Hi all,

I never thought I'd want a lift gate, but repeated, moderate-but-annoying back injuries made me stop and reconsider, when my neighbor suggested he might want to get a liftgate. We're thinking of splitting ownership on one, and I wanted to know if anyone here had any experience with the specific model, below:

Larin Tailgate Lift — 500-Lb. Capacity
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w..._650281_650281

I would also like to know:

1. If anyone can suggest a competitor to the above liftgate?

2. If anyone can list any positives or negatives to liftgates in general?

3. If anyone can list any positives or negatives to this particular Larin/Northern Tool liftgate?

4. If anyone can comment on whether this thing will bounce and rattle like crazy on the back of my stiffly-sprung 1997 F-250? Or will I not even know it's there? I would be putting it on and running 3-6 hours, on certain trips, hauling large items. The 500 lb. capacity is enough for me, generally, but the big plus would be that I could load and unload singlehandedly.

5. How hard are they to get on and off the receiver hitch? It said they weigh 137 lb.

6. Any thoughts on the $500. price?

7. Do they just plug into the cigarette lighter, or must we mod our trucks?

8. Any opinions on Larin products generally, in terms of quality/durability? (I bought a 2.5 ton Larin floor jack 10+ years ago, and it's performed flawlessly, but for a very small leak--and I've yet to see a floor jack that didn't leak--haven't had to add any fluid yet.)

Thanks in advance.

Big Six

 

No liftgate users out there?

 

Well, this one seems like a nice one. Don't know if you will feel it in the back of the truck if you leave it in there all the time, but you surely will hear it banging around a bit. Also you will have to hard-wire it to the truck, with 45amp draw you're looking at 4 gauge wiring at least. Also at near 140 lbs own weight it's gonna be a bit cumbersome to slide in the hitch by yourself, but I'm sure with a helper it will be a piece of cake.