Tailgate Comfort Mod - Foam Inserts

Like a lot of other people here, I find the tailgate really painful to kneel on, as well being slippery and a bad surface to place objects on (drinks, plates, etc). There are some plastic and metal replacements out there, but they are expensive, and some are of questionable quality.

I decided to tackle the problem directly. For about $25 in materials, I was able to significantly improve how comfortable the tailgate is, as well as making it somewhat non-slip.




I used a foam exercise mat tile I had lying around and a $15 roll of 1" 3M 5952 VHB foam tape. Cutting the foam mat into 1.5"x12.25" strips with a box cutter, I then beveled the edges 45 deg with a sharp pair of scissors. I cleaned up the tailgate really well with isopropyl alcohol, then I used a 3M Primer 94 adhesion promoter pen (optional) on the tailgate to ensure a strong bond. A rubber hand roller helped ensure the VHB was laid down evenly.




For the slots that had screw heads, I pressed down hard to get an impression, then I scored and cross-hatched the foam and plucked out a divot.


While this likely won't hold up on any beds that see hard use (lumber, tools, etc.), it will suit my purposes just fine. Kneeling is a lot more comfortable, drinks don't topple over now, and my stove doesn't slide around. I pulled at one and it felt pretty secure. You'd have to be trying to pull one up.

 

FANTASTIC MOD!!

This is now on my list of things-to-do. Thank you for coming up with this and sharing it!

 

Thats a great idea. Thanks for for sharing it.

 

Great idea

 

I bet Liquid Nails would hold those strips on till they rotted off.

 

@MESO quit fuckin around and press out a mold of a million of these inserts

 

Pretty cool and cheap mod.

 

Awesome mod. I might try this for my 2010

 

This is amazing. Multiple color options too on Amazon

 

Thought crossed my mind. With a proper mold, you could make something that looked seamless. Thing is, would people be willing to pay $60-70 for this? Also keeping in mind you'd have to make two molds, since four of them are different with the torx screw head. Or just make them all screw head compatible I guess.

I contemplated using JB Weld, but I decided I wanted something removable if need be.

$8 3M VHB 4" X8" Double Sided Foam Adhesive Sheet Tape 5952 Automotive Mounting Industrial Grade Very High Bond 5952 (1 sheets 4"x8")

3M VHB tape, while messy if aged, will still come up fairly easily with the right tools

 

People pay 230$ for a POS. Don't screw shit in, make wedges that are high enough to clear bolts AND non bolts. There will be some ridges but not bad.

 

That's crazy, I no shit had the same idea after reading one of the mountain hatch threads. I figure someone with the know hows of a 3d printer could print out a mold of the ridges. I know nothing about 3d printing, I would think it's an easy shape to replicate.

 

Damn watson i think you may be on to something here

 

Sub for the idea. Thanks

 

I like it!
Hmm . . . I think that I know where I can get a scrap of cushioned diamond tread pattern rubber mat.

 

Kudos, well done!

 

Pretty cool idea! Way to think outside the box. I may just have to try this.

 

Very awesome idea! Hey @vecdran so is that mat dense enough that when you actually get up there on your knees... it supports you enough that it doesn't compress enough that you still feel those dang troughs? I know some of those mats are dense when standing on them - but my weight distributed throughout my footprint is much more spread out than concentrating weight over a few sq inches with me knee. Just curious. This mod just shot up pretty high on my wish list.

 

For me they're dense enough. There's some squish, and I wouldn't drop a knee hard or anything, but it's enough to take it from "FUCK OW" to "hmm, mildly uncomfortable".

 

Great idea, I'm gonna try to find the time to make this happen