Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire GMC multi function tailgate.

More nooks and crannies for road salt and chemicals to get into, then the rust begins.

My truck has steps , 4 of 'em




Mike

I'm holding out for the elevator...

I replaced my 2005 GMC 2500HD last year with a 2018 GMC 2500HD Duramax in the Denali package. Awesome truck. But I use it as a truck. Took it to Newfoundland and my wife and I brought back 2 bull moose. Between crop damage deer hunting and regular deer hunting, no less than a dozen deer took a ride in the back. Building a house on our 68 acers so the truck is used for a variety of chores.
Regular tail gate. It's what I want, nothing more.
I keep my vehicles clean inside and out. (My 2005 was spotless and no rust in the MI rust belt). The new tailgate is going to collect blood and stuff, salt spray, etc. It might be ok for football games and the urban assault vehicle but it's not for me. YMMV.

JD338

Coming soon to a pickup near you...

Good law.

I don't see it as a bad thing. It's purely an option, and GM still offers the standard tailgate. I doubt many fleet buyers of 'WT' work trucks will opt for them, but if you are an older gentleman that could use some help getting into the bed, they are there for the taking. Where I live, even the full time farmers trade their trucks every three to five years, so even they probably won't wear the fancy tailgates out.

The new 350s with the step and handle (all manual) are about as far as I'd care to go down that road. The old company 350 I'm diriving carries a stepladder all the time, both for under the hood AND for loading, unloading. It's a TRUCK that gets used for WORK. All those gimmicks would just get broken within days, or plugged with dust, or frozen shut at the worst possible time. No thanks.

That tail gate has way too many moving parts to be used in an actual work environment. It will be easy to find out of its practical or not, see if its offered in the next model year.

but if the truck isn't used for WORK......its ok....right?......bob

My present F-350 is a good 4" taller than the one it replaced, but I attribute that to the FX-4 package.. I need a step-ladder to check the oil - which would be a ton easier if they didn't place the dipstick in the center of the engine near the firewall.. Geez.... And thank God it has the tailgate with the step available so I can at least get into the bed w/o doin' a high-jump...

Yeah trucks are getting taller, higher off the ground. 18" and 20" wheels are the standard now. That new tailgate doesn't have anymore hinges than your cab door or really anymore crevices and everyone seems to have that rust problem worked out. Ford still having problems keeping paint on the hoods, but mostly bodies last a long time now. Sales numbers will solely dictate if this will be an option in the future. It does appear to be a handy feature. Most 4WD trucks are used like sedans most days and rarely used as a rough hauler these days.Most everyone has a trailer or two to use to haul most stuff. I have three different trailers to keep from beating up the bed of my truck that I use regularly.

Same here... I have five trailers that are used for various chores.. I don't mind $2000-$5000 units getting heavily used/beaten up a bit, but I do not like beating the crap out of a $70K+ truck bed.... I just leave the 5th wheel hitch in there 90% of the time.

just don't drop the chevy gate now with a ball in, It will Dent your gate. kind of a design flaw missed on there side. Google it. lots of videos about that now.

Internal combustion engines were gimmicky at one time.

Some feller by the name of Tommy figured that out many moons back.

But will it work with the bumper dumper (with optional clip-on TP holder)?