Gladiator Tailgate Modification

[Rockabillyroy]

Yes, that’s correct. Too steep for my blood. Maybe if a US company can emulate it & offer it at a cheaper price. Then I might bite. I like the innovation though. They get points for thinking outside the box.

You basically said you want a USA company to pull a China maneuver. The Anti China Jeep crowd heads just imploded. Haha.

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[4S50]

I was looking at mounting my dc-dc charger in the tailgate. It seems like an ideal location; ventilation, above the potential (estimated) water line, near the trailer plug so the wire could be smaller. What’s not to like? Unfortunately I erred in my measurements of the space and my Renogy charger does not fit. I saw one sold by Ironman 4x4 in AustrAlia that looks like it would work.

 

[Trout Safari]

Love it!

 

[JeepOfTheseus]

"The original tailgate has to be heavily modified for the conversion. Detailed conversion instructions are included with the set. The conversion can be carried out with standard tools and does not require any special knowledge."

Basically sounds like you're going to be doing some cutting. For that price, it should include a new tailgate that's pre-modified. I know this design probably isn't possible without doing so, but hard to justify that cost and it requires "heavy modification".

 

[Eaglebob]

I saw some Bailey’s in ther!?

 

[CMac]

Great place to clean and filet the fish you caught........

And a convenient place to store the guts, too.

 

[Trout Safari]

Mine shipped and tracking said it should be here this week. Now if I could just get my Gladiator delivered and we could install all these mods we have ready!

 

[darkhorse13]

@813 Fabrication & Design enters the chat

 

[mx5red]

Yes, that’s correct. Too steep for my blood. Maybe if a US Chinese company can emulate it & offer it at a cheaper price. Then I might bite. I like the innovation though. They get points for thinking outside the box.

There, fixed it for you. Or maybe AAL can do it and charge $3000

 

[813 Fabrication & Design]

@813 Fabrication & Design enters the chat

I have looked at a few options. I am curious to see the modifications needed. I am sure it is cutting out quite a bit of the tailgate. To me that goes well beyond the easy install and instantly can cut down the market for who is going to buy it. The price would go higher for those that would need someone to install it for them. I mentioned in the Facebook groups that I personally think the price is on target. Obviously some people laughed at my comment, but those guys are not paying for metal and production costs most likely. Most items I produce cost three times more now to produce compared to just one year ago. Since we are a smaller company and don't have a large warehouse of laser cutters and benders, it makes it more expensive to produce. I don't think I could design one and market it at this price. Someone like AAL, Motobilt or JCR may be able to, since they have the facilities to possibly pull it off. But, then comes the "we will copy their idea" aspect. There really aren't many ways to make this different enough so that it isn't stealing their design.

 

[dcmdon]

Of more interest to me is how they modified the weatherstripping on the cap to make it so you can open the tailgate before the window on the cap.

This is how I want mine to work. The logic is that the cap stays locked and zi don't have to screw around with keys. The tailgate works with the central locks.

I walk up to a locked cap, hit unlock on the fob and open the tailgate.

95% of the time this is all I need, whether its skis, or backpacks or groceries.

 

[GoFastGoFish]

am I the only one that thinks 1500$ isn't bad for that.. it's not like it's a high volume item.. so not really sure there is going to be a windfall of return on that one for them.. so I get it.. it's innovative and outside of the box.. If I had my gladiator back.. I would order it lol

 

[Shopshirt]

This is actually...inside the box thinking! LOL Seriously though, I do like that storage concept. I wonder how heavy it makes the tailgate when loaded up with that camping gear.

 

[ShastaJT6]

I received mine this week. Put down the deposit a month ago, got one of the first kits in the US - Hopefully wont suffer from too many "early adopter" issues. Havent gotten around to the install yet, have a few other projects that are waiting in the garage and short on time. Ive talked with a few owners who have already done the modification via instagram, and one of them (Joshua / JustAnotherOverlander_ )shared a lot of photos of the install with me.

The designer, Thomas at Black Sheep, was really communicative and helpful. It does seem like a fairly straightforward install, although you are absolutely doing some cutting. Thomas provided a GD&T sheet laid out with all the cuts necessary and the dimensions of them.

Im going to just lay down some Killmatz butyl patches inside the tailgate for the extra support, If I find that it feels goofy I may go back and fiberglass it later, but seems a bit overkill to me.

The parts were packaged really well, and Thomas was awesome about getting things set up for the US Folks - Had to change the language on his site and set up a credit card payment processor, etc.

 

[darkhorse13]

am I the only one that thinks 1500$ isn't bad for that.. it's not like it's a high volume item.. so not really sure there is going to be a windfall of return on that one for them.. so I get it.. it's innovative and outside of the box.. If I had my gladiator back.. I would order it lol

No, you're not alone. I just selfishly wish it wasn't $1500. I think it's a great use of space and easy access to items. I am just interested in the amount of cutting and fitting involved.

@ShastaJT6 pics or it didn't happen

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