tj custom tailgate

[tjrider]

Has anyone here ever made a tailgate/tire carrier combo? Something like a tube tailgate with the tire on it. I'm trying to cut extra weight where I can. Looking for pics or advice. I'm wanting to take the factory tailgate completely off

[94Dodge Truggy]

Here are a few things I did to a beater jeep to lighten it up a bit. Throw the tailgate away and ratchet strap the spare tire to the roll bar. Sell the hood, top and doors. Remove some of the bolts that are overkill. Fill the tires with helium. Use a hole saw and drill the frame in a few spots and run around in the salt in the winter time and it will get alot lighter. With fewer bolts the repairs were much quicker and the chance of breaking off a rusty bolt was lessend.

After all of this the fuel mileage and off road capability remained the same. I found that the frame had decided to bend permanently and 3 wheel motion (hydraulic low rider terms) was common while turning so I jumped it across a creek for its last big hoorah!

The tailgate idea sounds good, but to make it weather proof and lighter will be a challenge!

[tjrider]

I'm not worried about water tight anymore. Its garage kept. Just don't want to spend a ****load on a tire swing, but my tire in wreaking havoc on the tailgate so I gotta do something

[94Dodge Truggy]

Reinforcing the tailgate may be an option if you want to keep it.

[67fastback]

here is what I did with mine.
it has a reese hitch hole at the top that has a flat plate on the end with the bolt hole patten on it and has 2 holes so I mount wider tires also, swings open.. pros , very strong, cons - the red clamp thing suxs i had to make some thing else to hold it in place. took a peace of steel and bent it around and drilled it out to put a bolt threw it to hold it in place. Does raddle some cus the tire is not touching anything..


I bout it from utopia offroad they make them for jeeps too.

[94Dodge Truggy]

He is looking for a tailgate/tire combo where the tailgate is the tire holder assembly.

[tjrider]

I was thinking of building one roughly the size of oem out of 1"x2" box tubing. Then mount my tire to it and get a latch of some kind. And use the factory tailgate hinges as well. Seems simple......

[94Dodge Truggy]

What size of tire are you going to put on the factory hinges? They may not agree with the extra weight.

[T-bird]

There was a guy on Jeep Forum that did basically what you are talking about. He built new hinges off his corner guards and then used 2 pieces of rectangle tube to span across and mounted his tailgate to cross members. Totally got rid of the factory hinges. He was happy with it.

[humpy]

Pater your first response was awesome!! Rotflmao!!

[94Dodge Truggy]

Pater your first response was awesome!! Rotflmao!!

I am glad that someone got a laugh out of it to justify my time typing cause my finger is now sore from button pushing.

[93 Krawler]

I am glad that someone got a laugh out of it to justify my time typing cause my finger is now sore from button pushing.

LOL... Ur a nut...

[tjrider]

Right now its just a 33, I think the hinges will handle it. Its the tailgate itself that objects to the extra weight and keeps flexing. I think I saw that forum, was it with the fold down tailgate conversion?

[T-bird]

No, he basically attched his tailgate to the tire swing out. My buddy bought a TJ that had the factory hing pins drilled out. Then he build a arm that went on top and below of the factory hinge and then through bolted it. It squeaked a lot, but it was holding on a 38" bogger with steel beadlock, highlift jack, 2 jerry cans and a huge rack for a cooler.

[humpy]

Leave spare tire Layin on trailer... Throw spare tire carrier in scrap pile... Then go wheelin