Be careful with those tailgates!

[DAVECS1]

So was testing out the gladiator's truck capability today, hauling a bed load of dirt and mulch. I went to slam the tailgate as everything was pretty packed in. I had my palms on either side of the handle and ended up denting one side. Luckily it is easy to access the back and I was mostly able to work the metal back to its original shape. I am surprised there is no support in this area, and the metal is pretty thin. If your gonna slam the tailgate make sure your using the top edge. The outer sheet metal is not that tuff.

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[Ammo]

Good to know.

 

[wannajeep]

Also be careful of loads on the side caps of the bed. I noticed on one side the slot that accepts the tonneau cover latch, near the rear, was slightly bent down and inward towards the bed.

All I can figure is I had a (light weight) kayak spending a lot of time in the bed, diagonally, with one end resting in the corner at the tail gate. It must have been enough weight (maybe with the added force of being strapped down) to bend the sheet metal that the slot is attached to.

When I finally figured out what was going on I simply bent the rail back to level, which was easy to do by hand.

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