Grommet/Gasket for tailgate center hole

[Robieman]

I don’t know what made me think of it this morning, but for some reason I did. I had been meaning to look at that harness and so I did! I took a pic for y’all. Mine has a piece of what appears to be plastic, attached to the harness where it goes through the tailgate, holding it away from the cutout. I didn’t put it there so had to be factory.
How long it will last, certainly I can’t say. But it does keep the harness away from the cutout.

Sponsored

 

[mortuar]

I don’t know what made me think of it this morning, but for some reason I did. I had been meaning to look at that harness and so I did! I took a pic for y’all. Mine has a piece of what appears to be plastic, attached to the harness where it goes through the tailgate, holding it away from the cutout. I didn’t put it there so had to be factory.
How long it will last, certainly I can’t say. But it does keep the harness away from the cutout.

My Gladiator has that same clip, but that wasn't my worry - my worry was sweeping debris out of my bed and accidentally getting crap inside the tailgate. That's why I bought a grommet to plug it up.

 

[Robieman]

My Gladiator has that same clip, but that wasn't my worry - my worry was sweeping debris out of my bed and accidentally getting crap inside the tailgate. That's why I bought a grommet to plug it up.

That's funny. I didn't even notice yours had one too, until you just brought it up. I guess I was thinking of the OP. Obviously the grommet will keep stuff out of the tailgate and is a great solution to that.

 

[mortuar]

That's funny. I didn't even notice yours had one too, until you just brought it up. I guess I was thinking of the OP. Obviously the grommet will keep stuff out of the tailgate and is a great solution to that.

No worries!

 

[SwampNut]

My Gladiator has that same clip, but that wasn't my worry - my worry was sweeping debris out of my bed and accidentally getting crap inside the tailgate. That's why I bought a grommet to plug it up.

This was my solution. I've had similar things on other trucks. It eliminates the other annoyance of things falling into the gap, all around. I like using the tailgate as a table for a lot of activities.


https://www.ecoological.com/gapshield.html

 

[Blade1668]

I like that "gap shield" now about the big hole is a plus, less likely to have crap stuck in there. It would wash out with water hose or shake, roll out when driving. Another bad is great place for wasp nest and like in tailgate.

 

[Jim_n_Tx]

Had to buy four grommets to get one. Three available for $4 each, shipped. ALL GONE 5/22/20

 

[TrailHiker]

Count me in, I will take one also, thanks.
cheers

 

[Alan_Hepburn]

This was my solution. I've had similar things on other trucks. It eliminates the other annoyance of things falling into the gap, all around. I like using the tailgate as a table for a lot of activities.


https://www.ecoological.com/gapshield.html

That looks like a good solution - my only concern would be if you ever need to remove the tailgate for any reason. I think I would install it so it's attached to the bed, but is not attached to the tailgate.

 

[Gatorized]

, I decided to simply split one open with a razor blade and core out a section just slightly smaller than the wire and clip that are going into that hole. As you can see from the pics, it slots in there nicely - it should do the job of stopping crap from entering my tailgate, and that's all that matters.

! Here is the URL to the actual grommets I ordered, in case anyone needs the info in the future:

Flyshop 1-3/4" x 2-3/4" ID 2" x 3" Drill Hole Grommets Synthetic Rubber Grommets Wire Protection,Oval, 4-Pack
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07841Y9QM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I don’t know what made me think of it this morning, but for some reason I did. I had been meaning to look at that harness and so I did! I took a pic for y’all. Mine has a piece of what appears to be plastic, attached to the harness where it goes through the tailgate, holding it away from the cutout. I didn’t put it there so had to be factory.
How long it will last, certainly I can’t say. But it does keep the harness away from the cutout.

The plastic clip keeps the harness from chaffing.
I installed mine (thanks again to @mortuar) with just a slice at the wire location and an ‘X’ cut for the wire to pass thru. The clip did not seat flush before the grommet but a trim of the grommet would fix that if desired.

 

[MrFahrenheit]

For what it's worth, RAM's are setup this same way. My buddy came over in his 2019 RAM 1500 and it has the same hole. It looked to be about the same size as the one on the Gladiator. I didn't see anyone talking about it over on 5th gen ram forums though. There's a lot more RAMs out there then gladiators so there must not really be a market for it since I couldn't find anything specifically designed for people that want to plug it.

This is from his truck's tailgate:

 

[Jaydebe]

My question is, is this hole also a drain for water and/or condensation or any sort?

 

[Hawkeyes3312]

Finally installed the grommet today! I only had to cut a very small potion of it to make it work. We're moving back to Iowa so it's nice to know we have a little extra protection from the salt spray, etc.

 

[aglass0fmilk]

Isn’t the tailgate made of aluminum? If so it won’t be as much of a problem if crud gets in there — it shouldn’t rust out like a steel tailgate would.

I’d rather leave it open so moisture and dirt have a hole to exit through. I’m sure 20 years from now that wiring will be quite chaffed though....

 

[Gossamer]

received and installed grommet today. Thanks for the link.

Sponsored