stellarpod
Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
The long wait is over! My DRF Tailgate arrived today, complete with spare wheel/tire mount and Rotopax mount and 2 gal. white water container. The tailgate was wrapped in a new moving blanket and then shrink-wrapped with the fastening hardware and Rotopax nested inside. All in all, it was well protected. Here's a few shots of the unwrapped unit sitting on the tailgate of my truck pre-installation.
Mounting was pretty straightforward. There was a bit of futzing to get the back half of the clamps positioned on the roll cage. It required loosening the inside bed wall and prying it away from the cage but was no big deal. I opted for the option to brace against my Honda factory steel bumper. There was nothing in the instructions that addressed this. But if you're at all mechanically inclined it should present no real problem. Here are a few shots of the tailgate mounted with the Rotopax in place. Some of the shots have no spare mounted, some do. (the spare is just one of my stock front wheels/tires, as I haven't purchased another beadlock and Tensor Regulator tire yet)
I am absolutely knocked out by the build quality of this tailgate. Welds are extremely well-done. Powder coating is top notch. I love that it swings open and I love the expanded steel bottom which affords more storage space. The spare mount is nice too. Yes, it's expensive and the lead-time is long. But, trust me, it's worth the wait (and the money). This substantially increases my carrying capacity, which is exactly what I was looking for. Little by little I'm getting this unit ready for some Arizona backcountry fun in late October. The Rotopax fuel cells I show mounted are only 1 gal. each, as they came off of my Yamaha Grizzly. I've got new 2 gal. units arriving Thursday, which will give me a total of 11+ gallons available on the trail (well over 200 miles worth). Eventually, I'll buy another beadlock and Tensor for the spare, but it's going to have to wait until my bank account heals up a little.
BOTTOM LINE: DirtRoadFabrication.com - Highly impressed. Would buy again. Highly recommend.
Steve
Mounting was pretty straightforward. There was a bit of futzing to get the back half of the clamps positioned on the roll cage. It required loosening the inside bed wall and prying it away from the cage but was no big deal. I opted for the option to brace against my Honda factory steel bumper. There was nothing in the instructions that addressed this. But if you're at all mechanically inclined it should present no real problem. Here are a few shots of the tailgate mounted with the Rotopax in place. Some of the shots have no spare mounted, some do. (the spare is just one of my stock front wheels/tires, as I haven't purchased another beadlock and Tensor Regulator tire yet)
I am absolutely knocked out by the build quality of this tailgate. Welds are extremely well-done. Powder coating is top notch. I love that it swings open and I love the expanded steel bottom which affords more storage space. The spare mount is nice too. Yes, it's expensive and the lead-time is long. But, trust me, it's worth the wait (and the money). This substantially increases my carrying capacity, which is exactly what I was looking for. Little by little I'm getting this unit ready for some Arizona backcountry fun in late October. The Rotopax fuel cells I show mounted are only 1 gal. each, as they came off of my Yamaha Grizzly. I've got new 2 gal. units arriving Thursday, which will give me a total of 11+ gallons available on the trail (well over 200 miles worth). Eventually, I'll buy another beadlock and Tensor for the spare, but it's going to have to wait until my bank account heals up a little.
BOTTOM LINE: DirtRoadFabrication.com - Highly impressed. Would buy again. Highly recommend.
Steve
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