Is Tailgate Reinforcement Needed?

[Burt]

For security issues I added the Teraflex spare tire mount, after I went to 35” tires, wheel plus tire is 91 lbs. I do go off road several days a week and wanted a little extra insurance.

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[Fonzilla85]

I’m just a weekend warrior, but I’d say having tailgate reinforcement adds peace of mind. My tire wheel combo is pretty heavy, so I decided to go for it.

 

[eck]

For security issues I added the Teraflex spare tire mount, after I went to 35” tires, wheel plus tire is 91 lbs. I do go off road several days a week and wanted a little extra insurance.

I installed the Teraflex mount last week, I think it's a great upgrade. The instructions claim it supports 100 lbs without reinforcement and I believe it easily. Since the depth is adjustable you can get the spare in very close to the body, keeping the center of gravity near and thus reducing the torque on the tailgate.

 

[NPE102414]

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.

A million people will tell you that you won’t have any issues and you may not in the short term. But you’re talking about a 130 lbs tire/wheel combo mounted to a tailgate that was only designed to carry 90 lbs max. If you’re mostly street driving on smooth roads you might not have a problem. But if you’re wheelin a lot then you will eventually stress out your tailgate. It’s common sense, the factory set up puts the full weight of the tire/wheel combo on the tailgate alone. That tailgate is a ridiculously light aluminum/magnesium mix and is only attached to the hinges by four 10 mm bolts. People can say you won’t have a problem till the end of time, but it’s common sense that you will eventually have issues.

 

[Cody6597]

A million people will tell you that you won’t have any issues and you may not in the short term. But you’re talking about a 130 lbs tire/wheel combo mounted to a tailgate that was only designed to carry 90 lbs max. If you’re mostly street driving on smooth roads you might not have a problem. But if you’re wheelin a lot then you will eventually stress out your tailgate. It’s common sense, the factory set up puts the full weight of the tire/wheel combo on the tailgate alone. That tailgate is a ridiculously light aluminum/magnesium mix and is only attached to the hinges by four 10 mm bolts. People can say you won’t have a problem till the end of time, but it’s common sense that you will eventually have issues.

I agree. I guess I was just trying to get off cheap. I went ahead and installed the Roam slimline bumper with tire carrier.

 

[D60]

We put on a Motobilt carrier...it's very similar to the EVO. Fits really well. Wasn't really fond of their brake light/license plate solution, so didn't implement it. Will probably remake the bracket to some other config. For now, the brake light's just zip tied in there.

I went with it over a bumper mount b/c I want to make the rear bumper pretty minimalistic and that negated making something large enough to mount a larger bearing pivot, so it had to go on the body.

That said, coming off a steep ledge or going up a big waterfall will require either tire removal, or being extremely careful with line selection with a body mounted spare. You catch the bottom of that tire and lever it against the body and you're going to wish you'd gone bumper mount.

Already did that on a big drop on Poison Spider LOL.

But like you I'm going minimal bumper. It looks possible to me to just work a receiver tube in directly BETWEEN the framerails, then I'm just gonna do some Rusty's-esque curved flat bar tub protection. Damnit now I want a slip roll...

I'll build a little "skid" under the spare in the receiver to hopefully mitigate future hits to the spare.

 

[maxjlu]

I agree. I guess I was just trying to get off cheap. I went ahead and installed the Roam slimline bumper with tire carrier.

Any pics of the tire carrier bumper? How's the install? Really like the design. Great choice!

 

[FitBliss]

When I first did my 35's with Rhino wheels I was didn't feel the need to get a new setup, the weight just wasn't enough and the Mopar reinforcement is a joke to me. Then when I got my new 27's with beadlocks I was like holy crap I NEED A NEW System!!! I ended up doing the reinforcement when I had the 35's setup and it was honestly over kill. But with my new wheels and tires and an adventure folding table all mounted to the rear gate I am super happy with my combination of the Teraflex Alpha Tire carrier & Rugged Ridge tire carrier setup. The rugged changes the hinges which in my opinion is the only real change that makes a difference, silly Mopar . I like the quick detachment of the teraflex for if I actually need the spare you just pull the release and remove the taillight. The setup is so sturdy I can hang from it all day. It is allot of money and the combination was an effort to get around my rhino wheels not having any holes to run the brake light through, but with my new Wheels that have openings I am still glad I put these two kits together! I like not having the brake light in the way when I look back and how the entire spare sits allot higher, clearing the rear bumper and any thing I might hit on the trails, also with the ability to adjust it, I can mount the wheel flush as possible to the back door.

 

[Onward4x4]

I agree. I guess I was just trying to get off cheap. I went ahead and installed the Roam slimline bumper with tire carrier.

I just installed the Roam slimline rear bumper with tire carrier as well. I have some questions about the tension rod--can I trouble you for some pictures of yours and how you did it? Also, it the opening and closing suppose to be stiff? TIA

 

[John Galt]

I plan to stay stock with the 285/70/17 BFG KO2s. I was thinking of mounting 2x2 gallon Rotopax to the spare tire, by my calculation 24 pounds for the fuel + probably 4-5 pounds for the Rotopax setup, wheel/tire combo should be around 73 pounds. Grand total around 100 pounds. The fuel would only be an occasional add on for longer trips, I do no rock crawling, but some bad roads and muddy tracks are certainly planned. What do you think? Is it worth reinforcing the tailgate, and if so with what system? Many thanks for your input.

 

[FitBliss]

I plan to stay stock with the 285/70/17 BFG KO2s. I was thinking of mounting 2x2 gallon Rotopax to the spare tire, by my calculation 24 pounds for the fuel + probably 4-5 pounds for the Rotopax setup, wheel/tire combo should be around 73 pounds. Grand total around 100 pounds. The fuel would only be an occasional add on for longer trips, I do no rock crawling, but some bad roads and muddy tracks are certainly planned. What do you think? Is it worth reinforcing the tailgate, and if so with what system? Many thanks for your input.

I think you should be good without doing any reinforcements, I do not think that is enough to make it flex.

 

[maxjlu]

I just installed the Roam slimline rear bumper with tire carrier as well. I have some questions about the tension rod--can I trouble you for some pictures of yours and how you did it? Also, it the opening and closing suppose to be stiff? TIA

This installation video helped me with my tire carrier.

 

[Onward4x4]

This installation video helped me with my tire carrier.

Thanks!! I just watched it and it is very helpful!!!

 

[Onward4x4]

I plan to stay stock with the 285/70/17 BFG KO2s. I was thinking of mounting 2x2 gallon Rotopax to the spare tire, by my calculation 24 pounds for the fuel + probably 4-5 pounds for the Rotopax setup, wheel/tire combo should be around 73 pounds. Grand total around 100 pounds. The fuel would only be an occasional add on for longer trips, I do no rock crawling, but some bad roads and muddy tracks are certainly planned. What do you think? Is it worth reinforcing the tailgate, and if so with what system? Many thanks for your input.

Just for anFYI-if you need a reinforcement, I have the Mopar tail gate reinforcement for sale DM if you are interested.

 

[John Galt]

Just for anFYI-if you need a reinforcement, I have the Mopar tail gate reinforcement for sale DM if you are interested.

Just curious, do you know by how much it increases the permissible load?

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