Had a logger come into the shop the other day with a new 2003 F350. I noticed that the tailgate was bent about an inch down in the middle. I asked him how it happened and he said just from stepping on it while carrying a 80# roller from one truck to another, and heard/felt a pop at the same time. He said he weighs about 250#.

So I would say 300# toward the end in the middle might be max. The 200# figure from Ford is probably correct for traveling down the road with that amount of weight on it.

These newer tailgates feel fairly light when you close them compared to the older trucks. Are there any built-in helper springs inside that take some of the weight off?