Leave Tailgate On or Off?

[100acrehuphalump]

I've been battling in my head over wether to leave the tailgate on my truck. It would provide a "porch" and I'd be able to attach some jerry can mounts for fuel and water. The tailgate already has a few dents and scratches. ? I know you cannot close the tailgate when the camper is in but, can you take the tailgate on and off once the camper is already installed? I'm leaving in the morning to pick up the Hawk. What would you do?

 

[Stalking Light]

I think it's easier to get in and out of the camper from a step lower than the door threshold. You don't have to bend over as much since you are stepping up through the door rather than stooping over from the tailgate. Just my .02

 

[rotti]

I left mine off.

That porch will make it more difficult to get in and out of the camper....think of doing the limbo every time you want in or out.
(Maybe your a limber youngster and can pull off those moves?)
Your truck will be 2' longer and your tailgate is now your bumper (mine won't close with the camper on).
Will your spare tire winch work with the gate on?
Lastly it weighs about 50 some pounds.


Pluses?
None really come to mind for me.

 

[Taku]

Getting in and out through the door is the biggest issue I see in leaving it on. Probably won't bang heads as much on the doorframe. I have toyed with the idea of getting a tailgate from the junk yard and cutting an opening in it so you can use it as "step through" and have the two outer thirds to use as a table and to mount metal rocket boxes to hold stuff. Have not gotten to that project yet though!

 

[takesiteasy]

The spare tire access is an important thing to check. x2 on the ease of entry and exit comments.

 

[PaulT]

Think carefully about the various conditions when entering and exiting the camper. Because the actual door is so short, we always enter and exit while facing the front of the truck.
Add some dust, sand, and dirt that gets left on the tailgate due to driving, and walking on the tailgate. Now you get some rain on the tailgate making it muddy and slick. Your shorter than 5 ft 21" significant other may need to sit on the tailgate briefly to exit because you put some leveling blocks under the rear wheels, and the steps got knocked over the last time someone entered the camper.
Her legs can't as easily make the reach to the ground as your's and now Momma ain't happy no more. Wet knees aren't too hard to deal with but a cold, wet, muddy posterior can dampen the spirits considerably.
Jes' sayin'.

Paul
Wisdom is learning from someone else's mistakes. Experience is learning from your own. I may have too much experience.

 

[GroovyDad]

When ATC installed my Bobcat, they left the tailgate on and at first I was bummed that they did, but after the first 5 minutes of using it I was so glad they did. It's a very sturdy step up to (or down from) the camper without having to totally rely on whatever little step stool you're using. Plus, if you plan to store things on top of your camper (kayak, roof rack, etc.) you can easily stand on the tailgate and fully access the roof from side to side without having to constantly move a little step stool around.

The "porch" is also a very handy place to set things while you're in camp or to stage things you're packing/unpacking from the camper.

The only drawback that I can even think of is that I may have to get a receiver hitch extension if I want to use my Thule bike rack. As it is, I can easily hook up my small utility trailer without an extension, but extensions are only like $10.00 at Harbor Freight, so it's not a deal breaker.

Plus, my porch is deep enough to hold a Jerry can of extra fuel or water on each side of the door (something I'm considering making a mount for). For me, the benefits of having it on far outweigh having it off. In the end though, it's personal preference. I see more rigs with the tailgate off than on, but that doesn't mean they ever tried it with the gate on. Either way, it's easy enough to take on/off once you get your rig.

Good luck...

 

[ETAV8R]

I'm gonna be the outlier here. Since I can close my tailgate with my Finch in my standard bed Tacoma and because the camper doesn't live on the truck the tailgate stays on. I like my porch. I have a doormat which is used religiously before entry. It doesn't keep all the dirt/dust/rocks out but I'm sure it does a great deal. I can also leave dirty shoes and other items in the space to the sides of the door if I don't want it inside. I came from owning a Flippac to getting in and out is pretty much the same for me as it was prior to the FWC.

Try it on and off and see what is best for you.

 

[Squatch]

I have toyed with the idea of getting a tailgate from the junk yard and cutting an opening in it so you can use it as "step through" and have the two outer thirds to use as a table and to mount metal rocket boxes to hold stuff. Have not gotten to that project yet though!

I like this idea. I have a spare tailgate for my truck. Maybe I'll try this eventually.

 

[100acrehuphalump]

I wish I had the engineering/welding skills to fabricate a tailgate extension that would allow me to close it even with the Hawk installed. Best of both worlds. I really like the idea of leaving it on. I'm pretty darn tall and it is just me and the dog. Having that extra storage space would be nice, but the extra length is a concern. I guess I'll just have to play with it and see.

 

[Bill D]

If it's not too late, I suggest you leave if off. You are 6'9". I'm sure you'll enjoy stepping up into the camper vs. feeling like a giant entering a little hobbit sized door.

You will also lighten your load a little by keeping the tailgate off.

 

[super doody]

Yes, for your height I would leave the tail off. I had the gate on in my tacoma/eagle combo. The tail gate provided a nice area to place water jugs, beer and shoes. One drawback I did discover is that my tailgate trapped water when its in the open position. I took off the camper once right after a rain storm. There was so much water in the tail gate, I had trouble closing it but water gushed out after I closed it.

 

[huckfinn]

I pick up my Fleet in less than a month and have planned to remove the tailgate, but have also considered getting a hitch storage platform, which I believe would be at a level several inches below the where the tailgate attaches. Some of theses have low sides: a few inches. My untested idea was that it might help with entry to the camper, or be a kind of porch, as well as help store quickly off-loaded gear (firewood) if I either modified it or added a piece of filler plywood that raised the bottom level with the sides. In some situations I can see it being a nuisance, lengthing the truck, blocking the door etc. All speculation now.

 

[lostnot]

I have always left mine on. Easy to get out of camper because you have a large porch with bed liner material it is not slippery. The step down is to a step attached to the 2" receiver. I tow a Geo Tracker with it and have also used a modified bike rack. The original reason to keep the tailgate on was that i towed the Ranger full time behind the motor home and had no where else to store it.

 

[Greeneggsslc]

I have always left mine on. Easy to get out of camper because you have a large porch with bed liner material it is not slippery. The step down is to a step attached to the 2" receiver. I tow a Geo Tracker with it and have also used a modified bike rack. The original reason to keep the tailgate on was that i towed the Ranger full time behind the motor home and had no where else to store it.

Did you have to move your license plate, if not have you had any problems with cops pulling you over with an obstructed plate? Our truck is very tall and we have an old dog so we would prefer to leave the tailgate on to help the old man getting in and out of it

 

[Kolockum]

Did you have to move your license plate, if not have you had any problems with cops pulling you over with an obstructed plate? Our truck is very tall and we have an old dog so we would prefer to leave the tailgate on to help the old man getting in and out of it

This is an old thread. Lostnot hasn't been online in over a year and a half so I don't know if he will see this to reply.

I have never had any problems with a bike rack partially covering the plate. But I depends on the state and the cops.

 

[longhorn1]

Dog ramp works great for our lab. Loose the tailgate. jd

Did you have to move your license plate, if not have you had any problems with cops pulling you over with an obstructed plate? Our truck is very tall and we have an old dog so we would prefer to leave the tailgate on to help the old man getting in and out of it

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Another plug for a dog ramp. We use one for our dogs, simply to avoid injury when they would normally jump out of the truck.

 

[Sleddog]

I leave my tailgate on, no problems with cops yet.

 

[Zoomad]

I can't leave the tailgate on with mine. But if I had one that fit inside the bed with the gate up I'd keep it for the porch aspect and having a solid surface to prep meals on. If the camper was larger than the bed and the gate wouldn't close anyway, I'd pull it.