Who has had their tailgate STOLEN? Or..

My first cb antenna was stolen off my truck in a very high end subdivision. Since moving to the city, my girlfriends license plate was stolen from her red Integra and later recovered on a black Durango.

 

From your post I assume you'd watch two imbeciles steal parts from your truck and not intervene.

 

Intervening and lipping off are two different things. I also make sure that everything is secure to the truck or not in the truck so they can't steal. So they would have to steal the whole truck to get anything from me. I also have my limits. I am not one for risking my life for a bunch of materials, they can be replaced. A life can't. Can't drive your truck or use the stuff in it if you're dead right?

 

If you are ever actually IN a gunfight, I can guarantee that any enthusiasm that you ever had for confrontation will be greatly diminished. Shooting at somebody, and being shot at, are not fun. It is a transformative experience, and irreversible.

Mike

 

Sheesh, they're stealing tailgates now? One more thing to worry about....

 

Your manner of writing reveals a lack of education. Your thought process reveals cognitive limitations. Good luck.

 

It's amazing how many guys, in a fog of testosterone, don't take to heart what you just said. You're 43 times more likely to have a gun get you INTO trouble than OUT of trouble.

 

Did the hose clamp mod and have a shell. Bring on the thieves!!!!

 

Thanks to this thread I installed both a keyed band clamp and did the washer mod. $10 or so cause I needed the torx bit to put the washers on. That's reaaalll cheap insurance compared to what it would cost for a new tailgate, especially one with the backup camera. I didn't even know that this was a thing, but I mentioned it to a friend a few days after putting the parts on, and his buddy had just had his tailgate stolen from downtown SD. Yeesh. So thanks for the heads up TW!

 

how much did you get it for at the junk yard?

 

Could they make him pay for it since that it's his own legal property?

 

what is the hose clamp mod ??????

In my area, they like top steal the cat from under our truck.

 

Here's the hose clamp mod.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/technical-chat/27829-tailgate-theft-how-prevent.html

THere's also a mod putting washers on the cable points but I don't know where the thread is for that one.

mikeg

 

Here is a pic of the washer mod. The idea; not too many thieves carry a male star socket.

I am going to add a spacer that allows more torque on the screw. If you tighten down on the screw as is, you'll damage the blade connector when you close the gate.

I also like the hose clamp mod (excellent idea). I would add JB weld to the socket head. If I ever need to remove the gate I would just snap the head off with a pair of pliers.

Still contemplating encasing the entire clamp in JB weld. I think I would place a sleeve inside the clamp before doing the mod to keep the JB weld off of the pivot.

All great fixes...just hope we aren't educating the a-holes.

 

It's a public forum man, but the more intelligent thieves aren't looking for tailgates...they're looking for bigger payoffs. These deterrents are simply there to keep honest people honest and provide layers of security for those low-life opportunist thieves who might not have thought ahead or done any research.

I just got the clamp and recently installed the poplock. I'm going to stop there. I also installed a key into my spare tire lowering mechanism, which is supposed to help with spare tire theft. I'm sure a thief can go and buy every key mate out there to use on various trucks but that's a lot of trouble for just a spare tire.

Same thing goes with your house or any other possession.

 

I've done the cables, clamp, and washer to mine already with just 250 miles on it. But, I think I will see about getting this..

http://www.jimmijammer.com/GK%20Inst%20Tutorial,%20Toyota%20Tacoma.htm

If it will allow, I will probably still keep the clamp on under it. I will probably end up getting a pop lock too.

On my clamp I thought I would be smart and tighten the adjuster from under the truck, but when the tailgate closes, it rotates upward with it, and it can be loosened without even opening the gate. You can see the head of the adjuster just below the gate when it's closed. (I couldn't find any of the E-Z clamps) So, I plan to have my wife hold the gate at about 45 degrees, to see if I can tighten it that way, and still have it rotate to a spot where its not easy to get to when opened as well.

I'd probably elect to fill the hex hole of the gate keeper with something like JB to keep someone from removing it. I seldom remove my gates for anything, so if I just have to ge tit off, I have sockets for removing stripped bolts that should work fine.

 

Will this key hose clamp from Amazon work? Need to get one installed on my 13'...

$9 Pro Tie 33260 SAE Size 4 Range 1/4"-5/8" Mini Key All Stainless Hose Clamp, 4-Pack

http://www.amazon.com/Pro-Tie-33260...qid=1378752356&sr=1-5&keywords=key+hose+clamp

 

I don't think so, the ones I used were .75"-1.75 clamps, that's only a 5/8".

mikeg

 

Nice find! I think any thief worth his salt is looking for a quick score, and a deterrent like this is just enough to make them walk away.

 

That's so awesome!