removing tailgate

Website · Post by **dbroada** » 02 May 2006, 12:15

I have decided that to get to the drips of water above my head when I sleep I need to remove the tailgate.

The Haynes manual says....
fully open tailgate
support tailgate with person or prop
remove gas strut from their fixing
undo 4 bolts (having marked where the hinge is)
and refitting is reverse of removing

is this right and how heavy is it? I am a weakling with a bad back. Will I need 1, 2 or more willing helpers?

TIA

Post by **R0B** » 02 May 2006, 13:25

1.yes its right
2.its pretty heavy
3.best done if theres 3 of you..

Website · Post by **dbroada** » 02 May 2006, 14:25

thanks, looks like I need to make some new friends pretty quickly then.

do you need to compress the gas struts much to get them back on or are they already near the top of their travel?

Post by **R0B** » 02 May 2006, 14:33

no compressing to be done.they just go straight back on...you take them off and put the back on with the tailgate up..

do you need to compress the gas struts much to get them back on

Website · Post by **dbroada** » 02 May 2006, 15:18

OK, thanks.

I've only ever used gas struts at work and we always give them a little bit of compression.

thinking about it, it's probably to annoy the fitters rather than any technical reason though.

Website · Post by **dbroada** » 02 May 2006, 20:00

sounds like I'll be sorting the leaks out from outside then.

(really must try harder to make friends.

)

Post by **pictonroad** » 03 May 2006, 09:56

I did it with 2 of us, problem was, the bolts into the van were seized completely and threatening to round...

So we undid the bolts securing the tailgate to the hinge, very easy to do, holding it up wasn't much of an issue really.