Tiregate Hitchgate Installed

[ewxlt66]

My 4th gen has a 55.5" opening do you think that the center swing out will clear? Reason I don't want the offset is because I don't want it in front of my Gobi ladder.

Thanks for the report!

It might clear if you order an extended truck mount.

 

[ewxlt66]

I probably already know the answer, but I have to ask.

Is the backup camera useable in any way with this thing on an offset (about the only reason I see to get the offset)???

:flame:

Not nearly as useful as before...a few guys have figured a way to relocate the camera. not sure how they did it.

 

[Cytronus]

Anyone have the Wilco Offroad hitchgate for their 5th gen?

For anyone that has the Wilco Offroad Hitchgate, were you able to push the tongue in the 1st hole or have you successfully been able to push it in further to the 2nd, outter-most hole? The 2nd hole would mean the hitch gate is in tighter and closer to the rear bumper, which would improve departure angle slightly from the first hole.

I bought the Wilco Offroad Hitchgate for my 2016 TP and I had to remove my OEM spare tire for the Wilco tongue to have enough entry clearance, which is fine because the new 33" spare will be on the hitchgate anyway.

When I tried maneuvering the tongue into the deepest position, to the 2nd hole, the wedge block is just barely still inside the receiver on the back side so I felt it was safer to torque down the tongue with the wedge block at the first hole, where it sits a little deeper within the receiver. I'm curious if anyone has actually pushed the hitchgate in, up to the 2nd hole and if it's worked okay without the hitch or the wedge block coming loose.

 

[Oneluv13T4R]

For anyone that has the Wilco Offroad Hitchgate, were you able to push the tongue in the 1st hole or have you successfully been able to push it in further to the 2nd, outter-most hole? The 2nd hole would mean the hitch gate is in tighter and closer to the rear bumper, which would improve departure angle slightly from the first hole.

I bought the Wilco Offroad Hitchgate for my 2016 TP and I had to remove my OEM spare tire for the Wilco tongue to have enough entry clearance, which is fine because the new 33" spare will be on the hitchgate anyway.

When I tried maneuvering the tongue into the deepest position, to the 2nd hole, the wedge block is just barely still inside the receiver on the back side so I felt it was safer to torque down the tongue with the wedge block at the first hole, where it sits a little deeper within the receiver. I'm curious if anyone has actually pushed the hitchgate in, up to the 2nd hole and if it's worked okay without the hitch or the wedge block coming loose.

I actually made a third hole to get the tongue all the way in for these reason of better departure, tongue weight balance and for aesthetic purposes. I can't stand how far they stick out past the rear of our rigs.
Then I chopped the tongue up to the first hole for the wedge block to sit inside the reciever like it was designed.
Also for the new 3rd pin hole added I went and picked up a grade 8 3/4" Dia. bolt, washers and nylon nut as my new pin which has zero play with the hole opening so no slopping around.
And bam the tiregate modified for a perfect look and fit the way it should have been made.

But that is always the case with anything that says "universal" fit.
Means modifications required for a correct fit.

 

[Saker]

I actually made a third hole to get the tongue all the way in for these reason of better departure, tongue weight balance and for aesthetic purposes. I can't stand how far they stick out past the rear of our rigs.
Then I chopped the tongue up to the first hole for the wedge block to sit inside the reciever like it was designed.
Also for the new 3rd pin hole added I went and picked up a grade 8 3/4" Dia. bolt, washers and nylon nut as my new pin which has zero play with the hole opening so no slopping around.
And bam the tiregate modified for a perfect look and fit the way it should have been made.

But that is always the case with anything that says "universal" fit.
Means modifications required for a correct fit.

Could you please shoot us some photos of your handy work.... off the T4R (if possible) and on the T4R?
That would be excellent!

 

[Cytronus]

Could you please shoot us some photos of your handy work.... off the T4R (if possible) and on the T4R?
That would be excellent!

Thank you for the reply. Brilliant idea to cut the tongue shorter and add a third hole. Would love to see pics and also the process and tools you used to chop the tongue and drill the new hole. I think I'll do the same on mine. I can't stand how far back it sticks out, killing departure angle.

 

[TK-422]

Thank you for the reply. Brilliant idea to cut the tongue shorter and add a third hole. Would love to see pics and also the process and tools you used to chop the tongue and drill the new hole. I think I'll do the same on mine. I can't stand how far back it sticks out, killing departure angle.

I feel the same way. They always seem to mount the tire too high as well. The bottom of the tire 6" above the bottom of the bumper would be fine and not hurt the departure angle too much if it was close to the bumper. It would also not block the view out the rear window as much. A lot of these look more like wheelie bars with a spare attached.

 

[AlexJet]

Hitch Tire Gate is very nice option for people who run oversize (compare to stock) tires which are not fit in original spare location. For my personal preferences I like the tire to be as close as possible to the tailgate for aesthetic and clearance purposes.
When I look at the manufacturer websites, they don't seem to have the original poster model any more. It appears the "strap-up" version was replaced with "bolt-on" version. Unfortunately the latest one sticks much further back and more challenging for the person to put the tire on (lift and slide over wheel studs rather then just put on the platform and strap down).
Pricing wise those are expensive too...

 

[Soccer13]

Do you have any pictures of this process and how it looks after this modification? Sorry I bet a lot of people have been asking for this...

I actually made a third hole to get the tongue all the way in for these reason of better departure, tongue weight balance and for aesthetic purposes. I can't stand how far they stick out past the rear of our rigs.
Then I chopped the tongue up to the first hole for the wedge block to sit inside the reciever like it was designed.
Also for the new 3rd pin hole added I went and picked up a grade 8 3/4" Dia. bolt, washers and nylon nut as my new pin which has zero play with the hole opening so no slopping around.
And bam the tiregate modified for a perfect look and fit the way it should have been made.

But that is always the case with anything that says "universal" fit.
Means modifications required for a correct fit.

 

[Oneluv13T4R]

do you have any pictures of this process and how it looks after this modification? Sorry i bet a lot of people have been asking for this...

 

[Throwback]

So this is just for folks running spares that are too big to fit in the stock location?

Man, I'd rather limit my tire size to 285s or whatever fits under the back instead of spending that kind of money for a heavy gigantic protrusion off the back of the truck.

It seems the inconvenience of accessing the rear cargo area, added weight, decreased departure angle etc. negatives would outweigh the small positives of slightly larger diameter tires.

But I suppose it does portray that certain overlanding look without going all in on a bumper. :dizzy:

 

[007Tacoma]

So this is just for folks running spares that are too big to fit in the stock location?

Man, I'd rather limit my tire size to 285s or whatever fits under the back instead of spending that kind of money for a heavy gigantic protrusion off the back of the truck.

It seems the inconvenience of accessing the rear cargo area, added weight, decreased departure angle etc. negatives would outweigh the small positives of slightly larger diameter tires.

But I suppose it does portray that certain overlanding look without going all in on a bumper. :dizzy:

I want one so that I can carry 2 spares. I have been in a situation twice where having two spares would have kept me going... Oddly enough, both occasions were on the highway in Mississippi several years apart.

 

[Throwback]

Neither tire could be plugged in that case? Any idea what caused the failure?

I generally only carry my OEM spare and a nice plug kit and air compressor.

 

[flyrv9]

I wouldn't want to get rear ended with 5 gallons of gas back there. All I can think of is Pinto when I see that.

 

[007Tacoma]

Neither tire could be plugged in that case? Any idea what caused the failure?

I generally only carry my OEM spare and a nice plug kit and air compressor.

The first time they could have been plugged, but I didn't carry a plug kit back then. I have no idea what punctured them, but both tires had holes. That is the only time I saw my Suburban get towed anywhere.

The second time? Definitely could not be fixed. I hit a ladder that was in the road and it ripped both tires on the driver's side at 60MPH.

I drive 90% highway now-a-days so, I don't have E-Rated tires for off-road. It would be just my luck that I would rip the sidewall on two tires during an excursion where Discount Tire isn't around the bend.

 

[Throwback]

Interesting. What other spare parts do you carry?

I don't do any real remote exploring so I don't have experience with what all failures should be expected. I would imagine when doing runs like that you bring spare batteries, wiper blades, headlight bulbs, hoses, coolant, oil, etc.

I thought I was pretty hot shot with four KO2s, plug kit, compressor, and jumper cables.

 

[Soccer13]

Super helpful!! Do you have any shots of it in your 4Runner after the modification and did you take their to be done at a welder etc?

View attachment 250406

 

[Oneluv13T4R]

Super helpful!! Do you have any shots of it in your 4Runner after the modification and did you take their to be done at a welder etc?

Once I figured it all out, I went ahead and did all the work as well..haha
I've done much more to my tiregate than just this mod

This is the tiregate as ordered from Wilco. No mods besides the antenna and the antenna mount.

 

[Oneluv13T4R]

Here's another shot of the tiregate with no mods done to it. You can see it sticks out like 2ft off the back of the rig ....looks like doo doo and that's when I got to thinkin...
Notice the tire straight up and down as well.

 

[Oneluv13T4R]