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Was a time I could drop the tailgate, place myleft hand on the left side, and hop up swinging my legs to the right. ... onto the open tailgate of my '77 and when coming down, I placed a hand on the bed rail and threw my weight to the side as I swung my legs over the bed side to land on the ground, never having really lowered my center of mass more than a foot or two. I'm 70 and those days are past. I don't want a "attached" ladder as I just am not ready to bolt mounting plates, etc to my '77's tailgate.
I have a couple old aluminum ladders that were at Mom's when we settled her estate, but I have no need for them. I'm thinking of cutting one down and coming up with a simple way to secure the top, maybe to my bed across the top of the tailgate. I have grab handles on my bed sides at the rear.
Anyone else? I figure on my '77, it can lay under my new tool box.
I have looked at that too, as well as a "hitch step". But with those, must step on the rear bumper, then throw a leg over the closed tailgate. Not dead set on the short ladder idea, but I was gonna pitch these two ladders as I have my own, though mine are newer, maybe stronger (and heavier) because these other two are old and well used as my Stepfather likely had them in the '50s.
This video caught my attention. I might even would add a extended handle on the left, and hold my right hand on my bed grab handle. I can cut the light step ladder like he did in the video, maybe even rig a retainer chain with a hook to a low mounted tie down I already have in place. I was thinking maybe someone has an idea even better ... just discussing it stirs ideas... Thank You.
Wasn't sure what a decked tool box with built in ladder is. I didn't see the picture lst look, might have had VPN on, but I see now. Different.
I went and measured the rungs on the two ladders I'm thinking about maybe cutting, 12" edge to edge so four rungs will use 3 feet of ladder & leaving a top rung, and a bottom rung. My hitch drawbar is about 13" above ground, the top of the bumper is about 29" above ground, so my open tailgate surface can't be but about 33 or 34" above ground. I have tie downs on my bumper ends, and just inside the bed on each side, so it'd be easy to set the short ladder against my tailgate top guard, run a tie down to each side and the ladder can't then fall. If I made it a a whole rung's worth longer, @ 4 feet it'll work too. If the tailgate is up, the 3 feet would be fine, the 4 feet would greatly increase ladder angle,maybe.Would not want to risk my tailgate finish. Gonna be a few days before I get much done on it though, we are going away for a week in the morning.
Not to scale, I'll try it out next week, but this was / is my thought. My truck is still got rake, but I did lower it 2" last year in back. The green straps are lashing straps that adjust. The blue removable handle would fit either side, secured with wing nuts to the ladder sides. Where there's black on the bed sides inner lip I now have hand holds ... as well as tie downs on the bed rails. If using with the tailgate up, I'd have a means to positively index the ladder top to my bumper, so no scaring my tailgate.
Tbear. Post up a pic of that 77 for us so we can get a feel for what you’re looking for.
Done.in my last post as I posted my idea in drawing above... I'll do some real life mocking up as soon as we get back. Standing on the ground, climbing a ladder, a little higher grip would maybe be easier or more secure?
Sitting here minding an empty house, soon be time to feed the critters again, playing, and come up with a refined idea.
Having a slightly elevated hand hold might be good for several uses. I have some nice 1" OD steel and some next size up that it fits in.
If I add two receptacles of the larger tubing, to bolt in place as shown, cut two pieces of the 1" tube, and add some handlebar grips on
the top (optional),just long enough to provide a grip a few inches above the bed side, they would provide a quick and easy safety grip,
or stop any longer loads like 2x4s, a longer ladder, stuck in over the tailgate, etc from sliding out to the side if hauling?
This picture above was before I did any body work, bed sides, etc a couple years ago. I wouldn't weld, but rather would weld some bolts to
the pipe and bolt the sockets in place, using a couple of these bolt holes currently occupied by carriage bolts. The angles you see are joined
left to right by a 4" wide piece of 1/4" steel crossing under the bed opening, hidden by the tailgate lower portion formed for the hinges.
There is absolutely no "wiggle" of bed sides with the tailgate open ... or shut.
Looks like it would be easy to use the short ladder to come up from the side, like "the end of the tailgate" ... too.
The two poles would easily lay in my new tool box, with the short ladder lying under it. A "lanyard" would make for easy ladder retrieval and use.
Actually ...just adding a step as illustrated earlier up, to under the bumper ends, coupled with the "pole holds" might work well enough alone once the tailgate is dropped. But then ... I already have the ladder makings that were to be scrap anyway ... and might be a safer way.
Updated 03-06-24: I have come up with a better, simpler, no welding alternative. I was busy today, chores, etc ... but as regards the first picture in this post with the red tube, scratch that. I hope to get a chance tomorrow, dryer weather too. It's so simple too, It would be easy to drop a 24" long inch diameter metal pole down through an existing inch ID eye bolt and secure the lower slotted end over an existing U bolt tie down. Then a snap pin or 1/4" bolt would lock it in place. It would go maybe 16" into the bed, but extend maybe 8" above the bed side.
Tbear - I’ve been thinking about your situation. Seems to me there are a number of options on the market that might work. None have the handle you want but these are side mounted so you could use the bed rail perhaps? I’ll keep looking.
I thank you for your time looking. That Amazon option has appeal.
I can get into / out of the bed ... but not with the quick gracefulness I once did. My balance was affected a few years ago leading to surgery and a titanium mesh over a part of my left side skull and was why we ditched the bikes and trike. We used to camp some with just a shell, but air mattress in the floor, a front cabinet, a stand up spare mount, and a TV even, we both would just climb up the rear and over the tail gate to enter or exit .... but no more. I can sit on the TG, then swing my legs up onto it, then slide into the bed away from the TG edge and then stand up, but it is easier and much less drama just walking up a kitchen size folding short step stool and onto the tailgate, already on my feet. The video I posted above looked doable except it's not a Ford, I don't have those tool boxes but higher hand placement while going up or backing down appeals to me.
We are expecting some nice weather after we get home this week, so I'll get to experiment some between other chores.
This looks "doable" maybe, might be "right track / wrong train" ... but an idea? Kind of what I'm looking to do in top post #8, but my idea would work with TG up too?
Good ideas here. I'm not very tall, I'm almost 61, and I can't hop up onto the tailgate of my '97 Dodge Ram like I used to. It has a camper shell on it. Someday, I'll rig up a small ladder, but right now I'm keeping it simple: I keep a milk crate in the bed and I set it on the ground when I need to get into the bed.
Today, after my coffee, treadmill, etc ... I at least got my raised hand holds worked out. I used 1" OD steel tube that once was intended for bar bell use, it's good steel. I used 24" sections. I guess there's 8 or 10 inches above the bed rail when in place. They do have a lean but not so they are unusable. I need to further clean up, sand, paint them. They slip through a stainless steel eye bolt then secure over a U-bolt down lower, and if the tailgate is opened a 1/4" pin or bolt inserted down low locks them in place.
The lower end is currently just polished after deburring drilled holes. You can see the 1/4" bolt slipped through from the rear, it's not gonna slide out, and the tailgate if shut, prevents it even being removed.
I could have moved the upper eye bolts, but that would require new holes.
Those U-bolyt tie downs have been there 35 years, I used them.
That steel sure shines after just sanding, it might get a good sanding, polishing, and clear coating. The notch slips over the U-bolt, the small bolt goes through the U-bolt and locks it together.
That is some pretty steel.
Anyway, these will provide a higher hand hold for a more stable climb.
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Would not want to risk my tailgate finish. Gonna be a few days before I get much done on it though, we are going away for a week in the morning.
