Looks nice! You get more cargo space on the inside now...
Rear Mounted Tire Carrier - Hitchgate Solo by Wilco Offroad
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Wilco Off-Road now has a smaller version of the Hitchgate that is for vehicles like our KLs called the Hitchgate Solo. I picked one up and installed it over the weekend.
Brings the tire much lower compared to the bigger Hitchgate and I think it looks pretty good. 3rd Brake light is easily visible and it is tucked in so I don’t get any additional wind noise. The license plate area of the bumper nicely frames the tire I think.
It’s pretty solid on the back when checking it out in the mirror over bumps and by just shaking it as it sits. It isn’t rock solid but it is solid if that makes sense … basically there is a little play, not in the hitch part but for the arm that folds in holding the tire.
It does block some of your view out the rear window as expected but it doesn’t block all of it. I had an S10 Blazer for 10 years with a tire mounted on the back and it seems to be about the same as that was. Definitely need to be a little more careful and maybe use the side mirrors a little more but it doesn’t seem bad at all. Pic below to show you the driver's view out the back.
Swings open to just passed 180 degrees but has a stop there so it won’t swing around and hit the side. The pin that you release is held in pretty good so there would be no issue with it coming out while driving but it is no problem to pull it out when you want to swing it open.
Because the arm is just to the right side as you are looking at it, it does not block the tow hook in the back and also allows you to get a bit closer to the inside of your jeep if you are getting something out of the back. On the right side you have to stand back a bit as the arm is in your way.
It also has a 2” hitch receiver so you can put a bike rack on the back while you have your tire on. The 1up 1-Bike rack I have just barely fits as you can see in the pics below. Had to skew the bike a little to the left, (as your looking at it), as the pedal hit the tire and needed to go on the side of it.
Cost was $550 so it is a lot cheaper then it’s bigger brother but still on the pricy end of accessories.
I think you can get a hi-lift mount or gas can mounts for it as well but I don’t plan on getting anything like that at the moment because I have the gobi rack for that stuff. I do need to get a license plate relocation kit as it does block the plate enough that I think you can get pulled over for it so I have temporarily moved my plate and have some mounts and a light coming in that I will see about. Think I’m going with a Curt 2” Receiver License Plate bracket and will use the extra 2” receiver for that. Good news is I get to leave work early today as I have to be home before sunset.
Note: If you want to compare this to the regular Hitchgate as far as how it fits and looks on the Cherokee, you can find pics of that on this thread.
And of course, here are some pics …
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Brings the tire much lower compared to the bigger Hitchgate and I think it looks pretty good. 3rd Brake light is easily visible and it is tucked in so I don’t get any additional wind noise. The license plate area of the bumper nicely frames the tire I think.
It’s pretty solid on the back when checking it out in the mirror over bumps and by just shaking it as it sits. It isn’t rock solid but it is solid if that makes sense … basically there is a little play, not in the hitch part but for the arm that folds in holding the tire.
It does block some of your view out the rear window as expected but it doesn’t block all of it. I had an S10 Blazer for 10 years with a tire mounted on the back and it seems to be about the same as that was. Definitely need to be a little more careful and maybe use the side mirrors a little more but it doesn’t seem bad at all. Pic below to show you the driver's view out the back.
Swings open to just passed 180 degrees but has a stop there so it won’t swing around and hit the side. The pin that you release is held in pretty good so there would be no issue with it coming out while driving but it is no problem to pull it out when you want to swing it open.
Because the arm is just to the right side as you are looking at it, it does not block the tow hook in the back and also allows you to get a bit closer to the inside of your jeep if you are getting something out of the back. On the right side you have to stand back a bit as the arm is in your way.
It also has a 2” hitch receiver so you can put a bike rack on the back while you have your tire on. The 1up 1-Bike rack I have just barely fits as you can see in the pics below. Had to skew the bike a little to the left, (as your looking at it), as the pedal hit the tire and needed to go on the side of it.
Cost was $550 so it is a lot cheaper then it’s bigger brother but still on the pricy end of accessories.
I think you can get a hi-lift mount or gas can mounts for it as well but I don’t plan on getting anything like that at the moment because I have the gobi rack for that stuff. I do need to get a license plate relocation kit as it does block the plate enough that I think you can get pulled over for it so I have temporarily moved my plate and have some mounts and a light coming in that I will see about. Think I’m going with a Curt 2” Receiver License Plate bracket and will use the extra 2” receiver for that. Good news is I get to leave work early today as I have to be home before sunset.
Note: If you want to compare this to the regular Hitchgate as far as how it fits and looks on the Cherokee, you can find pics of that on this thread.
And of course, here are some pics …
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I followed the first thread. My oh my, this is much better.
If they had only made it height adjustable... because for my comfort level I'd like to bring it down another 5-6 inches, seeing there is room in the design for a lower wheel mounting position. Just enough to clear more than half of that rear view obstruction, just for that extra view on long trips... But yeah it's much more friendly now. The plate can be moved no problem.
I drove EMS vehicules with no rear view from the cab for years, so this wouldn't be a problem for me at all, using the side mirrors, but I'm at a point now where I enjoy the back view from the cabin rearview mirror (call me lazy... )...
But I can definitely see this working as is for those who offroad and go for weekend trips on trails, needing every bit of cargo space possible. Or for those who want 2 spares...
If they had only made it height adjustable... because for my comfort level I'd like to bring it down another 5-6 inches, seeing there is room in the design for a lower wheel mounting position. Just enough to clear more than half of that rear view obstruction, just for that extra view on long trips... But yeah it's much more friendly now. The plate can be moved no problem.
I drove EMS vehicules with no rear view from the cab for years, so this wouldn't be a problem for me at all, using the side mirrors, but I'm at a point now where I enjoy the back view from the cabin rearview mirror (call me lazy...
)...But I can definitely see this working as is for those who offroad and go for weekend trips on trails, needing every bit of cargo space possible. Or for those who want 2 spares...
Totally agree and I talked to them about that before buying. Because the tire arm is angled up that makes the mod job a little more involved then just cutting out a chunk of it and thus more expensive. Never talked a price because it seemed like something they weren't really willing to do and I didn't push it because it sounded like we were looking at doubling the price.
They advertise it as good for tires up to 35" and are going with a one size fits all with this guy.
Take note welding modders of KL'ville. :grin:
The other thing is I would like it closer to the back but it's not too bad and I do have the ladder there so that gap is fine for me. Allows space for accessories if I go that route in the future as well.
Totally!
Think I have too much space now, need some more things to fill it. lol
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