Mabett Raptor Style Tailgate Hinge Reinforcement Kit for Ford Bronco Available Now!

[GroovyGeek]

Attempted to install the Mabett tailgate reinforcement on a non-SAS BD today. Ran into the exact same problem as reported for the SAS folks - the new brace would not align to all mounting points. I could either get it to line up to the four bolts on the hinges or the four bolts on the spare tire mount but not both. Spent two hours futzing with it, no dice. At the end I gave up, packed it up and sent back to Amazon.

I had sent some DMs to Mabett asking for advice but it is night in Taiwan and he probably won't get to them till after the weekend.

My best guess is that the tolerance stackups on the product are not correctly calculated, and the hole diameters for the screws are not sufficiently large to capture the variability of the two floating plates in the tailgate and the four floating plates in the tire carrier. Was also surprised to find countersunk screws for the tire carrier but no matching countersubk holes on the brace. These are behind the tire and not visible, but it does show some lack of attention to detail.

This could be some type of user error so I will not be leaving a review on Amazon, but from the pics below you can see that the tailgate was reasonably well aligned and yet the holes did not line up.

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So basically they don't fit Sas or non-Sas models. Too bad as it had potential.

 

[GroovyGeek]

So basically they don't fit Sas or non-Sas models. Too bad as it had potential.

It is possible that it is klutzy hands on my part. People have reported successfully installing these on non-SAS Broncos.

 

[edernest]

It is possible that it is klutzy hands on my part. People have reported successfully installing these on non-SAS Broncos.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I was one of the early adopters that attempted install on a SAS Bronco without success and kind of hoped this problem was limited to my particular trim somehow, but seems to be a wider issue. I personally haven't heard about any successful installs apart from (presumably) Mabett based on product photos and install video.

On mine, I thought for a moment about widening the holes a bit since maybe even just 1/8 to 1/4 inch or so could have allowed the bolts to grab thread, but since my primary goal was to stablize the tailgate and a larger hole would result in more potential movement, I decided against it and ultimately returned the product.

It seems like a quality product so I'm kind of rooting for them to figure out this design flaw. As for me I'm likely going to place an order for Hammerbuilt's reinforcement kit in the near future, which was my plan prior to this one getting released.

 

[GroovyGeek]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I was one of the early adopters that attempted install on a SAS Bronco without success and kind of hoped this problem was limited to my particular trim somehow, but seems to be a wider issue. I personally haven't heard about any successful installs apart from (presumably) Mabett based on product photos and install video.

On mine, I thought for a moment about widening the holes a bit since maybe even just 1/8 to 1/4 inch or so could have allowed the bolts to grab thread, but since my primary goal was to stablize the tailgate and a larger hole would result in more potential movement, I decided against it and ultimately returned the product.

It seems like a quality product so I'm kind of rooting for them to figure out this design flaw. As for me I'm likely going to place an order for Hammerbuilt's reinforcement kit in the near future, which was my plan prior to this one getting released.

Not sure there is a solution to this problem without larger holes. The top and bottom nut plates in the tailgate float independently. Unless they are in very specific relative orientation this problem will persist. A skilled installer can probably get it to work but the average overly ambitious Joe (aka me) will struggle.

I am not an ME but I am wondering if the countersunk screws can be used to stabilize the tailgate with larger hole diameter. This will allow the screw to thread in straight and and the very end the forces on the various holes can balance out. For the last 2mm or so in.

 

[drtinphx]

Ok I was able to successfully install one of these today on my 23 Non-Sasquatch Badlands. I would not say it was smooth, I am not exactly mechanically inclined, so it may be easier for others. I was not able to follow the instructions as in the Mabett install video from start to finish. Like most I was good up until I got to the point of bolting on the reinforcement plate. I was able to get the four on the carrier started (they were slightly out of alignment) and the two on the top hinge but the bottom hinge was way off. What I did was to take the plate back off and loosen the bottom hinge and move it the direction I needed to get the holes aligned. I ended up doing this a couple of times. Eventually I was able to get one bolt in each hinge and a couple of bolts in the carrier. They were all tight since the alignment was slightly off all around but eventually I was able to get all eight installed.

I think the "moving target" on this is the plate inside the tailgate that holds the hinge bolts in place. I have heard people refer to them as "floating." The challenge is getting the hinges in the perfect spot so that all eight holes line up which is not easy. The holes on the carrier are set in place so any adjustment has to be made with the hinges.

Also, I had an issue with the bottom hinge. After bolting it to the frame/brace and reinstalling the tailgate, I moved the hinge in place to line up the holes to bolt it to the tailgate and it scraped the paint. (see pic) This was on me, so just be careful so that you don't make the same mistake I did. Going to have to add some touchup paint.

Now that this is done, the crash bars come off and the 35's (34.4 lol) go on tomorrow. I was waiting to make sure this would work before swapping wheels.

 

[Ninjak]

That floating plate is a pita. When I did my DV8 carrier, it fell all the way off into the tailgate. Sometime later, I was able to finally fish up and hold it to get a bolt-on and get it back in place, and CAREFULLY finish my install. I almost dread putting on the Turn-Off road Carrier and Camera mount.

 

[ethanxy]

we will be doing that soon.

Any update ?
I can still place my order on Canada Amazon so would like to know if it’s been fixed. Thanks

 

[Mabett]

Any update ?
I can still place my order on Canada Amazon so would like to know if it’s been fixed. Thanks

Sas Package version is still in work.

 

[Mabett]

You guys can check this video for installation. The key is to make sure the hinges are at the right position.

 

[edernest]

You guys can check this video for installation. The key is to make sure the hinges are at the right position.

Thanks for sharing, nice to see a successful install. I've suspected that hinge position has been a potential problem all along for this install but I was never able to get it aligned correctly on mine after multiple attempts at reseating the hinges. Seems like the installer in this video had no trouble with this (at least he didn't mention the problem at all), so maybe he got lucky and got it just right on the first try.

 

[edernest]

Sas Package version is still in work.

Good to hear. Can you give any specific detail on how it is different than the one you're currently selling for non-SAS Bronco?

 

[BroncoBoy22]

Good to hear. Can you give any specific detail on how it is different than the one you're currently selling for non-SAS Bronco?

This please

 

[Mabett]

Good to hear. Can you give any specific detail on how it is different than the one you're currently selling for non-SAS Bronco?

Mainly some adjustments made to fit Sas spare tire rack. The specific details will not be known until the samples come out.

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