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Is Tailgate Reinforcement Needed?

Tharris

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You shouldn’t see immediate issues, but having that weight on there bouncing around in the long run will have its effect. If you rock crawl at all then I’d highly advise against putting that tire on the back without a proper tire carrier. The first rock that tire touches will not leave you with happy memories. If you’re going to buy a reinforcement bracket just spend a little more and protect your expensive toy.
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Midwestguy

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Incredibly bad idea not to use reinforcement. Simple physics. JUST the standoff of the 38 compared to say a 35’ (what i have) is leveraged against that flimsy tailgate = No Bueno. I have the mopar reinforcement kit with RC relocation and still think its mickey mouse. Seriously.
 

zmanz28

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Incredibly bad idea not to use reinforcement. Simple physics. JUST the standoff of the 38 compared to say a 35’ (what i have) is leveraged against that flimsy tailgate = No Bueno. I have the mopar reinforcement kit with RC relocation and still think its mickey mouse. Seriously.

I'd love to see your set up. I live in Big lake and work is the Cities.
 

jlroman2

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I am still confused as to how those brackets that simply bolt on to the tailgate and not through the hinges or body provide any additional reinforcement. Doesn't it simply add more weight to the tailgate, or what am I missing here?
 

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eck

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I am still confused as to how those brackets that simply bolt on to the tailgate and not through the hinges or body provide any additional reinforcement. Doesn't it simply add more weight to the tailgate, or what am I missing here?
The only thing I can come up with is that they've determined the existing hinges are plenty strong enough as-is (we'll see in time...), and the reinforcement is only to stiffen up the main body of the tailgate so the panel itself doesn't flex.
 

Midwestguy

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It adds lateral reinforcement so the weight that is attached to it doesn't buckle. Its a ridiculous way to spend (far too) much of your money on something that only keeps your warranty intact. Pisses me off actually but thats the silly rules of the mopar game....and Im a gamer - LOL.

If you want a truely heavy duty set up, run a bumper mounted spare.
 

4xFUN

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I ordered the hinge gate reinforcement as an option on my JLR (plan on keeping stock wheels and upgrade to 315/70R17 KO2's) which is now in 'JB' status...I also just noticed a price reduction of my saved online build, a quick review showed the reason was this option had been auto-deleted and no longer listed on Jeeps build & price site. My official build sheet does list the hinge gate reinforcement but lists it as a 'Mopar' option. Hopefully this does not mean my JLR will linger in 'JB' status indefinitely...
 

gpurp

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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.
What fine tuning are you referring to? My EVO carrier lined up perfectly. I used one shim for my 35" tire per their recommendation.
 

HuckleMonster

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I believe the lite bright guys had a video where they had 38 Patagonia and bead lock on the tailgate with no additional support They showed that after putting a bunch of miles on the jeep, they had little if no sag on the tail gate. And they wheel pretty hard.
 
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word302

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It adds lateral reinforcement so the weight that is attached to it doesn't buckle. Its a ridiculous way to spend (far too) much of your money on something that only keeps your warranty intact. Pisses me off actually but thats the silly rules of the mopar game....and Im a gamer - LOL.

If you want a truely heavy duty set up, run a bumper mounted spare.
It's not like adding an aftermarket bumper/tire carrier would void any part of your warranty anyway.
 

word302

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I believe the lite bright guys had a video where they had 38 Patagonia and bead lock on the tailgate with no additional support They showed that after putting a bunch of miles on the jeep, they had little if no sag on the tail gate. And they wheel pretty hard.
Well sure but the oldest JL is what, 18 months old? Give it time. Also the most wear will happen with the gate open or while opening/closing. Wheeling hard isn't necessarily going to put a ton more stress on it as it's supported at both ends when it's closed. It's the cantilevered weight that I'd be worried about.
 

Jeep’n Jay

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I put the RC relocation on mine to haul 35's. Been offroading and rock crawling several times. Haven't had any issues.....knock on wood.
 

jlroman2

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It's not like adding an aftermarket bumper/tire carrier would void any part of your warranty anyway.
Well.... my camera stopped working after I installed mine and guess what? They won’t fix it because I have an aftermarket tire carrier :clap:
 

SecondTJ

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JK spare tire gate was also rated at 85 lbs. I’m surprised they didn’t improve it on JL.

A 100-lb rating would’ve been nice to give some leeway, especially since they started advertising on Rubicon that “35s will fit w/o a lift”.
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