mounted tire carrier. It absolutely will eventually sag.

 

[jawest12]

I have 35's. Roughly 100 LBs, which should have been within the 85lbs plus spare weight. Did not originally do tailgate reinforcement. It ended up warping my tailgate, and it started making a horrible rattle noise. Added reinforcement and adjusted. No noise, although it shuts a little tighter than necessary to accommodate the warping.

 

[word302]

I have 35's. Roughly 100 LBs, which should have been within the 85lbs plus spare weight. Did not originally do tailgate reinforcement. It ended up warping my tailgate, and it started making a horrible rattle noise. Added reinforcement and adjusted. No noise, although it shuts a little tighter than necessary to accommodate the warping.

I believe it's 85lbs INCLUDING the spare.

 

[jawest12]

I believe it's 85lbs INCLUDING the spare.

You are correct sir.

 

[Rustydog]

Lets say damage does happen to the tailgate and or hinge. How big of a deal is it to get at the hinge assy. under the sheet metal to repair?

 

[Carlton]

Way too heavy for the stock tailgate.

 

[jlroman2]

I was running the RC relocation bracket with my 35” Nitto but will hear constant rattles when going over bumps. I installed the EVO tore carrier this past weekend and couldn’t be happier. Noise is gone and feels really sturdy.

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