How much load am I allowed to put on the tailgate of said Chevy pickup (lowered tailgate), does anyone have an idea, thanks. I understand thast placement of the load, etc has a role, but let's say that it is placed in the middle of the tailgate.
i
This is a real good question and I have seen no hard data on this. It capacity would be lower in the center than by the support cables. The limit is going to be at what point is starts to buckle. How much weight also depends on how much area it is spread over (surface loading) I would tend to think that 300 to 400lbs or so in very center of tail gate on edge when down is a good safe limit. When spread across edge of gate evenly 600 to 800 lbs or so should be safely possible. (it would become a bit stronger the closer you are to bed hinge) Some may use more weight but this is flirting with trouble. The danger is that because of the design of most tailgates it could suddenly buckle when capacity is reached rather than just bend.
----------------- TheSnoMan.com
Some years have been recalled due to rust problems with the cables that support the tailgate. My '01 Chevy 3500 had a recall on the cables and before I got around to taking it in to get the new ones the weight of the tailgate broke both cables. Unless you bought the 2500 new, check to see if it is listed in the tailgate cable recall and if so replace the cables before putting weight on the tailgate.
Ron
Yes, I bought the truck new. I can check if the cables can be smeared with marine grease, just in case.
i
Better get used to it!
Ian
Let see me,brother,wifes,baby about 1000 lbs. on my 05, ain't even bent yet.
James
Let see me,brother,wifes,baby about 1000 lbs. on my 05, ain't even bent yet. YMMV
James
Greetings,
Under normal circumstances I would agree with this, but I will add that it all depends also on whether or not your are going to drive with the load on the tailgate. For a static load I could see where Snoman's suggestions would be correct, but if you were going to drive around with a load on your tailgate I would suggest a much lower limit because the moment you hit even a small bump the weight of the load could be magnified several times (shock load) easily causing damage to the tailgate or cables that a static non-moving load would not.
Frankly it would be very difficult to estimate just how much a static load would be increased by the shock of a bump - maybe as much as 3 - 5 times(?) and that could easily damage your tailgate or the cables even under a light load.
Cheers - Jonathan
A very valid point. I was assuming a static load, not in motion for reasons you suggest. I would cut those figures about in half for a load in transit.
----------------- TheSnoMan.com
Half wit will be comming up with a rith-ma-tic formula to prove this. (I still think your aka is Dean Darwin or his cousin)
I remembered Dean being mostly anti K&N and it seems Snoman is very pro
89+ octane and thinks that solves everything. They both tend to agree stock vehicles are best so maybe you are right. I agree it's a good thing to point out bad info, but damn, this is getting ridiculous. Luckily there are still some very knowledgeable/helpful people here.my .02
MikeG wrote:
I can only wish it was Dean Dardwin....I miss those days, but I will give Snoman credit....he's not particularly abusive the way that Dardwin was. Perhaps he's learned his lesson.
Plus, I don't think he's in the snow removal business. He "might" be, but if you go to Dardwin's web site
Snoman is a great substitute tho. Lots of fun to read his posts, and watch him stumble all over himself. Guys like him are what makes the automotive trade appear to be a bunch of hacks and scammers. I'd give anything to have someone like him come and work alongside of me for a month...see how they actually do in the real world of fixing vehicles everyday.
Ian
My friend put a 2X12 on his tailgate like a ramp and tried to get his K1000 BMW up it. It bent the tailgate. Right after it fell over:) Bent the BMW too.
Al
wifes? How many do you have?
Maybe your brother had one too and you are just the man the rest of us are.
skimmer
Abuse comes in many forms, one need not necessarily resort to profanity to be an abusive poster.
Pretty sure it is his wife's business, the letters submitted from satisfied customers repeatedly reference a "Michelle" as the person in charge.
Especially for those who have our respective backgrounds.
Indeed! Do we dare trust that the public at large be able to discern betwixt and between?
Could be more fun that having a tech school instructor in on an "In service day."
I am surprised that there is no solid answer. The question is of obvious great importance, for example to know how heavy can be a machine that can be safely loaded using ramps and comealongs. Dynamic load (in a moving truck) is also of interes.
i
If you want to see a half wit, look in the mirror. Grow up
----------------- TheSnoMan.com
No there are narrow minded people such as yourself that believe in "magic" airfilter that actually filter air less and also beleive that
87 octane is the best thing in the world for a 9 to 1 plus engine because they lack the grey mater to understand how and why a engine works and why there is a knock control system on vehical (to keep know it alls happy running 87 octane while stealing power and MPG) YOu can believe what you want but it does not change reality or the math and science of it. Knock yourself out.----------------- TheSnoMan.com
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