Max Weight On Tailgate When Open

[tomseeley]

I've got a 2009 2500HD GMC duramax, which I mostly use to tow our RV, but occasionally the DW asks me to go buy something at Lowe's or HD, which I do.

 

I'm curious what is approximately the maximum weight I could safely put on the tailgate when it's down, as I'm loading heavy stuff into the bed itself. I bought 50 landscaping blocks recently, and since no one at Lowe's was OFF break I loaded 48 of them myself before some Lowe's guy sauntered up and asked if I wanted any help! I did it by putting about 6 of them at a time on the tailgate, then I hopped into the bed to slide each of them one at a time from the tailgate into the bed itself, and so forth till all 50 of them were stacked in the bed. It made me wonder how much stress I was putting on the gate, which is cantilevered while it's down (open).

 

In this particular case, each block weighs 22 lbs, so I had about 132 lbs on the gate. Hardly a huge load, but it made me wonder nonetheless.

 

Yesterday, I shopped for a small gas-powered trencher I might rent at HD to dig up part of our back yard. It also made me wonder what kind of load I'd be putting on the gate while loading it into the bed. In this case, I do not know the approx. weight of the trencher, but I could check, of course.

 

I haven't seen the answer in any of the GMC specs I've looked at online, so I thought I'd ask here.

 

Any thoughts?

[96chevy7.4L]

I would think safely you could put a couple hundred pounds on the tailgate with no prob. I wouldn't put more the 600 or so on it though. Just my opinion.

[700 sportsman]

Well lots of people, including my self load their atvs and sleds into the bed, and my atv weighs 800, of course it's only momentarily, not prolonged

[CasualButJiggy]

I think about this all the time when I step on the tailgate and there are 6 80# bags of concrete on it. That's 480 plus my 210 for a few seconds.

[Wingnut]

I'd imagine that the tailgate isn't the weak point. That would be the cables. Which I doubt GM learned their lesson on...Not that they're bad, but I wouldn't put money on them being exactly high-quality.

 

Which is why I never loaded my ATV in my truck without a helmet. My friends made fun of me, but that particular act can go very bad, very fast. And that's quite a ways to fall onto concrete.

[Zembonez]

I think I remember seeing a spec somewhere that the gate was rated at 325 lbs. Not sure if that was for the GMT800 or GMT900 though. Should be similar.

[dogzapper]

I've put VR Tailgate Straps on my last three Chevy trucks. http://www.merchant-automotive.com/vrstain...gatestraps.aspx

 

Twice in the last several years, GM has had a total recall on the silly tailgate cables. Once was because the Chinese part rusted under the plastic and broke.

 

About five years ago, we had a law enforcement tragedy of huge proportions locally. The Hillsboro Police Dept was conducting a motorcycle safety course. After the course was over, three rather fat police officers sat on the tailgate of a 2500HD GMC and picked up all the orange cones off the course.

 

Apparently, three police officers, especially fat ones, is waaaay over the limit for the silly GM cables. The cables, both of them, snapped and it dropped the three cops on the tarmac.

 

The policemen were not wearing helmets, just to pick up cones, but it would have been a stellar idea.

 

In the fall off the truck bed, all three of the cops hit their heads on the pavement. Two were dead and one will be forever a vegetable.

 

Don't trust cables, even to sit on.

 

Get tailgate straps and quit worrying about the weight limit.

 

Steve

 

PS. That reminds me, I DO need to order a pair of tailgate straps for my new RED truck. And I surely will.

[700 sportsman]

Wow, that's kinda shocking

[revrnd]

I think there was a weight limit mentioned when truck owners were mailed letters during the 1st recall. i made a pair of hinges (similiar to those on a C/K truck) for my 2000 when I broke a cable (before the recall).

[Kenbow]

I think there was a weight limit mentioned when truck owners were mailed letters during the 1st recall. i made a pair of hinges (similiar to those on a C/K truck) for my 2000 when I broke a cable (before the recall).

 

 

Me and a buddy got dropped sitting on my gate with replacement cables, DO NOT TRUST them.

[hockeypro1411]

I've put VR Tailgate Straps on my last three Chevy trucks. http://www.merchant-automotive.com/vrstain...gatestraps.aspx

 

Twice in the last several years, GM has had a total recall on the silly tailgate cables. Once was because the Chinese part rusted under the plastic and broke.

 

About five years ago, we had a law enforcement tragedy of huge proportions locally. The Hillsboro Police Dept was conducting a motorcycle safety course. After the course was over, three rather fat police officers sat on the tailgate of a 2500HD GMC and picked up all the orange cones off the course.

 

Apparently, three police officers, especially fat ones, is waaaay over the limit for the silly GM cables. The cables, both of them, snapped and it dropped the three cops on the tarmac.

 

The policemen were not wearing helmets, just to pick up cones, but it would have been a stellar idea.

 

In the fall off the truck bed, all three of the cops hit their heads on the pavement. Two were dead and one will be forever a vegetable.

 

Don't trust cables, even to sit on.

 

Get tailgate straps and quit worrying about the weight limit.

 

Steve

 

PS. That reminds me, I DO need to order a pair of tailgate straps for my new RED truck. And I surely will.

 

...There's still limits. The straps may not break, but the studs that hold them on can bend or break... I see a lot of guys going with these tailgate straps. I might try them out when my cables start to go.

[KMGZ400]

I'd imagine that the tailgate isn't the weak point. That would be the cables. Which I doubt GM learned their lesson on...Not that they're bad, but I wouldn't put money on them being exactly high-quality.

 

Which is why I never loaded my ATV in my truck without a helmet. My friends made fun of me, but that particular act can go very bad, very fast. And that's quite a ways to fall onto concrete.

 

 

haha me too.. i always wear a helmet loading my 650lb atv into my truck... after seeing some horrid youtube videos and now hear people are dying from sitting on the tailgates... uhh yeah.

[jro909]

500 pounds i think is the limit.....i've seen a tailgate snap right off from a moron putting a grand worth of 20 foot lumber in a shortbox and letting the rest of the weight sit on the gate......

[RyanbabZ71]

I had this beast on the tailgate. It was around 350lbs. No issues except it was a struggle to get it out of the bed between my neighbor and myself.

 

On my old truck I had a cable snap when I was standing on it that wasnt fun. That was a few months before the recall happened with the tailgate cables failing (2000 truck)

[chakis24]

i load my atv with ramps on the tailgate. me and my quad combined is over 1000 pounds. any one know what the actual weight limit is?