Tailgate reinforcement???

My 06 trd tail gate is beat/bent from loading and unloading my dirtbikes and now i have the proverbial " farmers tailgate "

do any of you have any thing for me to try ?

pics?
suggestions?
ideas?

anything ?

Thanks !!!1

 

actually.........there is a tsb from toyota for the tailgate. since yours is bent.......take it in and tell them you want it fixed. they will put the reinforcement in and replace/fix the bent panel and repaint it too.

 

Search GATOR SAVER at TN a guy makes them there and does a GREAT JOB!!!

here you go...
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=174293&highlight=GATOR+SAVER


Oops I guess Seth is no longer making them....
Here is a New guy... I no nothing about him though..

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=263650

 

yeah....seth's gator savers are pretty damn stout!!

 

Says they're no longer available

 

You can have it straightened out?

 

Yeah I edited my thread... the second link i posted is a guy who was going to make it but couldnt get the interest..

Last page there is a guy who made a diamond plate one.. looks ok and cost him around $50 plus time...

Hope this helps..

 

heres a pic of how i reinforced mine:

 

i took mine to a body shop originally and they said that there wasnt anything worthwile they can do aside from entirely replacing it. I ended up finding a local shop that simply used a large board to brace across the tailgate and pry bar with a chain and hook to pull it back a bit. It helped about 90% and was virtually unnoticeable with the factory covers back on it.

 

hey guys thanks for the info.
the dimond plate looks great
i think im going to streighten it back out and bolt some steel flat bar and then get some dimond plate and cover it and what not.


thanks again

 

One similar to the other diamond...

 

that looks good !!!!

 

the diamond plate used on mine was 1/8" and with the bends that are in it, i'd say its probably twice as strong as the tailgate its mounted to. really no need to reinforce it further than the diamond plate if you make one like mine.

 

hey what kind of weights are you puting in the truck that the diamond plate can hold?? any ideas??? Ive got a 700lb cycle that bent my first tailgate, and im not sure if the tsb will cover it due to almost 55000 miles on the truck.

 

well, i load a variety of things. 650lb+rider ATVs, 400lb brush mower, all kinds of stuff. I've even had 3 or 4 people sitting across the edge of it, it's held up real well for me.

 

ok cool thanks!! ill start looking into finding somewhere to bend the diamond plate.

 

Both diamond plate jobs look great!!!!! Good job guys!!!

 

if anyone wants i can probably draw up a CAD drawing of mine so you can get a shop to build it easier and without trial and error.