Tailgate theft....How to prevent it....

This one looks like a great choice; do you need to purchase 2 or will it prevent theft installed on only one side?

 

Yeah, Got the hose clamp with the gatekeeper over it, popnlock & the cable washers......

Because the popnlock guards the gatekeeper which guards the hose clamp and the cable washers add another level? Yeah, that's why.

 

IMO - the Gatekeeper is a cleaner installation, paint it to match the truck (or a very close match) and anyone wanting to take your tailgate may not even know it's there until they realize they cannot take the tailgate off. I figured the chances of a tailgate thief walking around with the correct size Hex wrench are probably very small. if you really want to go all out, you could replace the hex bolt that comes with it with a pinhead security bolt. I liked the fact that it's stainless steel so no need to worry too much about corrosion, especially if it's painted. Just my opinion though...

 

I have a 1999, and the tailgate has 4 bolts,- is this still a problem with theft? Do tailgate thieves go around with wrench sets and grab em, or is this just for newer Tacomas?

 

just bought the master lock tailgate lock. and i have no idea why you wouldn't buy one. it was 20 bucks and had free shipping.

 

Just ordered the Master Lock. I also considered the Gatekeeper for the reasons manfredo said. I'll see how the Master Lock fits. Still may end up with the gk.

 

Post up your experience after install and maybe some pics. I am curious to know if this wiggles around or stays in place when the tail gate opens and closes and the truck in motion. Thanks

 

the master lock unit is stainless steel and does not look so rube goldberg like the gatekeeper (imo). you "could" paint it also if you wanted, but there's really no need because it doesn't look bad, in fact it looks intimidating to any potential thief. no arguing it's ten times more secure than the gatekeeper too. thieves are smart and they do travel with tools. eventually they will see this and yes they "may" move on to the next tailgate, or they might come back another day, spend another 20 seconds taking off the gatekeeper and take your tailgate. i think most people, given a choice would rather have a secure, keyed locking mechanism on their tailgate. again, just my opinion.

 

comes with small velcro pieces if you really felt like attaching it more permanently. i didn't and i can't hear it rattle around while i'm driving.

 

Do you have any pics you can post of the Master Lock unit installed? I'm curious how it looks. Here are a couple of pics of the GateKeeper installed and painted to match the truck, since taking these, I've also painted the hex bolt to match the truck so it's hard to tell it's an aftermarket part. I also have a magnetic switch wired to my tailgate, so if you open it, the alarm goes off. I figured a screaming alarm plus a tailgate that could not be easily taken off would suffice. In addition, I didn't want to worry about losing the key(s) and having to figure out how to get a replacement - again, just my opinion.

 

i dont hear it rattling around at all. fits fine

 

Thanks, any pics of it installed?

 

Did not now about this...great info thanks

 

here are some pictures of the master lock unit installed, sorry for the late response. note that if you DO happen to need to remove your tailgate for some reason, you can open the lock and remove it in about 3 seconds, yet another advantage to using this vs. the gatekeeper. as far as losing a key, one key stays at home, and one stays on my taco's keychain along with the ignition key - if i lose those, i've got bigger problems than replacing this key.







note the stainless finish and the weatherproof cover for the cylinder!

 

Thank you guys so much for this info. I got a 2012 3 days ago and this was the very first thing I did to it. I already feel much better about somebody messing with it!

 

Thanks for the pics. I just placed an order!

 

Looks really good, I already have the gatekeeper and the alarm switch in place, but if I had to do it all over again I'd probably go this route...thanks for the pics

 

For those getting the MasterLock here is something I noticed on mine... when closing the gate the little tab pointed out by the red arrow below was pushing against the bed frame and causing it to pop open. I wanted to protect the lock from water as much as possible so I cut that piece off with a razor to allow the rubber plug to stay in place when the gate is closed.

 

For the hose clamps, are you guys doing both sides?

Just got a new 2012 DC.

 

Not unless 2012 tailgates are slotted on both sides.