When it comes to going the off road route with your truck's function and appearance, one problem for many has been what to do about a spare. Most of you have probably noticed a lot of lifted trucks these days don't have a spare tire that matches the oversized off road tires the truck is running. One of the main reason's why this is a common problem is that most people want to retain the use of their bed without having to worry about a big off road spare tire sliding around in the bed. In most cases they don't fit under the bed in the factory spare tire carrier either. So what is a person to do?
Wilco Products' TireGate could be the solution. For those who want to means to haul their spare tire without sacrificing losing the cargo area of the bed, the PreRunner Series TireGate is probably something to investigate. The great thing about this TireGate is that it is a functional application. It replaces the tailgate with a heavy-duty tubular steel cradle similar in style to custom spare tire applications on desert race vehicles. While the PreRunner TireGate looks the part, the functionality is the really cool part. Side mounts act as hinges which allow the owner to simply pull out two locking pins and open the TireGate sideways, providing full access to the bed area. The TireGate can also be installed inboard or outboard, depending on the space needed in the bed or the look the person wants to achieve.
The Wilco folks have tens of thousands of test and pre run miles on the TireGate to prove the strength and reliability of the system. The gate is made of mandrel-bent, MIG welded tubular construction using 2-inch diameter heavy wall steel tubing for full-size trucks and 1-3/4 diameter tubing for small and mid size pickups. black polyester semi-gloss power coating and grade eight hardware that installs into the factory bed bolt locations (no drilling required) makes the TireGate one very durable and reliable product that will get the tire totin' job done in style.
The PreRunner gates have been load tested to 1,000 pounds while allowing for the installation of up to a 40-inch diameter tire. A provided safety cable and user supplied lock keeps your spare safe from theft. Installation is very easy as the TireGate uses the factory tailgate mount positions. To see how a PreRunner TireGate is installed and how cool they really look, as well as a function, check out the following installation steps that took place on our 2007 Toyota Tundra project truck. The TireGate is made for most makes and models of trucks.
TIREGATE
WILCO PRODUCTS
1035 S. Linwood
Santa Ana , CA 92705
714-547-2000
 The installation begins by first supporting the tailgate and removing the tailgate cables from the bed. |  The tailgate is then rotated and lifted off the side hinge pins. |  Place the tailgate in a safe area until you are finished and can find a permanent location to store it. |
 Next we remove tailgate cable screw mount from the tailgate jamb on the bed sides. |  The tailgate latches also must be removed. Save the two screws from each latch. These will be reused on part of the TireGate upright mounts. |  In order to be able to secure the TireGate's lower cross brace, a pair of machined billet aluminum tube adapters are included with the kit which slide over the factory tailgate hinge pins. In the case of the new Tundras, the driver's side hinge pin is larger so the pair of adapters are side specific due to the size requirement. |
 Now we position the driver's side TireGate upright onto the hinge pin adapter previously installed and align the mounting holes up with the factory tailgate cable mount hole. |  Provided grade-eight hardware is then inserted through the upright into the screw mount in the bed side and hand tightened. The hardware will be permanently tightened when the entire assembly has been installed. |  Now the lower support cross member is installed onto the side upright and the bolt holes lined up. |
 Here is a closer look at the cross member properly installed onto the upright. |  On the passenger side, the upright is installed into the lower cross member while the upright is rotated upward into the bed jamb pocket. |  Like the driver's side, the provided hardware is installed into the cable screw hole in the bed side, but only hand tight. |
 The cross member is then rotated so the bolt holes line up with those in the tube insert from the uprights. Two bolts are installed on each side. |  With the cross member attached, the previously installed upright bolts are permanently tightened, but only after attaching the small bracket on the gate locking pin cable. |  Here is a closer look at the cable bracket installed with the upright hardware. |
 The saved factory tailgate latch screws are then installed through the flange bracket and into the original latch holes. |  Once the uprights are permanently secure, the cross member bolts are then tightened as well. |  Now we can install the PreRunner TireGate. The TireGate can be situated to open from either side and flipped around to inboard or outboard. For this installation we are installing the TireGate inboard and to open on the driver's side. In that case the driver's side of the gate is installed into the uprights first. |
 The reason for installing the opening side first is so that these plastic spacers can be installed on the top and bottom of both the upper and lower mounts. This side will be the hinging side. |  Holding the spacers in place the hinging side of the gate is installed into the upright mounts as shown. |  Align the assembly to line up the bolt holes then install the provided hardware to secure the gate. |
 The gate can now be opened up to check the resistance of the opening action. The hardware should be tight enough so that only hand pressure can move the gate and not the gate swinging by itself. There should be some tension. |  Next we install the tire support cross member to the gate. |  Final steps on the gate itself include installing the plastic upright tube plugs and lightly tapping them with a plastic mallet to seat them into the tubes. |
 |  The spare tire draw tube support bracket is attached to the back side of the spare wheel by by bolting it through the wheel stud holes. |  Once the wheel support bracket has been tightened, the spare is then lifted onto the gate and the bracket tube inserted through the tube in the center of the gate. |
 The long draw bolt is installed through the back side of the tire support brace and into the draw tube. It is important to make sure this bolt is properly tightened as much as it will go. The tire should be pressing into the gate tubes on the side. |  TireGate also includes a steel safety cable that wraps around the wheel and secures to the gate. It is recommended to install a lock on the cable to prevent thieves from rolling away your spare. |  Once the tire is secured to the gate, the assembly can now be closed by maneuvering the opening side of the gate into the mounts on the upright. |
 |  The two cable-attached locking pins are then inserted to lock the gate in place. |  And that is all there is to it. Installation time takes about 20 minutes to install this really cool looking off road-oriented pre runner-style TireGate which is a great way to lug that large off road wheel and tire around safely, yet in style! |
 The PreRunner TireGate installed "outboard". |  The PreRunner TireGate installed "inboard". | |
