my tailgate alternative

[RicoV]

I reported here a few months back that I'd be trying out an alternative support structure to address the 16" overhang of my Grandby on a Nissan Titan, and here it is. Since I'm unable to access the truck's spare-wheel hoist with the tailgate on, I've devised this angle iron, chain, and turnbuckle alternative (below), weighs about 9 lb. in all as opposed to my 40+ lb. tailgate. Not expecting to win any prizes for creativity on this one since I'm just trying to give some spartan, but functional, support to that overhang portion of the Grandby. Key components are a 61" length of nominal 1" x 1" 11-ga angle iron rail primed and painted white, 2 lengths of chain, 2 small turnbuckles, and assorted fasteners to cinch the rail to the truck bed. About 7 holes were drilled along the bottom portion of the rail length so I could screw it into the bottom rear corner of the camper, but the rail is primarily held steady by the moderately snug tensions of the two turnbuckle/chain lengths between the rail and the truck bed. I look forward to hearing any pro/con/middlin comments on this 'solution'.

 

[billharr]

From the picture the angle of the chain looks like it would rotate the angle iron if the screws were not into the back of camper. Test this by taking the screws out and try to rotate the angle with a wrench, if it pops down you will have a problem on the first rough road. I would have put a hold at the V of the angle so you would not have the twisting torque to deal with.

I do like the ideal of not having the tail gate on.

Bill in STockton

 

[chnlisle]

I like it as well. I'm interested to hear how it works in practice. Not getting my tailgate sand blasted on dirt roads would be nice.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

I like the idea and the concept.

Looks good.




But i'm not sure it will help all that much supporting the rear over hang of the camper?

The chains & turn buckles seem to be pulling back at a pretty steep angle.

Kind of seems like the angle iron brackets are pulling the rear of the camper backwards, more than they are actually helping to support the camper weight?

With the chain and turn buckles pulling backward like that, there might still be room for flex up & down.

Is this something to worry about or freak out about ?

Probably not.


The factory always suggests leaving the tail gate on for long term camper support.



But once you get the camper home, we can't stop you from trying new things.

Let everyone on WTW know how things work out long term?

thanks



Happy Camping


.

 

[RicoV]

Thanks for your thoughts, guys. If there was any way I could keep the tailgate on and still access the spare wheel hoist I'd more than likely go that way. But the way tailgates are designed these days (bowed out and curvy on the Titan, instead of flat and narrow) makes it virtually impossible for anyone to reach the hoist with it down, so I really had no recourse but to try something bizarre like this angle iron solution. I'll let you know if any future tweaks to the components prove to be worthwhile for sharing on WTW.

 

[Hittheroad]

I am wondering if this might also be useful for campers with the normal amount of overhang. It could be an easy to see safety system to back up the out of sight out of mind hard to reach normal system that may not get checked as often as it should.

 

[ntsqd]

For the same tension in the chain and turn-buckles, the shallower that the angle is, the less lifting function and the more pulling forward function. A 45° angle would be the 50/50 split between lifting and pulling. I'd suggest moving them up to the latch posts as that looks like it would substantially increase the lifting portion of the force.

 

[MarkBC]

For the same tension in the chain and turn-buckles, the shallower that the angle is, the less lifting function and the more pulling forward function. A 45° angle would be the 50/50 split between lifting and pulling. I'd suggest moving them up to the latch posts as that looks like it would substantially increase the lifting portion of the force.

Definitely: Greater component of force ↑ -- in the lifting direction if the top end of the chain was anchored higher on the truck.
Unless...there's some reason you can't anchor the top of the chain higher...?

 

[RicoV]

That seems true. I had initially considered mounting to the latch posts, but wasn't sure they'd have enough inherent strength to handle the forces involved, figured they might get mangled if I went that way. In your experience, are latch posts generally sturdy enough to handle, say, a 150-lb or so load per post (guessing)?

 

[Alley-Kat]

How about something like this... it's a hard side camper truck bracket.

Maybe a smaller extension for the chain attachmanet point to be a little higher.

And, of course it's just an idea for reference, maybe to make something more specific purpose oriented.

 

[ntsqd]

No experience with anything on tailgate latch posts except closed tailgates, but the basic structure is the same as a door latch. They should be pretty stout to hold the tailgate closed against a load.

I have some of the stake pocket anchors that I used as a short term camper mount at the rear. After taking a significant bump in Utah, I'm not impressed. L-R stake pocket is pretty torqued and the torsional nature of the design works the pocket in ways that it wasn't designed for.

 

[murr]

Since a lowered tailgate is the simplest and maybe best solution, has anyone tried a bra for the tailgate? I'm thinking of a couple of layers of naughyde with 1/8" foam rubber between and likely one could sew it together on a home sewing machine. The camper movement and abrasion would wear through the material in spots quite quickly but there could be enough left to hold the underside in place - which is all you need. The downside is that you might end up telling someone you were making a bra to fit a back side and not the front!

 

[Desertboater]

My Tacoma tailgate has the same issue with my Eagle. It's a bit more of a pain in the neck, but I've come to the conclusion that if I need my spare while the tailgate and camper are on, I can just slide under the truck and turn the crank with a pair of pliers/vice grips. If you are handy with a welder (or can find just the right socket, you might even be able to use a ratchet/socket. Just a thought...

Cheers,
West

 

[DirtBean]

The tailgate strap anchor has loads of strength (your tailgate can hold up several hundred pounds), but you need a stiff piece to go back to the tailgate hinge to take up the force pulling back. How about make a simple tailgate frame like this one and add taigate straps (only ~$14/ea at auto parts store).

http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/index.php?/topic/3865/page__p__41675__hl__hot%20AND%20water__fromsearch__1&#entry41675

I was thinking about a lighter version of the above to make a little table that folds down at camp and latches up on the road.

 

[ntsqd]

I'm not convinced that a forward support is needed. If the lift is only a couple hundred lbs. max then the forward component will be pretty close to the same. The other turnbuckles should be able to handle that. Downside to adding a forward oriented support is that now it has the potential to be in the way of spare access. Which is what started this whole thing.

 

[chnlisle]

I would agree that no forward support is needed. Further after talking with Marty we agreed that unless you plan to jump up and down on the 16 or so inches that cantilever off the back of the bed, you can lose the tail gate as well. I will be traveling without the tailgate from here on out. Problem solved