Thieves still able to steal tailgates even with an electric lock?

I agree, I hate thieves. I had my Banshee stolen about 20Y ago and I still cant believe those sons of you know whats.

 

Not true. The nylon band can be cut. The metal band would require tin snips. It has both. it is a fancy hose clamp, but it works well for me.

 

Interesting. The McGard install video in the Amazon listing shows the metal band being cut with household scissors. If the actual part is beefier, great.

 

Sabellco here. Thieves are wise to hose clamps now, don't take that chance to save a couple of bucks.

And no I don't work for them, I just wanted something robust because CA tweakers will absolutely steal the tailgate, spare tire, any loose change, etc in a heart beat.

Told my sister this, she ignored my advice. Had her F250 tailgate stolen in broad daylight in the parking lot of Bass Pro Shop in Rancho Cucamonga. $5K+ for a replacement.

My next door neighbor had his tailgate stolen while his truck was parked in the street in front of his house. He has a Silverado which has a lock, but he forgot to lock it that evening.

 

No... it does not.

Funny how you think I would make this shit up. I own one, I would know.

 

I got mine installed with a tamper proof bolt. If someone steal my tailgate, they earned it.

 

Go to a flea market in a major Texas city and you will see tons of undamaged tailgates with factory locks for sale. Business is so brisk and competitive that several kiosks have tailgate display racks that rival the racks holding Christmas cards at a Hallmark shop

 

The best deterrent for tailgate theft is to do something to it that makes it hard to resell. Like a custom decal or paint.

 

Good idea, but decals can be removed easily, it better be custom paint...

 

If they'er losing tailgates in Hawaii, I'm sure Pot plays some part in it.

Here in Nevada... Meth.

 

Depends on the decal. The old TRD stickers are practically spot welded, but could just be 100% attributable to UV bake

 

Resell for 300bucks

 

Just throwing my 2 cents in on this lively debate (of sorts):

I put the $1.50 hose clamp on my tailgate. Added the $150 tail gate lock myself. And to top it all off (literally), a hard tri-fold cover on the bed. Now saying all that, as my dad used to say, "When there is a redneck will, there is a redneck way."

In most cases, thievery is a case of opportunity (i.e. quick "smash and grab"). But if someone really wants my tailgate, they are going to have to work a little extra hard to get it off. All these previously mentioned items are deterrents, but are not 100% proof.

Now some have mentioned catalytic converters, and my area has seen a lot of hits on small Honda cars. I think within this year alone my dept. took around 25-30 reports for these thefts. I know this doesn't seem like a lot, but we aren't even the biggest city in the county.

 

As far as moisture is concerned, the Pacific Northwest gets a lot of rain. Icing occurs frequently, and depending on location, there is snow too. De-icing and chemicals are used in varying amounts depending on the location.

I packed the lock with grease. The Sabelco looks like new after 3 years. The body is a powder coated 6061 T6 aluminum block.

If it corroded into place, that would be OK! I have no need to remove this Tacoma tailgate.

I’ve done it on a few different F150s over the years, and they weren’t light while doing a one person removal and reattachment, even with the latest aluminum version.

 

Nice! Ordered one myself.

 

Buy a piece of exhaust tubing (stub) at the auto parts store - that just just fits over the RH hinge. $2 at most stores - saw off to suit and paint. Re-install the hinge with the tubing over the slot - so you must remove the screws to get the hinge apart. Torque the screws - then fill the head openings with JB weld.

My grandson can remove a radiator clamp in about 30 seconds..............

 

Just came across this post. Thought I’d post a few pics on what I’ve done. I installed a Pop-&-Lock as well as the SaBellCo lock. Works beautifully to deter thieves!