Pro-bolt is the best out of UK. Expensive but can't beat the black titanium or stainless bolts. Only metric sizes. Did black titanium on my hammerbuilt.
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Mabett Raptor Style Tailgate Hinge Reinforcement Kit for Ford Bronco Available Now!
Dang! I didn’t know this item existed. So, of course i missed the intro $399 promo sale! I hope you guys are planning a similar sale for Christmas!
(Also, hopefully the stainless hardware will be replaced with black hardware by then)
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It is much better to measure yourself with and without the bracket and subtract the two. The scale you used has terrible accuracy at such low range. With that said, 5 lbs sounds about right. Aluminum density is 2.7 g/cm^3, 5 lbs is 2268g or 840 cm^3, or roughly 10x10x10cm cube.
Not sure why Mabett (and some of the other aftermarket companies) chose aluminum for the hinges. The Raptor hinges weigh in at that same ballpark, or even slightly less, and I would wager they are stronger (especially in the area that supports the hinge pin). Even our factory OEM hinges are plenty strong...I don't believe anyone with a Bronco on this forum has ever bent a hinge or noticed any flex in the hinge itself. The only reason I went with hinges other than OEM (specifically the Raptor hinges) was to get a flat mounting surface for a reinforcement plate with separate mounting holes (so as not to share the bolts that mount the hinge to the gate with the reinforcement plate mounts). Having separate holes for the plate, especially countersunk holes that limit any side to side movement, is what makes a reinforcement plate setup more structurally sound. With aluminum, to achieve similar strength as steel the manufactured part needs to be larger/thicker than the steel part. I'm not sure about the Mabett piece, but when I tried fitting the RTR hinges I could not get my tailgate lined up with enough gap on the driver side to match the passenger side because the RTR aluminum hinge was so thick that it wouldn't allow the gate to move any farther to the passenger side despite loosening all the adjustment bolts on the pillar. I would have had to cut material away from my tailgate lip to allow movement or notch the RTR hinge...and I didn't want to mess with my tailgate or weaken the RTR hinges. Additionally, the RTR hinges, even with the bolts tight (for some reason they went with bolts instead of pressed pins) had play in them. If Mabett uses pressed pins that will ideally mean less play, but it also means they needed to make the section that the pins are pressed into thick enough to support all the weight and the stress created when using a press on the pins. With the OEM or Raptor hinges, the pins are not going anywhere...and there is zero play. Can anyone with the Mabett setup share if the pins are press fit?
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Can you share a photo of what it looks like with the tire on? I was torn between this reinforcement and one from another brand. Installed the Havoc one today and instantly regretted the way it looks. I'm also coming Cyber Orange with a black Bronco badge, so it'd be a killer preview!Got it mostly installed today, just down to the last couple bolts on the tire carrier. Alignment seems off and I don’t want to force it, so I’ll see if there’s any adjustment that can be done to line those final holes up a bit better. Otherwise so far pleased with the build quality.
Did you ever get it to align? I’ve had the same problem and after trying for 2 hours, managed to strip a bolt.Got it mostly installed today, just down to the last couple bolts on the tire carrier. Alignment seems off and I don’t want to force it, so I’ll see if there’s any adjustment that can be done to line those final holes up a bit better. Otherwise so far pleased with the build quality.
This is a major Fail! Don’t recommend. I kept the upgraded hinges for now.
I never got the final installation of the plate completed, no matter what I tried and despite several attempts (loosening the other bolts, switching the order in which I installed them, etc). Sorry to hear about the stripped bolt, I was trying to avoid that at all cost, especially since the provided components are aluminum. But apart from drilling out the holes in the plate to accomodate the alignment, something I wasn't willing to do, I honestly don't know how to make it work.
I haven't heard anyone claim to have a successful install of this product yet apart from @Mabett so I'm wondering how they were able to get it to work on the demo Bronco they used for the video. I love the other products they offer so I hope that they're able to sort out what's wrong with this first batch.
As for me, I packaged my Mabett reinforcement kit up yesterday and intend to return it this weekend. I originally purchased this kit to solve a variety of noise/vibration issues I've had with my tailgate since I took ownership so I guess it's back to the drawing board to decide what other reinforcement I want to install.
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Sorry, never got that far (see above). Love the look of this product, especially with the black badges. Wish it would have worked out!
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Oh, nuts! I'm sorry you had that experience. Removing the tailgate is a chore, especially when trying to align the hinges.
I've actually grown rather fond of the Havoc tailgate reinforcement, which is a solid assembly rather than a plate screwed into replacement hinges. Installing it was much easier than anticipated.
That actually looks pretty good though it still has the potential issues of the AIG design (steel hinge pins in cast aluminum). Did they change the design? When I go to their website the only Ford Bronco item I am shown is this
https://havocoffroad.com/p/havoc-tailgate-tire-carrier/hpg-45-10001/
Nevermind, it is just their search engine that sucks
https://havocoffroad.com/p/havoc-offroad-hd-tailgate-hinge/v/ford/bronco/2023/
https://havocoffroad.com/p/havoc-tailgate-tire-carrier/hpg-45-10001/
Nevermind, it is just their search engine that sucks
https://havocoffroad.com/p/havoc-offroad-hd-tailgate-hinge/v/ford/bronco/2023/
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Did you have the Sas package, sir?
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I am really sorry for the problem. We are conducting an urgent investigation to figure out the cause.
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