How to remove the tailgate from a pickup Truck
The tailgate of a pickup truck serves one basic purpose: It encloses the bed so you can haul around loads of small items like firewood, or large quantities of loose material like soil and gravel. Tailgates on almost all trucks are also designed to open and align with the bed, providing some extra flat surface when you're carrying long items like lumber.
There are times, though, when the tailgate is a hindrance instead of a help; and it just gets in the way. You might be loading bulky equipment like lawnmowers, or something else that needs to be placed on the bed without the tailgate getting in the way. Perhaps you’ve bought a truck camper that requires you to remove the tailgate to slide it in. You might even have been convinced that replacing the tailgate with a cargo net increases the truck's fuel economy (it doesn’t) or makes your truck look hotter (the jury’s out on that). In any case, almost anyone who owns a pickup will need to take off the tailgate at one time or another. So how do you do it? It's easy.
First, unlatch your tailgate and open it about halfway. Modern tailgates are held on both sides by either a cable with a loop that fits over a post or a folding metal “arm” with a hinge where the elbow would be. If yours has a cable, you merely twist it to remove it from the post where it’s hooked. If the gate is supported by a metal arm, there will be an oval-shaped hole in the end that can slip off the post when it’s been oriented correctly. You may need to open the gate all the way and bend the “elbow” the wrong way--don’t worry, this is the way the tailgate’s been designed.
Remove the supports from both sides and fold them out of the way. Then open the tailgate about halfway and simply lift it up and away from the body. It should slide right off its hinged supports. Beware, even on compact pickups the tailgate is an awkward, heavy chunk of metal; so for full-sized pickups you may want to get someone to help you lift it.When it comes time to reinstall your tailgate, you may need someone to help fold out the supports while you set the tailgate in place. Then just reverse the procedure for “unstrapping” the tailgate and close it up.
Virtually all modern pickup tailgates can be removed this way; whether compact, full-size, or heavy-duty. If the truck has a backup camera, remote locks, or both mounted on the latch area; you will have to disconnect the wiring harness before removing the tailgate. Manufacturers supply a plug to keep dirt and water out of the connections while the camera is disconnected; check the glove box for an odd-shaped plastic cap. Do not drive the truck without this cap in place, or the connections may be damaged.
Older tailgates are a different story, and may require the removal of hinges and the like. Good luck in that case!
