Improving Tailgate Strength.....

[chris smith 5]

I'm going to be heading to San Antonio for 4 months and want to take my Buell along with me. It fits in the bed of the S/T just fine but after searching for a few minutes I realize that the strength of the tailgate might be an issue for 1600 miles worth of driving.



Has anyone been able to upgrade the cables or improve the tailgate strength for transporting a bike? I like the idea of 3/4 plywood that runs the length of the bed to distribute the weight a little better but once I get to Texas I'll want to remove the plywood and wont have anywhere to put it. Is there a more permanent solution for uprgading the tailgate?

 

[Richard Kolb]

No where to put it? How about some 3/4 boards, run them the length and then at least those are smaller to stack then the plywood.

 

[Casey B]

2 seperate pieces of plywood. Have them hinged to each other about 1-1.5 feet from the tailgate in the bed. This way it can be folded for the tailgate to close and you won't have to take it out. Should still get proper weight distribution with some heavy duty hinges. Just a thought.

 

[Dreman]

Here's another idea. Cut the plywood to fit in the bed, and another piece to fit the tailgate with it up. Screw a couple of hinges in to keep them together and still let them lay out flat. Then, when you need extra strength in the tailgate, reverse the plywood so the hinges are now inside the bed near the front, and the big solid piece is spanning the gap at the tailgate. The small piece at the front will keep the big piece at the back from sliding forward.



Then, when you're done, reverse it again.



Edit: Actually, now that I re-read it, that looks like C's idea. I didn't catch the part about "1-1.5 ft from the tailgate".



And a re-thought. There's no reason to reverse it, just flip the front section over the back section and slide the whole thing forward.

 

[chris smith 5]

Good ideas...........



Thanks.

 

[Richard L]

I agree with cutting a sheet of 3/4 plywood down to fit between the wheel wells inside the bed and as long as the bed and tailgate combined. Then cut that piece in half and install some heavy duty hinges so you can fold the plywood back into the bed and avoid storage issues.



If you are concerned about the weather delaminating the plywood you could paint, poly-eurythane it, Line-X/RhinoLine it, or buy a can of bed liner-coating. You could also just use marine grade, or pressure treated plywood.



I would not worry too much about the tailgate cables. Ford recommends only 100 lbs on the tailgate, but I know I have had three adults sitting on my tailgate, which was probably close to 500 lbs and the cables supported that weight with no problems. I think the weight restiction applies mostly to the plastic cover on the inside of the tailgate, which the 3/4 plywood would eliminate.



...Rich

 

[chris smith 5]

Rich, thats exactly what I am going to try right now. Headed to Menards. I'll post pics is its a success. THANKS.