Just ordered a louvered tailgait for my F-250

Me Again wrote:
I like my solution. V-Box holds our two sets of golf clubs. Chris

LOL Chris

You guys surely must have "small bags" as in the 3-5-7-9 driver, putter version :B No way my Callaway 14 club bag would fit in that thing.

Signed
5 Handi

OBTW my sticks go in the climate controlled closet, not the red hot bed of my truck :W

A better option for the v gate would be to just take your tailgate off.

Illegal in some states.

SpoiledRotten wrote:

TucsonJim wrote:

4advtr wrote:
I've never really understood why people need the V notch for hitching/unhitching. Opening and closing the tailgate is really easy and I only need to do it once.

When you are hitching and unhitching every day, it just makes it easier. Not only that, on my truck, if you aren't very careful and back in perfectly straight, you can clip the FW with the tailgate. I get around this by having the DW watch the tailgate before the kingpin is locked. If needed, she'll raise the tailgate before I'm completely back. However, if I need to reposition due to being out of alignment a little bit, she'll have to drop it again and repeat.

We're thinking very seriously about getting one of these louvered gates. They even make them where you can install your factory mounted back up camera on them.

Jim, what you've mentioned about your wife lifting and lowering the tailgate while you are moving the truck is yet another very important reason I'm ditching the stock gate. It's put my wife in more of a risky situation than I like her to be in. Body limbs can be damaged or lost by using that method.

Again, not slamming you for doing it because my wife has done the same thing. I was very uncomfortable while that was going on. Won't need that technique any longer.

The V-gate is going to be much better and safer.

It's not risky at all if you stop the truck, and lift the tailgate by reaching in. I agree that if you have to put your body between the gate the and the truck that it's a bad thing and I wouldn't do that.

4advtr wrote:
I've never really understood why people need the V notch for hitching/unhitching. Opening and closing the tailgate is really easy and I only need to do it once.

With our long-bed truck and short-nosed 5-er, it's a 2-person ballet dance: drop tailgate, and as Ed backs up, I stop him when the tailgate is about 6" from the trailer. Since the tailgate still can't be closed, yes, *I* am standing between the truck and 5er as he backs up, until I can close the tailgate.

Yes, I understand how stupid/dangerous this is. If we start camping more often, I WILL be buying a louvered tailgate.

I replaced my stock tailgate for 2 reasons.

1. I found a real good deal on a used Louvered one.
2. My stock tailgate had the step in it and is HEAVY. It takes 2 people to carry it. It is also safely stored in a shed and not subject to theft as they are a hot item. (well over $1k for another).

Just remember, just because it's notched doesn't mean you can back up to the trailer anytime, it must be at hook-up height to clear on mine. Especially if the nose of the trailer is lowered for levelling.

We have and use both. OEM when carrying cargo that needs to be secure, as the old truck doesn't have any tie downs. OEM makes a great backstop. The louvered is used for most trips. We go to some places that require hooking/unhooking with truck angled, and OEM would hit trailer when flat.

That is a great solution, Me Again! I like that. Good looking 5er, too!

I like my solution. V-Box holds our two sets of golf clubs. Chris

SpoiledRotten wrote:
Very nice, Howard! I definitely want to paint mine to match the truck. Looks like it goes with the truck, not just an afterthought.

Thank you. The original color was black and got a little scuffed up over time. I think it turned out very nice, and like you said it doesn't look like an add-on so much.

One thing I ran across with our prior unit that had the fancy cover over the pin box. You still have to be pretty straight backing in or out because the cover would hit the sides of the V. Sometimes it was near impossible and had to unlatch the V gate.