dan3jeeps

A year ago I installed the MBRP spare tire reinforcement kit. Shortly after I put that on Teraflex came out with their spare tire hinge upgrade and I thought the Teraflex kit would be the way to go for those of us who don't want to run a spare tire bumper with a larger/heavier spare. Of course the first thing I though of was that I had broken off the tailgate welded nuts to install the MBRP reinforcement kit and that might screw me on installing the Teraflex hinge. That worried me as I was really wanting to install the Terflex hinge and it uses the tailgate's factory welded nuts.

No more worries!

I bought the Teraflex kit and installed it no problem BUT for one minor issue. You will have to buy longer bolts than what the MBRP kit came with as the extra size thickness of the Teraflex part (all that good metal beef) is thicker than the supplied MBRP kit bolt length will handle. Not much longer, about 1/4" or a tad longer is all that is needed, but it IS needed. Washers too.

I installed the Teraflex hinge kit just like detailed in another thread. Certainly an easy job. I did not install their tire holder upgrade but used the factory piece for now. The most difficult part of this install is in bolting the tire carrier into position. You'll be needing four hands to hold the tire carrier, hold the MBRP brackets inside the tailgate, start the bolts, and slip the Teraflex spacers into position on the driver's side of the whole assembly simultaneously. I found it IS possible to put it all together by onself with patience, constructive body positioning, and about 30 extra minutes beyond the time allowed on a normal Teraflex tailgate hinge upgrade install. Safe yourself some trouble and have a friend help out. That shouldn't cost any more effort than one beer.

The Teraflex spare tire hinge is an impressive improvement over the factory hinges. Very well engineered and built. Everything in the install was straight forward and the completed unit is extremely stout. The tailgate works flawlessly and smoothly. Since I already had the MBRP kit and was forced to reuse it I can only imagine the combination of this will easily prove itself. I plan on running 35's in the near future so I wanted to have the tailgate beefed up before mounting the larger/heavier spare.

No pics as I do not have 5 hands and did the install alone. Most everything is covered in other threads anyway.

Hope this info helps.

Cheers.

Philip *AZ*

Sounds like a good deal. I know Teraflex had an issue with the carrier breaking, but it sounds like the issue has been resolved. I too dont want to run a heavy carrier. Just need a place for my spare. A good home made bumper with two points out back is all I need.
Thanks for your post, lookin forward to some pics!

SpicedCrusher

I'm also running the MBRP re-enforcement kit with my 35" Duratrac. So far no problems at all. I extended my bumpstops as well so the tire doesn't even shake when I hit a bump or even some rough railroad tracks. The plan is to switch to the TF hinge but wanted to see how well it would handle without. I watch the spot welds as well as the tailgate very frequently to make sure it's not breaking or sagging but so far nothing at all. No real need for the TF carrier a simple 1.25 wheel spacer got my tire in the right position on the stock one with the 3rd brake light visible too. The important part is the hinge and the way it distributes the added weight. Great product.

Philip *AZ*

That MBRP kit sounds like jts worth a try. Thanks for posting that up guys!

SpicedCrusher

Yeah it's decent. I realize a proper tire carrier is ideal but the MBRP works and it makes sense how it spreads out the weight, if nothing else its better then nothing.

wittys-jk

I ran the MBRP kit for almost a year and recently had to finally remove my spare after one of the welds started to pop and crack. There are a couple of factors that I think this didn't work for me, with the biggest being the MBRP extension bracket I used to make my spare tire fit without hitting the bumper. This put the spare way too far out and even with custom bump stops that I had made it still managed to shake over time. I wheel my jeep once a month and I am sure this didn't help. I think if you can figure out how to keep the spare as close as possible to the tail gate it will last longer. I was also running a 35" Nitto Mud Grappler and a really heavy wheel so this didn't help the cause. The teraflex piece is really nice and for those that want this type of solution it is perfect. I myself like after market bumpers and carriers and will eventually go that way. The MBRP product was fine for what it did but stay cautious and like an earlier post said, inspect the tailgate welds often to be safe.

Philip *AZ*

Thanks Wittys