My last 2 F350s have had their tailgates bent from bales of hay! The present one from a bale tossed about 8 feet and bent it so bad you can see it on the outside! Will a diamondplate tailgate protector stop this? Any ideas? I couldnt believe the damage a 40 lb bale of hay can cause.

 

Why not a flat bed insted of a pick-up bed? I know that I would not be throwing 40lbs of anything at my truck.

 

Needs to be a pickup for all around use. This didnt use to be a problem, just too much cutting corners and lightening

 

You need a piece of heaver gauge then what they would sell to most guys like 11fire5er. .125" or thicker. Problem will transfer then to the Side tailgate cable mounts most likely bend or tear them too

Sorry to hear of a 40 lb bale bending your tailgate. I have a few dents in the sides as well from tossing things in the bed.

For the actual bed I use the heavy horse Stall mats cut to fit.

 

How are they going to get the MPG and the HP if they don't cut the weight. Got to pass the EPA standards that we all must want because they keep foring it on us.

 

I did my reasearch and didn't purchase it for the tailgate. I purchased it to tow my 39' fifthwheel RV. It does a great job for that. Hardly can tell it's back there.

 

I was thinking of a sheet of pressure treated plywood and pulling it out over the tailgate when loading but cleaning the bed later will be a pain.

 

nothomg a sheet of a36 cant fix.

 

I have a 3/16 rubber tailgate mat (for a cushion) thento cover the entire inside of the tailgate is a 3/16'' of cold roll plate that I had cut at a local fab shop. I had the plate Line X on both sides and instaledl it to the tailgate using SS wafer head screws. Looks great and it survives better then the rest of the bed! The fender wells are punched clean through on my 2010!

 

Can you post pics?

I find it tough to believe only 40 lbs bent your tailgate. In a moment of temporary insanity I once had 720 lbs on my tailgate while unloading the sand I used for ballast. The pic is a bit fuzzy, but the tailgate had no troubles with the weight...

But seriously, real sorry to hear about your bent tailgate. I'd be pretty upset if that happened to me!

 

I could understand a 40lb of crete thrown 8ft, but a 40 lb of soft hay. I feel for ya. work truck or not.

 

I can try to post pics and yes it is hard to believe, realy hard. but true and it distorted the outside too.

 

Never attempted to say that you weren't telling the truth, I just am curious enough to wanna see pics!

 

I still dont believe they are that weak. The 02 bale dropped about 10 feet and made a small distortin. The 04 was tossed abot 6 ft horrizontaly and dropped 3 feet. I get hit all the time with bales like that and think nothing of it but this one landed between the bed and taigate and collapsed the botom of the gate and only later did I see the krinkled outer tailgate skin. This is pretty bad for a work truck, I also have a plastic bedliner and tailgate protector

 

Do you have the tailgate step? I wonder if they had to take out support and material to get room to allow for the slide mechanism and stuff. Not to menition they may have tried to lighten it just like they do everything these days to get the fuel economy up to make the feds happy.