Tail Gate Strength for loading a Quad

Newbie here:

Just bought a quad that weighs 375 pounds without me on it so lets just say it will be over 600 when I get on.
The guy I am buying from says it will fit in the back of my truck (TRT Sport)

Width of quad 45.3 ehhh (might squeek in), length 72.2 puts the rear tires on the tail gate.

Question I don't trust the tail gate to take the load with 600 lbs on it.

He says no prroblem...what say this group?

Thanks

Cellmate

 

I think I read in the user manual to not exceed 200lbs on the tailgate. So you def might wanna reinforce the tailgate if you plan on driving it up on the tailgate

 

I load and transport a 750cc sport bike with the rear tire on the tailgate and no issues. The bike weighs in the mid 400# range so over 600 with my weight.

Make sure you tie it in well. That last thing you want that quad to do is be able to roll forward and break your rear window.

 

its not the tailgate you worry about, but the cables breaking. mine got hung up between the fender wells, and the ramps spun out from the back tires before it was all the way on. Quad slammed down on the tailgate, cable broke, tailgate hit the bumper. i ended up on my back behind the quad that was standing on end, and my tailgate now has a crease the whole length. and it doesn't close right... take it off for loading quads

 

I drove mine up on the ramps into the bed mine might weigh a little less though. I never noticed any problems

 

You mean like my Kayaks did down in Rocky Point Mexico?

Thanks for the reply, with yours and some other posts confirming this I feel safer.

 

man, i had the exact same thing happen to me. hit my head a lil hard. so i bought a trailer to haul the quad on.

OP, you might consider adding some 3/4'' plywood that goes from front of bed to end of tailgate to help support the weight.

 

I been loading up my Honda Rancher for years now and so far never had a tailgate issue. The tailgate does not seem to be constructed very strong but so far I am surprised

 

Quads have the weight away from the center of the tailgate so is less of an issue...except for cable breakage. 2 wheelers being loaded in center of tailgate seems to be the biggest issue more often than not.

 

i load a polaris 500 in my long bed, and sometimes part of the rear tires are on the tailgate, but 85% of the weight of the quad is in the bed, no problems ever

 

mine was a rubicon, so its pretty heavy. if i haul that bitch from now on my tailgates coming OFF.

 

Again thanks for the replies,
I should have been more specific when I said I was worried about the Load. I was more worried about the loading, and I guess I can sum this up by from what you've all have said with

"it should load fine and it should carry the weight fine...but sh*t happens...cables can break...I can drive off the ramps...breakout my rear window."

with that all said lets go for a ride and have some fun.

 

I just read my 2012 manual and couldnt find anything. But that is a good question, the cables are pretty thin compared to other trucks I dont think 200lb could be the limit, that isnt event 2 people. And in San Antonio, that is about half a person.
It is probably a felony in Texas for a tailgate not to support 2 people.

The manual also says the following right next to each other.

-Do not get on the rear step bumper
-Do not allow more than 1 person to get on the step bumper at a time

Then why the hell call it is a step bumper if you arent suppose to step on it?

 

I never use the step bumper anyways when ever I get in the bed the tailgates down anyways, 99.9 percent of the time I use the tire as a step

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This...........

 

Cellmate, You might want to consider adding "D" rings using the bed bolts in the front of the truck bed. Either Toyota or I have been hearing of Dodge "D" rings working well and they are cheaper.

 

OP: I believe that the tailgate design was reinforced about 2007. I load my 450 pound 4wheeler on mine using ramps about twice a year (I use it for plowing my driveway in the winter, when it is useless in the bush).

To save yourself from crazyness described above (kicking ramps out and destroying everything while risking personal injury), the ramps absolutely must be strapped in. This is something I concluded before ever hearing of anyone describing this possibility as above. I use ratchet straps holding forward to the rear cargo hoops. It may also be a good idea to load in 4wd if your 4wheeler is so equipped.

Also consider that since your truck is a short bed that will hold the back wheels on the tailgate, the only time that the entire weight will be on the tailgate will be during loading. The static weight supported while driving will only be half the weight of the 4wheeler, in your case, only 187.5 pounds. On top of that, a 4wheeler will distribute the weight towards the sides of the tailgate rather than concentrating it at one point. This is much better than, for example, a bike.

 

I took off the tailgate for our colorado trip with my polaris sportsman 800 efi in the bed. The rack i made kept the atv in the bed. Didnt think the tailgate had a chance with all that weight.

 

NEATO I LIKE THAT RACK! how hard is it to remove?

 

Made supports that tie into the steel storage box and then fasten down into bed using front mounting bolts. Made it so if i wanted to pull the top rack off i could leave box bolted in. Bed ramps are removable too. Prob 10 minutes to bolt it in and drive atv up. I strongly suggest ratchet straps holding the ground ramps in place. I mount staps to under side of receiver using the holes on the outboard side of receiver. I bought some heavy duty ratchet straps to hold the atv front and rear. Then used some little ones to secure front tires to the bed ramps and headache rack. Maybe overkill but it stayed put on our trip