Do I need a new tailgate?

[Mike50]

Did a bonehead move today. Hooked to my trailer and the jack doesnt clear the tailgate, that will be moved next weekend. Anyway I dropped the tailgate to put stuff in the trailer and forgot to close the tailgate and got back in the truck and drove off well you guessed it it put a big dent in the top of the tailgate. Buddy of mine says it needs a new tailgate.

 

[crash68]

Probably more in labor to fix that vs buying a new tailgate and have it painted.
Search around U-Pick/Salvage yards as you may get lucky and find one in the same color as your truck.
Check here: www.car-part.com

 

[Sandevino]

Yes and no. If it opens and closes fine and the camera is lined up you don’t need a new one. Restoring the aesthetics is a different issue.

 

[Mike50]

It does open and close ok. Dont know about the camera yet

 

[crash68]

an added on thought: if you wanted to debadge the tailgate completely now would be the time to buy a new tailgate but the one for the RAM letters and have the letter alignment holes filled in. That would be less body work than patching the indentation for the Ram's head.
Any which way you go, pull the hardware out of your current tailgate and swap it over.

 

[Mike50]

an added on thought: if you wanted to debadge the tailgate completely now would be the time to buy a new tailgate but the one for the RAM letters and have the letter alignment holes filled in. That would be less body work than patching the indentation for the Ram's head.
Any which way you go, pull the hardware out of your current tailgate and swap it over.

Ok thanks

 

[mtofell]

I did a similar move but with my 5th wheel and it's by far easiest to just get a new one. When I compressed the top, the black piece with the handle, key and camera got forced out 1/4" or so. I opened it up and there are some really beefy ridged stiffener pieces to keep the top of the gate strong. Basically, there is no way to bend them back. Maybe some Bondo but that's probably more trouble and kind of a crappy repair. My auto body buddy said the raw gate (without camera, etc.) is around 800-1000 but pretty difficult to find. Painting would be another 400-500 he thought. I'm not sure if he was giving me a deal or if that is full retail. When I realized it was more than 1000 I tuned out and decided to just live with it. Mine is much less noticeable than yours as the damage was under the plastic strip (which I replaced - got it at the dealer for around $75). My biggest issue is the handle piece being pushed out and the lock not working. Camera is fine... thankfully.

 

[bellaireroad]

an added on thought: if you wanted to debadge the tailgate completely now would be the time to buy a new tailgate but the one for the RAM letters and have the letter alignment holes filled in. That would be less body work than patching the indentation for the Ram's head.
Any which way you go, pull the hardware out of your current tailgate and swap it over.

Not sure that’s exactly true. Tigging in a patch isn’t that big a deal



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[Mike50]

Update turned it into insurance getting a new tailgate.

 

[PaulTGarrett]

Dents gives trucks character... Makes them look like you USE them for something! My truck has a similar dent, I think it looks pretty good!

 

[16Ram4x4]

Years ago I bent the top in of the tailgate on my Dakota while backing my empty flatbed trailer up slight turn. Bent it in just enough to **** me off.
So years later I bought a box trailer and you couldn't drop the tailgate without it hitting the trailer jack.
So I did some looking online and found a solution called a Jack-E-Up. It consists of three sided metal plate you mount to your tongue jack and a metal ring with flanges that you mount to your trailer in place of the jack.
Once you hitch up to your trailer, you rotate the jack a third of a turn and remove it. Now you can open your tailgate without damaging it. Best $89.00 ever spent and I found it on Amazon if I remember correctly. They have them in different weight categories and they are only for fixed tongue jacks.