Any consensus on which tailgate reinforcement has performed best?

[Brian_B]

Share some pics!!

Excuse the paw prints. The tailgate still has a bit of alignment I need to adjust. It’s close but you can see just a bit of misalignment on the upper right body line, although I’ll never get it perfect since the tailgate is twisted a bit from before. The painted bolts on the strike plate are wanting to not move - I stripped out one T35 bit on them, so waiting on some stronger impact bits to try to get those loosened up.

I did manage to squeeze the Weathetech mats up around the M2M molle panels - it isn’t perfect but will do for now.

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[SavvyG]

 

[Stickboy88]

Thread title. Hammerbuilt? AGS? RTR? Etc?

went with Hammerbuilt not only is it a better price the quality is excellent. And the customer service is exceptional.

 

[JediMcMuffin]

I wish that some of these solutions had a bolt on shelf of adjustable height that rode above the spare tire but mounted to the swing gate on both sides. Everything I’ve seen bolts on the right side only. The accessory mounts on the right side limit your swing gate to 90 degrees or close to it. What I want is the functionality of the American adventure lab shelf but without strapping it to the spare.

 

[SavvyG]

I wish that some of these solutions had a bolt on shelf of adjustable height that rode above the spare tire but mounted to the swing gate on both sides. Everything I’ve seen bolts on the right side only. The accessory mounts on the right side limit your swing gate to 90 degrees or close to it. What I want is the functionality of the American adventure lab shelf but without strapping it to the spare.

I never thought about an option like that and I really like your idea!

 

[Gluestick]

Alright. I’m back into looking for solutions. My hammerbuilt bracket looks fine but I’m definitely hearing squeaks on the inside that I trace back to the tire carrier. I’ve got a Sasquatch, stock 315 tires, using a platform with two packout boxes on each side and light load on top. I may go to 35s-37s in the future but even now I’m looking to upgrade from the hammerbuilt steel reinforcement bracket to something that upgrades the entire back.

looks like the two front runners would be RTR and Turn Offroad. Price differences aside, is one superior by function to the other? (I know looks are subjective). Is there something else I should consider?

 

[Gluestick]

went with Hammerbuilt not only is it a better price the quality is excellent. And the customer service is exceptional.

I have the HB. Not sure about customer service, it’s fine but nothing to write home about. I ordered their range limiting gas strut and the plastic mandolin fitting that attaches to the tailgate broke in half after just a few months, while I was in a parking lot minutes away from a Bronco in the smokies event in the fall. Never got that resolved, went back to OEM and a different limiter solution.

I got squeaks with the HB after the last two trips with gear on the OEM 315 Sasquatch tire and AAL spare tire platform. I kept believing it was something inside in the back, but I’ve eliminated every possibility there. I’m back on the hunt for something beefier.

 

[Fade5G]

went with Hammerbuilt not only is it a better price the quality is excellent. And the customer service is exceptional.

I disagree. Hammerbuilt’s customer service is completely unsatisfactory.

Ordered a tailgate reinforcement and accessory bracket. Never received the bolts to mount the accessory bracket.
First email to customer service - no response.
2nd email to customer service - I got a response and below is how they shipped the bolts. Not surprised that they didn’t make it.
3rd email - no response and no follow-up.

 

[Ninjak]

Alright. I’m back into looking for solutions. My hammerbuilt bracket looks fine but I’m definitely hearing squeaks on the inside that I trace back to the tire carrier. I’ve got a Sasquatch, stock 315 tires, using a platform with two packout boxes on each side and light load on top. I may go to 35s-37s in the future but even now I’m looking to upgrade from the hammerbuilt steel reinforcement bracket to something that upgrades the entire back.

looks like the two front runners would be RTR and Turn Offroad. Price differences aside, is one superior by function to the other? (I know looks are subjective). Is there something else I should consider?

Well, I have the combo of DV8 and TOR for my carrier. It works very well for my 37. I have the TOR camera and tire mount because my OEM carrier was damaged and had the camera mount missing while it was at my dealership. Of course, nobody knows what happened. I have no squeaks or rattles with this system and it is very robust. The DV8 spreads the load on the tailgate, by mounting to various points, and has backings to reinforce these mounts. Also they connect to the hinge but on the outer edge, and with the reinforcement on the inner. With the spread and reinforcement, it makes the entire system stronger. I have backed into an obstacle, my rear sensors were off, and this carrier setup did not move. Not one bit. As I said, it's very robust.

I will state this. With the DV8, you can mount a high jack with no problem. For a roto can, you can get an adaptable panel, and it can be mounted on the guard in several places. ame for traction boards. As for a jerry can, I have not figured that one out yet, especially with how the guard can open. I would think it would need to go on the length of the guard and be mounted sideways. DV8 has stated they will have mounts for their carrier, but I have not seen anything as of yet.

The TOR and RTR replace the hinges, which adds to the strength. Smitty Built also does this. Lastly, BroncBuster has new hinge replacements as well, which strengthen the tailgate.

So I guess it comes down to what you want to mount, and how much you want to pay. The RTR was my first choice, but I was looking at the price and it gave me pause. I also really looked at carrying a jerry can, (The reason I wanted it) and thought well hmm....as my bud told me, "yeah how often have we run out of gas??"

I did not like the way the Smitty Built was done, well I guess I did not like the big yellow logo...also I wanted to see my Bronco symbol.

TOR was very close. Actually, one of the reasons I did not get the TOR, is because I did not have a reliable helper, and I knew, with my luck, realigning the tailgate by myself may prove to be an issue. the second was a received a sizable discount from DV8.

So the DV8 it was. Now, the discount helped, but even before that, I had seen the DV8 and thought, "How unique is that" before. Though at the time, I thought it was just a tire guard. I did not know it was an entire system until I started to do my research on the matter. I like the DV8 functionality and its strength. I doubt anyone would try to steal my rear tire, but with the guard, it's just one more deterrent in the way since I can lock it.

So, this was a lot longer than I planned, but it's my opinion on the matter. I think with the ones I mentioned, you cannot go wrong, especially if you want to carry a bigger tire. It comes down to cost aesthetics, and functionality.

 

[NoloBronco]

Is replacing the hinges necessary? Although I believe Turn is a much better product, I do not need to lift my Bronco with a fork lift (pretty sweet though). Just wondering if the extra $$$$ is worth it in the long run?

 

[Brian_B]

Is replacing the hinges necessary?

Not really - the stock hinges aren’t bad at all. Most reinforcements are just cross braces for them after all.

Comes down to what you want to do and how confident you are in it

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