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I just saw this at Harbor Freight today.

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SargeDiesel

SargeDiesel

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I went back and looked at the specs.
Stated:

"Adjustable length from 35-3/8 in. to 43-3/8 in. fits on most tailgates"

So I have some measuring to do... this completely slipped my mind.
Jeep Gladiator I just saw this at Harbor Freight today. tumblr_44c27cde225b91daf249324b8b495e45_8ccdbc6c_400


I need to double check the usable width of my tailgate
and
I need to make sure with my lift, the ladder will still touch the ground, hopefully at a slight angle.

I'm working with a JTRD w/Mopar Lift
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I went back and looked at the specs.
Stated:

"Adjustable length from 35-3/8 in. to 43-3/8 in. fits on most tailgates"

So I have some measuring to do... this completely slipped my mind.
tumblr_44c27cde225b91daf249324b8b495e45_8ccdbc6c_400.gif


I need to double check the usable width of my tailgate
and
I need to make sure with my lift, the ladder will still touch the ground, hopefully at a slight angle.

I'm working with a JTRD w/Mopar Lift
my jeep is about 8" taller than stock due to a 4.5" lift and 40" tires. the lower flat part of the bumper in front of the license plate is 28.5"above grade. it is another 29.5" to the top of the closed-upright tailgate. i'm 64, 6' 1", still weigh less than an eighth of a ton and walk 3 miles daily. as shadowspapa pointed out, multiple short steps are WAY easier to navigate than two 29" steps. fully extended, the amazon ladder is at what i consider a safe angle. when retracted as short as possible, the tailgate closes just fine. the top section of the ladder can be oriented to be used on the left or right. it also has a 600 pound rating but regrettably, is more than double the HF price .

Jeep Gladiator I just saw this at Harbor Freight today. 08578454-5507-4C9B-A282-F3960BDA637A


Jeep Gladiator I just saw this at Harbor Freight today. 410C70CC-103B-4D97-86B3-045A78AE0E7D


Jeep Gladiator I just saw this at Harbor Freight today. 094DCF0E-18F0-48D7-9426-355D3FB9C05E
 

ShadowsPapa

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I went back and looked at the specs.
Stated:

"Adjustable length from 35-3/8 in. to 43-3/8 in. fits on most tailgates"

So I have some measuring to do... this completely slipped my mind.
tumblr_44c27cde225b91daf249324b8b495e45_8ccdbc6c_400.gif


I need to double check the usable width of my tailgate
and
I need to make sure with my lift, the ladder will still touch the ground, hopefully at a slight angle.

I'm working with a JTRD w/Mopar Lift
Compare tailgate heights when tailgate is open. That's going to give you the usable information because what counts is how high the open tailgate is above the ground vs. ladder length and so on. (and I can get more pics if needed - might take a few hours as I'm trying to open up my shop, move things around, scrub floors, vacuum tens of thousands of flies up and off of benches and all (they love a warm shop, then come in and DIE) as I have a big coffee meet of about 20 GoodGuys street rod guys coming on Tuesday.)

Anyway, back to the critical measurements:
My tailgate when open - the surface of the tailgate that you'd climb onto and step on is 36" from the floor - tape measure against the floor straight down to the open tailgate where the ladder mounts is 36".

My ladder, when in use is at a decent angle when the truck is on level ground.
I could extend my ladder's length another 1.5" (1-1/2") before the bottom of the ladder legs would hit the side of the box opening when closing the tail gate. If I extended it 1.5" farther out, I'd have about 1/4" clearance between the bottom of the ladder legs and the side of the tailgate opening, a comfortable number, IMO.

That means another JT could sit an inch higher than mine and not have any issue - if your tailgate was 37 to say 37.25" above the ground when open (I'm not using a full 1.5" due to the angle we want to maintain) you'd be fine with the ladder pieces bolted together.
IF your tailgate was even higher, you could replace the bolts that hold it together (see picture below) with pins and simply open the tail gate, pull pins, extend ladder length, put pins back in, and flip ladder over to use it.

Instead of bolts here - use pins you can quickly remove, extend ladder, put pins back IF your tailgate is much higher than 37.5" or so when open.


Jeep Gladiator I just saw this at Harbor Freight today. 1711289733517-qj
 

Redfour5

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I've seen several write ups about this and thought I would share.

I've considered this due to my disability.
Hopefully someone that has installed one can chime in on it's functionality and ease of install.

Not much else to say about it. So I will let the pics do the talking.

Screenshot_20240319_123655_Gmail.jpg
That's a lot less expensive than this one at... https://www.extremeterrain.com/jeep-gladiator-bed-tailgate-steps-2020.html

I did get a knockoff of this on my 2500 for like $125 that I installed (easily) but then again, that bed is twice as high as the Gladiator. It's worth its weight in gold...

Oh wait, there is one (knock off like) similar to the extreme terrain one for 160 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/MITZONE-Glad...-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

Sheesh, now that's a URL... or just type in Jeep Gladiator bed step at Amazon.
 

Mad Mac

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This thread is beginning to make me miss
my little old Toyota Tacoma.
It sure was handy.

One thing that appealed to me about the Gladiator
was the small size.
I could stand flat footed and reach the floor of the bed.
But that was a Sport owned by a friend.

But oh no,
I could not resist the siren call of a Rubicon.
 

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My wife bought me one for Christmas when they were still a fairly new thing.
I had it on my 2020 and moved it to my 2022 and would move it to any truck I might own in the future.
I did change how the plate is mounted, and modified it a bit due to the close clearances on the JT - but it works fine and I use it often.

I moved the one "post" that put the ladder a bit too close to the cable, but likely not actually necessary. My back and arthritis and now vestibular (balance) issues love this thing.

20220812_115857.jpg


20220812_135743.jpg


20201022_172425_HDR.jpg


20220812_150535_HDR.jpg


20220812_135711.jpg


20201022_161542_HDR.jpg
thats pretty slick. did you make that from scratch or modified an existing one?
 

Redfour5

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One thing that appealed to me about the Gladiator
was the small size.
I could stand flat footed and reach the floor of the bed.
But that was a Sport owned by a friend.
I couldn't have said it better. I have the Ram 2500 but it is such a beast. I HATE parking it and always have to go way out in a parking lot. It will haul a lot of stuff to the transfer station but the bed is almost chest high...

Now, I can almost reach the cab from the back...and if not, like you said, stand at the side and reach the floor of the bed AND, it gets like 10 mpg better than the 2500 and will park most anywhere as long as the azz doesn't stick too far out...
 

Mad Mac

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Trying to get it ?

Do you have any illustrations of this ?
Okay. Here you go.

Using the ugly 6-inch drop, ball mount from my 2500HD
it is clear how it destroys the departure angle.
I have plowed a furrow with that big Silverado
crossing shallow ditches.

Jeep Gladiator I just saw this at Harbor Freight today. lHsZqc3uf553CjSvWK7XYJiU4ZZLf-sQCpXY2nGoeyiI=w2400


Mounting it sideways tucks it up neatly out of the way,
restores departure angle
and provides a substantial foot rung for a step.
If that is too high for a step, turn it back to vertical
and step on the ball.

Jeep Gladiator I just saw this at Harbor Freight today. T5pAWIHdBphKnDts67mxeUgh-ogK-S4BTRi-3YKwBYEd=w2400


The top of this ball is polished from using it as a step.

The idea of cross drilled hitch pin holes is not unique.
Those ball mounts you see with three different size balls
are cross drilled.
(They have a zero inch drop straight draw bar
and those balls will not be the correct drop
for any of their three trailers. End rant.)
 

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thats pretty slick. did you make that from scratch or modified an existing one?
I pretty much installed it as it came on my 2020 - it's a Christmas gift from my wife way back then. She ordered it online from an ad she saw in a game she plays on her phone.
When I moved it to my 2022 - I made the mod to the mounting plate - still all stock parts, just moved a post over on the plate.
I also didn't use their self-tapping drill point screws, I decided to use rivnuts in the tailgate. That allows really quick removal of the whole thing, mount and all, if necessary for any reason and IMO, could possibly make it a bit more secure but then you are never lifting the truck by the ladder mount plate - you are just putting some side and downward weight on it so the supplied screws and their instructions would be fine.
I've only ever removed the whole plate once - while using a bed tent, but I could remove and reinstall it 100 times with the rivnuts and never worry about enlarging holes for their self-tapping screws. Just a sort of "picky" thing.
Most would never remove that plate for any reason, so again, it can be mounted just like they instruct and never be any problem at all.
Other than moving that one post over and using rivnuts instead of self-tapping screws, it's all just as it came from the seller - except a couple of stainless screws I used where the ladder sections bolt together.
 

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The step area seems too narrow to get a good foothold on it. Maybe if it was about 4-6 in. wide it would feel sturdier. Although I haven't looked at one up close.
 

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SargeDiesel

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The step area seems too narrow to get a good foothold on it. Maybe if it was about 4-6 in. wide it would feel sturdier. Although I haven't looked at one up close.
From what I can tell, it is on par with similar style ladders. I think the dimensions are relative to the size of the tailgate. Plus you have to consider the mounting foot print. There might be a slight amount of room for a wider step, but I would think it would be negligible.
 
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Curt Oz

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I wonder if it would fit with my swing cases.
The mounting hardware comes close to the end of the bed.
After 4 hip surgeries (2 total replacements) I could use that instead of the pos plastic step stooll that I almost bust my ass everytime I use it.
Jeep Gladiator I just saw this at Harbor Freight today. 20230716_122951
 
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ShadowsPapa

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The step area seems too narrow to get a good foothold on it. Maybe if it was about 4-6 in. wide it would feel sturdier. Although I haven't looked at one up close.
Have you used real ladders? They don't have wide steps unless it's a step ladder. Some have round rungs, others rungs barely 1" wide.
4-6" is more like stairs
 
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SargeDiesel

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my jeep is about 8" taller than stock due to a 4.5" lift and 40" tires. the lower flat part of the bumper in front of the license plate is 28.5"above grade. it is another 29.5" to the top of the closed-upright tailgate. i'm 64, 6' 1", still weigh less than an eighth of a ton and walk 3 miles daily. as shadowspapa pointed out, multiple short steps are WAY easier to navigate than two 29" steps. fully extended, the amazon ladder is at what i consider a safe angle. when retracted as short as possible, the tailgate closes just fine. the top section of the ladder can be oriented to be used on the left or right. it also has a 600 pound rating but regrettably, is more than double the HF price .

08578454-5507-4C9B-A282-F3960BDA637A.jpeg


410C70CC-103B-4D97-86B3-045A78AE0E7D.jpeg


094DCF0E-18F0-48D7-9426-355D3FB9C05E.jpeg
I might have missed it, what set up do you have ? I like how it swivels.
 

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my jeep is about 8" taller than stock due to a 4.5" lift and 40" tires. the lower flat part of the bumper in front of the license plate is 28.5"above grade. it is another 29.5" to the top of the closed-upright tailgate. i'm 64, 6' 1", still weigh less than an eighth of a ton and walk 3 miles daily. as shadowspapa pointed out, multiple short steps are WAY easier to navigate than two 29" steps. fully extended, the amazon ladder is at what i consider a safe angle. when retracted as short as possible, the tailgate closes just fine. the top section of the ladder can be oriented to be used on the left or right. it also has a 600 pound rating but regrettably, is more than double the HF price .

08578454-5507-4C9B-A282-F3960BDA637A.jpeg


410C70CC-103B-4D97-86B3-045A78AE0E7D.jpeg


094DCF0E-18F0-48D7-9426-355D3FB9C05E.jpeg
What brand is this one? I think I missed it. Thanks in advance!
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