Ali Mansour
Brand Manager, 4WD & Sport Utility
One of the first things we look for on a new truck is a fullsize spare. There are few things more frustrating than being a hundred miles into an adventure only to have a flat and be forced to swap on some tiny donut that limits your 4x4 in every way. Though fitting a factory-sized spare tire in most rigs these days is easy, once you break into the bigger molds it can be quite a challenge. This tire dilemma is especially true for those with SUVs who don’t want to sacrifice all of their interior cargo room for a giant spare cleat.
Luckily, Tire Gate has an installer-friendly fullsize spare solution known as the Hitch Gate. The Hitch Gate is a sturdy swing-away spare tire mount that uses your vehicle’s Class III or greater 2-inch receiver to mount in. This universal spare tire mount is designed to handle up to a 40-inch-tall tire and uses a wedge lock draw bolt to ensure that the Hitch Gate remains firmly mounted in the receiver.
We installed a Hitch Gate on our ’04 Chevy Tahoe in less than an hour. We are pleased with the quality and fitment, in addition to finally having a secure way to haul around our 35-inch-tall spare.
For more on the Hitch-Gate and to see a full line of the Tire Gate’s mounting systems, check them out online at www.tiregate.com.
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