Flat Tailgate Insert
Thread Starter
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8th Gear
Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: Papillion, Nebraska
Flat Tailgate Insert
Good morning. I'd like to make my tailgate a little more useful by replacing the ridged interior insert with a smooth one. I'm looking at this one for my 2020 F-350: Mountain Hatch Tailgate Insert | Ford F350 (2017-2022) (truckbrigade.com). Do any of you have any experience with this or has anyone fabricated their own? I have a spray in bed liner so am wondering how difficult it will be to remove the old insert. Seems like it would be relatively easy to make one but I doubt I'd save much money by doing so. Any advice is appreciated.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 166
Likes: 66
From: Loveland CO & NTB NC
Why would I pay so much for a plastic board? $291 for this one: https://realtruck.com/p/dee-zee-tail.../dez-dz284103/
How about we snag a half inch piece of plywood, cut and paint it? What am I missing?
I like this one and only $179, but I don't see my truck listed: https://danaport.com/products/access...tailgate-step/
How about we snag a half inch piece of plywood, cut and paint it? What am I missing?
I like this one and only $179, but I don't see my truck listed: https://danaport.com/products/access...tailgate-step/
Cross-Country
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 68
Likes: 43
I like the idea. I'm constantly using my tailgate as a workbench servicing chainsaws, etc. Flattening it out would make it a lot more useable. That Mountain Hatch one looks a lot like a sheet of 1/2" Starboard cut to fit. that stuff is VERY expensive but not too far from me there is a marine surplus that sells remnants relatively cheap. For anyone that has never worked with Starboard It can be cut, drilled and routed with common woodworking tools.
Temporarily Deactivated
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 279
Likes: 125
Why would I pay so much for a plastic board? $291 for this one: https://realtruck.com/p/dee-zee-tail.../dez-dz284103/
How about we snag a half inch piece of plywood, cut and paint it? What am I missing?
I like this one and only $179, but I don't see my truck listed: https://danaport.com/products/access...tailgate-step/
How about we snag a half inch piece of plywood, cut and paint it? What am I missing?
I like this one and only $179, but I don't see my truck listed: https://danaport.com/products/access...tailgate-step/
if I wanted a flat surface to work on with my tailgate I’d take the sheet of 3/4” black barn stall mat I keep in the bed of my truck and slide it back onto the tailgate. Now that wouldn’t work if a ton of stuff is in the bed but a guy could cut a section of that barn stall mat to fit the tailgate and use some self tapping screws at attach it to the tailgate.
a 4x6’ sheet is 39 bucks at any farm and fleet type store or tractor supply.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 239
Likes: 43
I like the idea. I'm constantly using my tailgate as a workbench servicing chainsaws, etc. Flattening it out would make it a lot more useable. That Mountain Hatch one looks a lot like a sheet of 1/2" Starboard cut to fit. that stuff is VERY expensive but not too far from me there is a marine surplus that sells remnants relatively cheap. For anyone that has never worked with Starboard It can be cut, drilled and routed with common woodworking tools.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 1,242
Likes: 273
From: South Central Indiana
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Tuned
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 472
Likes: 153
From: Southeast Wisconsin
Anything smooth on a tailgate should require a "Slippery When Wet" sign....
With the possible exception of the horse stall mat. Anybody actually tried that and can share how slippery it is when wet ?
With the possible exception of the horse stall mat. Anybody actually tried that and can share how slippery it is when wet ?
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Temporarily Deactivated
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 279
Likes: 125
One side is flat and the other has a pattern. They Will literally last longer than the truck. Certainly longer than a sheet of plywood and for the same price. This sheet weighs 97lbs so they are extremely dense and indestructible.
Temporarily Deactivated
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 279
Likes: 125
To ice skate on? Not to mention if you have to crawl across the truck bed on your knees. Ouch. Nothing better than barn stall mat
Laughing Gas
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,134
Likes: 263
From: Southwestern Pa.
I help a buddy that does solid surface countertops as a business. We usually make cutting boards out of the sink cutouts...it makes a good material for this. Shops will normally have scraps leftover, but realize that most sheets come in 30" widths, so it would take a 50"+ lengthwise "scrap" to cover a tailgate. With the way that Corian and Hi Macs prices have skyrocketed, that may be a tough find. And then there's the issue of the lack of UV protection, along with it being more brittle when cold and/or unsupported underneath.
Thread Starter
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8th Gear
Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: Papillion, Nebraska
Thanks for all the suggestions, much appreciated. I knew you guys would have good ideas. We use the tailgate when camping - for the grill, the Blackstone griddle, cleaning fish, cleaning game birds, or just setting down a cup of coffee or a beer. I'll probably go with either the horse stall mat or plywood. I had the BedRug in my F-150 but it did not get along well with fish hooks. 
