Kicker Tailgate Speaker

inquenciocha · December 20, 2019

Ladies and Gentlemen, lend me your rears... has anyone installed or heard the Kicker Tailgate Speaker? If so, worth it?

inquenciocha · December 20, 2019

Well I purchased it anyway. There's a 25% off coupon with GMC right now. I'd still like to hear reviews or tips on installation.

migrabill · January 16, 2020

Where did you get this coupon? My ordered truck is being built next week and i want the dealer to install the kicker system upon delivery.

inquenciocha · January 18, 2020

On 1/16/2020 at 11:51 AM, migrabill said:

Where did you get this coupon? My ordered truck is being built next week and i want the dealer to install the kicker system upon delivery.

I got it off the GMC accessory website. Unfortunately it was a year end sales event and it's only at 10% off right now. Not sure how long the delivery will take and this sale event but I suggest waiting until you get all your rewards points, use them at the same time. It's like a couple hundred dollars off. Also, keep checking GMpartshouse.com. My dealership price matches but also takes in account for shipping, which ever is cheaper. I'll post pictures when I get a daytime photo. Hope this helps.

inquenciocha · January 19, 2020

So after a couple weeks of playing with it... not worth full price. Dont get me wrong, it sounds good but not pretty good. Definitely loud enough for just about any campsite, bonfire or tailgate party and you get the cool perk of saying, "look at what my tailgate can do". If its bass you want, I'd invest in a good boom box and plug in to the bed. In the end... No Ragrets

Muleytime · January 20, 2020

Yeah, I listened to one the other day and it was very anti-climatic. They need BOSE to offer an option.

Maverick0984 · February 16, 2020

Has anyone done the install themselves? I was watching an install video and it includes drilling 4 holes into the tailgate. Being in a snow riddled area (Chicago) I always worry about opening up possible corrosion opportunity. I suppose if the tailgate is aluminum it's less of a deal though.

jaybauman · February 17, 2020

For my 3500HD, I had to drill only 2 holes (unlike the 4 in the Youtube video). The automotive industry has made great strides in corrosion resistance over the last 20 years; I am not worried.

The installation took me about an hour...with the most difficult step being the blind installation of the amplifier mounting bracket. The parts shop at my dealer says they get 2 hours labor for this installation.

Maverick0984 · February 20, 2020

On 2/16/2020 at 8:48 PM, jaybauman said:

For my 3500HD, I had to drill only 2 holes (unlike the 4 in the Youtube video). The automotive industry has made great strides in corrosion resistance over the last 20 years; I am not worried.

The installation took me about an hour...with the most difficult step being the blind installation of the amplifier mounting bracket. The parts shop at my dealer says they get 2 hours labor for this installation.

Do you like it? Was it worth the price of about ~$575 depending on the day/website?

Are you using it for work? Tailgating? Just curious. Behemoth of a truck, congrats. I'm fine with my 1500 AT4, heh.

jaybauman · February 20, 2020

14 hours ago, Maverick0984 said:

Do you like it? Was it worth the price of about ~$575 depending on the day/website?

Are you using it for work? Tailgating? Just curious. Behemoth of a truck, congrats. I'm fine with my 1500 AT4, heh.

Yes, I like the speaker system. It’s great to be able to listen to music when we’re sitting out by the truck (kids’ soccer practice, while sitting by the camper, tailgating, etc.). Is it worth the price? Considering I’ve dropped about $80k on this truck, it’s only a small part of my investment. We’ve actually used it quite a bit, so for us it has been worth doing.

I have a 31’ travel trailer that we use as much as possible, and I’m challenged to find a half-ton truck (with enough space) that can tow it while keeping within payload and axle capacities. Therefore, I have this so-called “behemoth”. With my previous 2500HD, I was exceeding payload capacity when fully loaded with trailer, family, and gear, so I opted for the 3500HD this time around. I cannot really justify owning a vehicle for just the purpose of towing my RV, so it’s also my daily driver. I’m probably not taking this thing off road all that often (who would? It’s more than 20’ long and weights nearly 4 tons!), so I bought it for the looks—I’m not a big fan of the chromed-out Denali trim.

sandman500lt · April 26, 2020

On 2/20/2020 at 10:37 AM, jaybauman said:

Yes, I like the speaker system. It’s great to be able to listen to music when we’re sitting out by the truck (kids’ soccer practice, while sitting by the camper, tailgating, etc.). Is it worth the price? Considering I’ve dropped about $80k on this truck, it’s only a small part of my investment. We’ve actually used it quite a bit, so for us it has been worth doing.

I have a 31’ travel trailer that we use as much as possible, and I’m challenged to find a half-ton truck (with enough space) that can tow it while keeping within payload and axle capacities. Therefore, I have this so-called “behemoth”. With my previous 2500HD, I was exceeding payload capacity when fully loaded with trailer, family, and gear, so I opted for the 3500HD this time around. I cannot really justify owning a vehicle for just the purpose of towing my RV, so it’s also my daily driver. I’m probably not taking this thing off road all that often (who would? It’s more than 20’ long and weights nearly 4 tons!), so I bought it for the looks—I’m not a big fan of the chromed-out Denali trim.

Did you install the light kit? Is so, where does it plug in??

jaybauman · April 26, 2020

4 hours ago, sandman500lt said:

Did you install the light kit? Is so, where does it plug in??

Yes, I installed the light kit when I was installing the audio system. A plug-in harness and installation instructions were included with the kit. This was a very simple installation.

sandman500lt · April 26, 2020

I didn't get instructions. I plugged them into the tailgate latch plug. That seemed to be the only plug that matched the harness. Do they come on when the tailgate comes down? Or some other way to turn them on?

Maverick0984 · June 8, 2020

On 4/26/2020 at 4:53 PM, jaybauman said:

Yes, I installed the light kit when I was installing the audio system. A plug-in harness and installation instructions were included with the kit. This was a very simple installation.

I installed my speakers and light kit on Saturday. I'm pleasantly surprised with how it sounds and how it turned out. I don't know if it's because my expectations were low because people on this forum really complain about them a lot but I really like them.

Just curious, what's the longest you've gone playing them without starting the car? I can't seem to find a suggested hourly duration that's safe on the battery other than "hours".

Also, what's the capacity of the battery in your truck? Mine's just a standard 1500 AT4 so stock battery but not sure if the larger trucks come with 2 batteries as that used to be an option years ago.

jaybauman · June 8, 2020

A few times, we've listened to the Kicker system for 2 hours at a time. The system pulls a small amount of power, relative to the energy available in the truck battery.

However, I have the Duramax, which gives me 2 batteries.

I say use it as much as you want. Just be sure to close the tailgate when you're finished, as this is the only way to shut it off.