How strong is the tailgate??

[Phidelt83]

So this is more of a hauling question...when using the bed to haul a load of, say, 2x4’s I think the gate is meant to be in the “half way” position with the cables tucked behind the latches. How much weight can the tailgate support in this configuration? It’s seems fairly beefy but if I need to take ~50 boards home and the tailgate is carrying that much weight I’d be worried the whole way home it would give way.
I know the trick with the cut 2x4’s in the bed slots to support a full sheet of plywood/drywall and in that case those supports are handling most of the weight. Would it be wise to do that for boards as well or can the tailgate handle more than I’m giving it credit for? Or should I just leave the tailgate up altogether and let the boards stick up higher?

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[Rex3rd]

@steffen707 wasn't the tailgate rated 450 or 650 pounds at half position? Can't remember the rating

 

[Br4hm4]

I remember reading the tailgate can support up to 500 lbs.

 

[DougM55]

I was thinking of using the tailgate half way down was for sheets goods. If you’re just hauling 2x4s why not put the gate all the way down?

 

[Phidelt83]

I was thinking of using the tailgate half way down was for sheets goods. If you’re just hauling 2x4s why not put the gate all the way down?

Yeah that’s probably the way to go. I’m figuring as long as they’re all lashed together and secured they won’t slide out but thinking about that half position on the tailgate made me curious as to it’s weight limit.

 

[Br4hm4]

Yeah that’s probably the way to go. I’m figuring as long as they’re all lashed together and secured they won’t slide out but thinking about that half position on the tailgate made me curious as to it’s weight limit.

I can tell you from experience, I did 28 2x4's (8') and 6 2x4's (12') with the tailgate down and strapped them in...no issues what so ever. Just make sure you put on a large warning flag...some people have a hard time seeing the pile of lumber in the back of a truck for some reason...

 

[Phidelt83]

I can tell you from experience, I did 28 2x4's (8') and 6 2x4's (12') with the tailgate down and strapped them in...no issues what so ever. Just make sure you put on a large warning flag...some people have a hard time seeing the pile of lumber in the back of a truck for some reason...

Good to know. Thanks for the real world example!

 

[steffen707]

@steffen707 wasn't the tailgate rated 450 or 650 pounds at half position? Can't remember the rating

i think it was 300 lbs originally then recalculated to 500 lbs.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Keep in mind that the tail gate is only handling a fraction of the total weight. If you have 1200 pounds of wood - the bed is 5' and the tailgate is 2' just for kicks, the tailgate is only handling not even 1/3 of that 1200 pounds if it is evenly distributed.
And like said above - you only need the half-way down for sheet goods. All other stuff can be full open, the strongest point. (aside from closed, that is)

 

[WXman]

We need to find that thread where JeepCares posted the actual figures for tailgate load ratings in various positions and with various types of loads. It was very surprising just how much load the tailgate is actually rated for. I remember that with the tailgate all the way down, an evenly distributed load was rated higher than the total payload rating of the truck!

 

[WXman]

Here it is. Post #5. Crazy! Who knew??

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...payload-in-middle-position.16495/#post-310298

 

[Mikegcny]

I broke one of the tailgate clips at a dealer. We were in the showroom, absolutely no one would help us, so I decided to show my daughter how the half-up tailgate works. One of the cables was not fully behind the clips because when I was adjusting the driver side the passenger side slipped out. She asked me if it was strong, and to demonstrate just how strong it was I put all my weight on the tailgate. The plastic tab snapped off and hit the GC behind us.

So just be careful that the cables are fully tucked behind those clips. I wish the design was a little more robust and user friendly.

 

[Bbannongmu]

Here it is. Post #5. Crazy! Who knew??

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...payload-in-middle-position.16495/#post-310298

The alleviates some concerns I had about loading ATVS etc. it’s plenty strong

 

[steffen707]

I broke one of the tailgate clips at a dealer. We were in the showroom, absolutely no one would help us, so I decided to show my daughter how the half-up tailgate works. One of the cables was not fully behind the clips because when I was adjusting the driver side the passenger side slipped out. She asked me if it was strong, and to demonstrate just how strong it was I put all my weight on the tailgate. The plastic tab snapped off and hit the GC behind us.

So just be careful that the cables are fully tucked behind those clips. I wish the design was a little more robust and user friendly.

i loaded up 3-4 treated plywood sheets and a bunch of 2x4x12s when i realized the cable wasn't fully seated in one of the clips. I almost broke my back trying to lift the tailgate up because i didn't want to unload everything.

long story medium, make sure the cables are fully seated before you load up heavy loads.

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