Your opinions... Max Tongue weight Tone's Hidden Hitch

[taylorRichie]

I'm thinking about getting a Tire Gate. But I'm worried about the weight.

http://www.tiregate.com/hg_series_0.shtml

It says a minimum of 300lb Tongue weight. I don't really plan on towing and using the gate at the same time, but I do carry a small Hitch Mount metal basket for coolers and junk.

Do you think that gate will work ok on the VX, with Tone's flush mount receiver?

Hate to spend the cash and find out it wouldn't work. I suppose I could always have the crossbar boxed in and supported.

I just need a way to carry a spare, since I'm trying to do more "vehicle dependent travel" And so far I've been rolling without a spare. Can't go on the roof (rocket box) can't go inside, (2 dogs, and an ARB Fridge/Freezer).

Ideas? i'm all ears.

Thanks, and nice to chime in.

[vt_maverick]

Direct from Tone himself (RIP):

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...7&postcount=18

BTW, the hitches I offer can handle 5K, 400lbs for the frame mount or 3500/300lbs tongue for the Dalan - both are class III. Mine mounts to the 7th ladder of the frame, the Dalan mounts below off of the 2 frame rails.

There is a more leverage at work on the Dalan but psycho moves way heavy boats with his all the time - be sure to check for cracks in the welds if you move weight like that.

[vt_maverick]

TireGate thing is very cool btw...

[tom4bren]

Richie,

I'm guessing you'll be OK with the Tone hitch but you may want to read this:

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=16048

I've loaded up the SeaDoo trailer with so much 'stuff' that I know the tongue weight was in the 300lbs range. I didn't notice any flexing.

Tom

[taylorRichie]

Thanks Tom, I did read that post shortly after I posted my post

I've been in contact with the manufacturer of the Tire Gate, and unfortunately it will not work on our vehicles... The tubing has about an 8" rise where the gate is (the gate is 8" higher than the receiver) which means it won't work with the flush mount receiver.

Major Bummer, they said they have a different one in the works, but it's fixed, no gate.. Well that's not going to work...

So I think I'm going to be going Tom style!! that's right, gate mounted spare tire... It won't be a full time lug around, I'll just put the spare on when I'm heading out, but not for around town.

You said yours has been reinforced, How is it reinforced? do you have images? I'm thinking I'll use a full size diameter spare, but I'll go 10.5" wide vs my 12" wide so It doesn't stick out quite as far.

Unless someone has a better idea... The VX is just a tad too small

[johnnyapollo]

I frequently use a hitch mounted carrier I bought at Northern many years ago to carry around stuff that doesn't fit in the back - it's especially great for getting pine straw from the borg - I can stack 16 bales on the back with some rope without any issues. Here's an image of one similar, only mine was for a larger tongue and didn't fold:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...8577_200308577

I've also used it to carry some fairly heavy pieces of equipment - it's fit to a Tone frame hitch, one of the first he offered.

Anyway, I once hauled a 400 pound cast iron wood planer on the back - when I put it on the carrier it bent down one corner, basically twisting the carrier (it's still like that today) - but didn't affect the hitch, welds, etc at all. Here's an image of the planer on the carrier:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3117/...78f036eb_o.jpg
That's my truck to the right - wish I had taken an image of the planer as it "leaned" over on the carrier.

-- John

[tom4bren]

Some pix of the spare tire mount on my VX are here (last 8 pix):

http://www.pbase.com/tom4bren/090530_window_fixin_party

This is pretty much a permanent modification since you will drill 2 holes through the tailgate - you won't be changing how you carry your spare for different applications.

It looks to me like you will be able to use the tiregate on the VX but you won't be able to open the rear door whilst it's mounted. It should be possible to fabricate a drop mount to lower your receiver for that application but you would definitely lose departure angle though.

I'm kinda visualizing a spider bracket spare tire carrier (custom to the VX) in my mind right now that just clamps to the rear door rather then bolting through. I might just hafta go visit welder guy today to see what's possible.

The other option is what Johnny is talkin 'bout - a bigger basket that will hold your spare & the coolers & junk.

[tom4bren]

Welder guy thinks it's definitely do-able. We'll hafta take some time to make sure we take all the variables into consideration. The first step will be to get my hands on a trashed OEM rim that I can use to make sure it fits. My offset rims won't be any help to everyone else (Marlin's spare tire mount is significantly different than mine because of offset).

[Riff Raff]

Agreed; the "Tire Gate" is way cool, but it's too bad it won't fit using the TONE Hitch. It may possibly fit those who have the CURT Hitch on their VX which hangs down a bit lower. Here are some other ideas for you to consider in your quest to mount an external spare tire:

o Check-out www.JCWhitney.com and do a search for "Spare Tire". The website will show you multiple mounting systems, including versions that insert into a 2" receiver hitch. The main concern is to determine if the bracket tongue is long enough to clear the rear door "bubble hump" of the VX. Yes; the bracket/spare would have to be removed each time before opening the rear door of the VX, but it may solve your stowage problem.

o Another possible solution is to have a front-mounted 2" receiver hitch and mount your spare tire on the FRONT of the VX (very simular to pick-up's with a Camper). Fellow VX member "ORION" had a very stealth 2" receiver hitch (early version) that was hidden by his front license plate. Perhaps contact "ORION" for ideas & advice and check-out his Photo Gallery, as he is a very smart fabricator.

o If you decide to go the route of drilling holes in your rear VX door, then contact fellow VX member "MARLIN" for advice and check-out his Photo Gallery. I believe he used a NISSAN external rear door spare tire bracket (which uses our same wheel lug pattern of 6-5.5), that he found in a junk yard for cheap.

o Lastly, when choosing a "full size spare"-- try to get the narrowest and lightest tire you can find that has the same exact (or damn close) O.D. to the tires you're currently running. Having a very skinny (235, 245, 255 series width, etc) and also lightweight (P-series; not LT) external spare tire with the same matching O.D. will help minimize weight on your chosen external bracket system, and will still be kind to your TOD if the spare is ever used on the VX in an emergency.

Hope this info helps you in some way, and good luck on your mission. Let us know how you eventually solved your problem.

[johnnyapollo]

Ugh - maybe this is too obvious, but why not extend the tongue on the Tire gate by a few inches so it's long enough to extend past the curve of the VX back? I know of at least one member who had a Yakima hitch for bikes extended - it wasn't that expensive. Find a local shop to fit some same-size tubing on the end and paint to match.

-- John

[tom4bren]

Ugh - maybe this is too obvious, but why not extend the tongue on the Tire gate by a few inches so it's long enough to extend past the curve of the VX back? I know of at least one member who had a Yakima hitch for bikes extended - it wasn't that expensive. Find a local shop to fit some same-size tubing on the end and paint to match.

-- John

I've seen those at AutoZone.

That'll make it fit but doubt you'll be able to open the rear door with it installed tho.

[taylorRichie]

It'll fit from the start, the problem is it blocks the rear door/gate

I'm already using a receiver mount carrier, It just has no room for a tire after I get it loaded up. I really loved the idea of a tire gate...

I'd be interested in seeing some sketches of what your spider clamp style mount would look like.

back to the drawing board.

[vt_maverick]

Another problem (from a purely aesthetic point of view) is that it appears the spare tire mount is not centered on the rear tailgate, so it might look odd when the very obvious tire "hump" in the back door doesn't line up with the tire. Having seen Tom's spare tire mount in person I really do like the look, even if it's a wider tirer. But I would rather not have to drill holes if possible.

Looking forward to "welder guy's" ideas.

[tom4bren]

I'd be interested in seeing some sketches of what your spider clamp style mount would look like.

I'm going to try to 'straw man' something out of copper tubing as a template. I don't think that the weather is gonna cooperate this weekend tho. My thought it'd be something that grabs the edges of the door but I think the cladding is gonna cause me some problems. We'll see what happens.