Does anyone have any experience with this tailgate enclosure. I am thinking about buying one when I pickup my new jeep because it is a soft top and I want some sort of security.
Just finished installing this exact one about 2 hours ago. I have a 2 door JK with the rear seat removed. This was the biggest security deck I could find for a 2 door. Still not as big as I wanted, but a very good size.
I have this one in my unlimited and prefer it to the other version because I don't have to deal with the bolts when taking off my hard top or putting it back on. If you want to put large items in the back, it gets in the way and would be a pain to remove. But having the security is worth it for me.
We just saw the one ATX14 has in the back of his Rubi when he came over to wrench today. It looked SUPER nice and he said it's really easy to manipulate if you need more room in the back. If I bought one, that's the one I would get. :thumb:
my only reservation about getting the cheaper one that does not move is it that the top of the expensive moving one looks like carrying things on top would be easier because it has the bug lip around the whole thing and the less expensive one looks as if stuff would just fall off on to the soft top if not secured.
With a soft top it will work great. Bought mine about 8 months ago. The only downside for me, is I have a HT and to remove the HT I have to remove the brackets on the side rails then reattach them. Takes a few minutes longer to do but worth the added sense of security when I go topless.
I have the smaller bestop product that fits in the 2 door with seat in. Minor thing - the area protected by any security enclosure will also be 'protected' from your dome light and will be hard to see at night.
This was one of my first mods this past April when I picked up my '14 JKU with soft top only. My thought was if I couldn't have confidence my work bag or laptop wouldn't get stolen out of the back when I ran into Wawa for a cup of coffee, then I would either (a) have to carry the bag in every time, or (b) be afraid to use it to get to work on nice days. Having the security enclosure is like having a trunk, makes the Jeep more functional (for me).
Downsides: you can't stick a kid or two in the back-back to drive down the street (which isn's the safest thing to do anyway), putting large items back there is not easy (the top does come off without tools, but you still have to store it, etc., in the past 8 months I've never bothered), and as pointed out above, there is no light back there (never had the need before this to use the iPhone flashlight so frequently).
If you need a trunk-like storage area to be able to use the Jeep more frequently, go for it. If you typically have items that are two big for the security enclosure, skip it.
On a side note, I also put the Tuffy under-seat lock box in, but I basically never use it b/c the security enclosure accomplishes the same thing but locks/unlocks with the remote. The boc is nice though if you just need to store a wallet, cell phone etc.
Another plus for the less expensive one is that you don't have to drill into the tub to add extra security bolts to keep someone from just unscrewing it.
I do sometimes wish I had some kind of lip to keep things from sliding around on the top, though it hasn't been an issue so far. If the seats are up in my 4-door, they keep stuff from sliding forward. Plus I often put stuff up there that is larger than the recessed area that the expensive one has.
Love the 299. Had the 275 (closer to $450) but switched to the 299. Great if you don't need to take it out a lot. works perfect with soft top and hard top. Expensive perhaps, but the peace of mind is priceless.
Just to weigh in in case somebody isn't aware of the Backbone option; I've had that since May and love it. It is only a lid and front panel -- no side panels, so it uses the entire width and depth of the cargo area (with seats removed in 2-door) to give you the largest possible enclosure. Extremely secure, made of diamond plate, lots of space, and with the 2-door you still get a bit of space behind the front seats for storing the crap you want to reach from the cockpit.
It's spendier than the Tuffy choices, but if you want to absolutely maximize secure storage space, this is the largest option. The deck lid is great for carrying big things that you lash down also. Here's the writeup: (If you are interested in the Dome Lighting questions posed above, whether for the Backbone or any other, look at Post 16 for what I did with lighting. I've since added one to the inside of the tailgate for lighting from that direction.)
Just to weigh in in case somebody isn't aware of the Backbone option; I've had that since May and love it. It is only a lid and front panel -- no side panels, so it uses the entire width and depth of the cargo area (with seats removed in 2-door) to give you the largest possible enclosure. Extremely secure, made of diamond plate, lots of space, and with the 2-door you still get a bit of space behind the front seats for storing the crap you want to reach from the cockpit.
It's spendier than the Tuffy choices, but if you want to absolutely maximize secure storage space, this is the largest option. The deck lid is great for carrying big things that you lash down also. Here's the writeup: (If you are interested in the Dome Lighting questions posed above, whether for the Backbone or any other, look at Post 16 for what I did with lighting. I've since added one to the inside of the tailgate for lighting from that direction.)
I have actually read your write up a fee times and think that the backbone is the best looking and functional option. It was exactly what I imagined I wanted before looking in to them. But, the price is killer and the fact that the soft top doesn't fold down great because there is no room for the frame pieces on the sides killed it for me.
I'm not sure which enclosure you're talking about here. However I know that Tuffy has a excellent helpline that can tell you which one works best for your Wrangler.
Does this enclosure cover the wheel wells on the inside? I have bags mounted on top of the wheel well that I would still need to be able to get at. Can someone post a picture showing how this sits over the wheel well? Here is a link to what I have installed Jeep JK DirtBagz
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