What kind of tailgate lock do you recommend?

But that's not a tailgate lock. It's a security feature for the tailgate. He's looking to prevent the tailgate from being opened easily.

 

I'll rather use a hose clamp....

 

I loved my pop&lock up until the internal mechanism snapped with the tailgate shut. It was a huge pain in the ass to disassemble the tailgate to take it out. Now I have a U bolt mounted to the internal frame of the tailgate and cam strap it to one of the bed mounts. That way, at least with my shell locked, you can't open the tailgate. It probably wouldn't stop a determined thief but would deter someone from walking off with my stuff at a trailhead.

 

On my '09 I have an old Pop and Lock PL5300. It's been working well for four years. Nothing fancy; no electronics. Lubed it well when I first installed it. A little graphite in the keyhole once in a while. No complaints. Seems to have been replaced by

$80 PL5500 , Standard Lock

PL5500 Standard Lock. Now it comes in a bunch of colors, but only came in black when I bought mine.

 

@Jagfan904 How do you like your choice? The lock seems annoying for me since I don't have a camper, the lock seems more of a nuisance than a solution. I like your idea though.

 

^ this.

I think you have to keep the lock lubed with a graphite type lubricant especially if you drive on dusty roads.

Like other posters have wrote, these locks do not seem very robust and things like dust can cause malfunctions. There are no other options for tailgate locks - thus I went with popnlock and keep my fingers crossed.

 

I have the Pop N lock with the actuator.

$107 Pop & Lock – Power Tailgate Lock for Toyota Tacoma, Fits Models 2005 to 2015 (PL8521)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00439Q05S

Wasn't a difficult install, and i haven't had any issues. It is a little loud, but if you wire it up correctly, you can unlock the tail gate with the key fob. I have a folding cover and i feel very safe with my stuff in there with the cover and lock.