# Crushed tailgate - feeling like an idiot



## slowzuki

Not thinking I had a 3000 lb pallet put on our dodge 1 ton truck like we always used to do with our old f350.

Well the dodge has 5th wheel rails and a gooseneck ball on a plate raised up. The rear stringer of the pallet walked itself backwards off the box onto the tailgate on the rough drive home. Squashed the tail gate down to the bumper and then crushed the inner panel in. Can't tell that well but it's now a 3" step at the tailgate to the box.


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## rjmoses

Been there; done that (kinda).

Had to haul water to horses in a distant pasture. Had a two hundred gallon tank full in the bed and a six pack in the front. Bed had a Pendaflex liner in it. Goosed it going up a hill, tank slid out, tailgate went down----need I say more?

Tank, water, tailgait, etc. all over place.

Ouch!

Ralph


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## haybaler101

When my '08 Duramax was brand new, I borrowed a gooseneck trailer to haul hay with. I wasn't familiar with the trailer and did not get the hitch locked on the ball. I had already loaded the loader tractor twice on the trailer, but the third time, I popped the trailer off of the ball. I took off in the hay field and looked in the mirror just in time to see the trailer had not started to move yet. Too late, tailgate was U-shaped. My wife wasn't too happy when she saw repairs being made to a $50,000 truck with an 10 lb. sledge hammer. That tailgate made it 150,000 miles. Replaced with a new one and at 230,000 on the truck that one is shot too.


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## slowzuki

Yep I've never owned a truck this fancy before, I probably invited this because I replaced the damaged plastic top cap last week.


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## Teslan

My dad bought a new GMC a few years ago. He has the bad habit driving around with it open. Backed it into a small hill turning around. Had the tail gate repaired. Looked like new. Within a week backed it into the same hill again! Took off the tail gate and its sitting in our shop. I bought him a cheap gooseneck type tailgate for $125. He hasn't smashed that one in a whole year.


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## TJH

There are only two kinds of farmers, those that have banged up a tailgate, and those that someday will. It's inevitable.


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## slowzuki

I was spoiled with the power tailgate on the last truck, it was 1/8" steel and could take a beating.


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## somedevildawg

TJH said:


> There are only two kinds of farmers, those that have banged up a tailgate, and those that someday will. It's inevitable.


There are those that have banged up their tailgate enough to say the hell with it and use flatbeds....


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## Teslan

somedevildawg said:


> There are those that have banged up their tailgate enough to say the hell with it and use flatbeds....


I thought it was when the whole bed was shot they buy a flatbed?


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## BWfarms

That too Teslan.


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## JD3430

Or just buy the flatbed up front and be done with tailgates altogether


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## Northeast PA hay and beef

Yes my father was always a sound backer. You didnt stop backing until you heard a sound. Don't know how many tailgates and bumper were straightened/repaired/replaced.


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## SCtrailrider

slowzuki said:


> Not thinking I had a 3000 lb pallet put on our dodge 1 ton truck like we always used to do with our old f350.
> 
> Well the dodge has 5th wheel rails and a gooseneck ball on a plate raised up. The rear stringer of the pallet walked itself backwards off the box onto the tailgate on the rough drive home. Squashed the tail gate down to the bumper and then crushed the inner panel in. Can't tell that well but it's now a 3" step at the tailgate to the box.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> IMG_5546.JPG


Looks like a "Wall of shame" entry to me


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## luke strawwalker

We've never had a pickup with the flatbed, but after working for my BIL who replaced his salt-corroded dually bed with a flatbed last year when a deer ran out and smashed the plastic fender off the dually bed for the second time (which got him an instant $2 grand from the insurance company, put $800 with it and had a new flatbed) I gotta say personally I'd go with a flatbed and never look back.

Only thing holding me up is my current work truck is an 02 F-150 Supercrew with the 5.5 foot bed and 300,000 miles on it. Not really worth the expense to buy a flatbed for it (but have considered building my own, thought I'd get the chance last fall when I had a blowout on the passenger rear and figured that it wiped out the entire fiberglass body panel on the side of the steel box) Alas it only busted a piece off the bottom the rest was intact and untouched.

My next truck will get a flatbed though. SO much better than boxes anymore... especially now that these newer trucks are SO friggin' tall you can't hardly see over the bedrail into the box anyway, let alone reach anything in there...

Later! OL J R


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## mlappin

I was cleaning up after some storm damage, backed thru the ditch off the side of the road, picked all the crap up, long enough left the tailgate down. Couldn't pull out cause the plow mount was digging in the sod, slipped her into four wheel drive and backed up a bit to get a little momentum, backed right into a 18" tulip poplar, the tailgate is now a foot bridge over a narrow spot in a ditch thru the woods. No huge loss, just a chevy plow truck anyways.


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## r82230

luke strawwalker said:


> My next truck will get a flatbed though. SO much better than boxes anymore... especially now that these newer trucks are SO friggin' tall you can't hardly see over the bedrail into the box anyway, let alone reach anything in there...
> 
> Later! OL J R


Never thought of it that way, but then again being 6' 4" helps. And I don't think my wife ever has been able to look over side. but she looks up to ME.  Just don't tell her. 

Larry


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## slowzuki

This being my first dually, the dodge's big bulged fenders make over the side use of the bed impossible. Can't step up on the tire to climb in, tossing stuff over the side is hair raising as you are likely to damage the giant bulge. Flatbed would be a good idea.



r82230 said:


> Never thought of it that way, but then again being 6' 4" helps. And I don't think my wife ever has been able to look over side. but she looks up to ME.  Just don't tell her.
> 
> Larry


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## IHCman

I put a Bradford flatbed on my 01 Dodge. Really like it. Wish I'd have done the box delete and put a flatbed on my 14 dodge right away. Seems I always drive my 01 now as I always want to use the flatbed. There is maybe 1 or 2 times a year where i prefer having a box.


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## DSLinc1017

Did something but even stupider (if that's a word) ....

Backed up my GN with brand new Chevy, like a few weeks old new.

Put the tail gate down, crawled in the bed, un hitched the chains and ball.

Crawled out put the landing gear down.

Walked back and noticed the Wiring was still plugged in to the bumper.

Put the tail gate up, un plugged the wiring.

Got back in the truck.

Drove the total of about 3.5 feet before the sudden thud and realization.....

Needless to say those tail gates are expensive, even used!


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## slowzuki

I was looking online and found aftermarket ones without hardware in the 300$ range. I wonder how thin they are? I probably won't bother until it gets damaged worse though.


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## luke strawwalker

r82230 said:


> Never thought of it that way, but then again being 6' 4" helps. And I don't think my wife ever has been able to look over side. but she looks up to ME.  Just don't tell her.
> 
> Larry


I'm 6-1 and do good to look over the side of the box on my nephews (both of them) newer Ford 1 ton SRW's... it's ridiculous! One of them ran off the road and screwed up the passenger side running boards, so he pulled them off the truck altogether (both sides) and I couldn't hardly even get in the truck! When it's easier to get in a semi than a pickup without running boards, the pickup is TOO FRIGGIN TALL IMHO... stupid things run 18's or 20 inch tires on them now... RIDICULOUS!

I wouldn't even TRY to reach anything in the bed unless it was leaned up against the bedrail... if its in the center or front, FORGET IT-- you're climbing into the bed or you ain't getting it...

BIL is 6-3 and HE even thinks the new trucks are too [email protected] tall... LOL

Later! OL J R


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## luke strawwalker

slowzuki said:


> This being my first dually, the dodge's big bulged fenders make over the side use of the bed impossible. Can't step up on the tire to climb in, tossing stuff over the side is hair raising as you are likely to damage the giant bulge. Flatbed would be a good idea.


Yeah those stupid fiberglass dually fenders are the WORST... don't worry, your day will come...

BIL lost TWO of them to deer running into them... ran across the road and hit the side of the truck and busted the dually fenders to splinters... one was when the truck was a year or two old, so he just replaced it with the insurance money. Last one was a year or two ago, and since the truck is pushing 14 years old, he decided to take the $2500 bucks insurance paid for the job and just get a flatbed.... his old box had all the rails underneath the floor rotted out from road salt anyway and the box sides were starting to give, and my sister in law backed into a loading dock and bunged the tailgate good and knocked the mounts off one side (I welded it up and beat crap back straight and got the tailgate back on the truck after she did it, til he replaced the bed).

I saw a video on YouTube the other day about "******* repairs" or some such, that showed a dually fender that something hit and demolished it... pretty new looking truck but they had stitched the cracks shut with zip ties... I mean it was busted like a spiderweb, thing was COVERED with zip ties stitching it back together. Can't find a photo but here's a similar one Google turned up for me right quick so you get the idea... LOL









It ain't pretty but it works and didn't cost $2500 bucks to do... LOL

Later! OL J R


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## IHCman

Dad wrecked the endgate on his 97 dodge while unhooking his gooseneck hitch and then closing the tailgate for some reason before driving away. So I gave him the tailgate out of my 01. Didn't even have to paint it as mine was silver and his was similar color (driftwood I think). Didn't take him 6 months to screw up my tailgate in his pickup. He was in a hurry, hooked up to a gravity wagon with a home made gooseneck hitch and didn't close the tailgate. He remembered he didn't close it when he turned and heard a crunch. lol


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## slowzuki

I think the dodge dually has steel fenders. If you wreck it you need a whole bedside.

To add to my luck, my wife got a deer last night in the side of the car. Headlight, hood, fender and door. Parts are 2500$ aftermarket / used.


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