Been there, Done that. I was coming off a bad weekend of camping, it was raining and I just want to get the truck into the barn.

Line-X doesn't stand up to a 5th whl tongue. I now have a tail gate with a notch in it.

 

Anyone know where I can get a new or newer tailgate for a decent price?

 

anyone got a picture of a V shaped tailgate? I want some curious fulfillment at someone elses expense

 

I saw a chevy with a beautiful tailgate while camping. It was the stock gate, but he had it altered into a v-gate. It probably cost more to do that than to buy a cheap v-gate. It sure did look good.

 

JKM - Take a look at the pics in my profile. Hope this is what you were looking for?

 

Not quite what i was looking for , i was more interested in a stock tailgate that someone had unintentionally made into a V shape

 

I worked in one of many heavy equipment shops around Nashville. One nice day in the spring a trucker came in to haul off an excavator, loaded it up onto his Pete, chained it down. All of the sudden we heard this awful BBBBAAANNNNNNGGGGGG!!!!!!!!! We all looked outside and he did not lock his 5th wheel, slid right off and down the frame and the pin hung on the last frame rail. We all kinda laughed and said, "whoops". Don't know how his unscrewed that mess, but figured he did not want a bunch of mechanics out there watching him.....embarassing enough......done some stupid stuff myself and it's better if no one is around to see it!!

Good advice a few posts back. Do a walk around, learned that when I got my cdl. Check and double check trailer connections, lights, signals, tires, binders/straps. It's a lot easier to fix it there before you take off and cheaper than killing someone out on the highway with an unsecure load.

 

They make bed savers for your 5th wheel hitch for just such a problem. Bummer

 

My Beds fine it was my tailgate that didn't that didn't do so well.

 

Besides a 5er tailgate, a highly recommended practice is to only lift the landing jacks about 1" and then driving a foot or so. If it is not hooked up, it will fall harmlessly on the jacks. Saved my truck once. Now SOP.
The best thing I ever did on my truck is to lose the std tail gate. I have not used it since, but many of you may need someting stouter from time to time.
I got the steel one from camping world, painted it to match the truck. I have banged it up not putting the kingpin high enough, but a little paint, good as new.
Hope this may save some rails & tailgates, since these trucks are made for haulin!

 

We are full-timers and always on the road. If I gave up my OEM tailgate, I wouldn't have a workbench do any projects on.

 

What is the brand of your tailgate?

I had a "Handy" on my last truck which was great when not towing. When I put on the 5ver the sucker whistled extremely bad. The slats were open at the ends and the turbulence from the 5ver made it sing. Tried to seal it with caulk but couldn't get to all the ends. Most of the time I towed with the tailgate (5ver can't hit it).

 

This winter I saw a new Mega cab dually in an Austin RV park. He didn't have a slider hitch and had creased both sides of the cab. He also apparently dropped his 5ver because both bed rails had a horrible V notch and outside wrinkles down to the fenders.

Bet his insurance company is going to love him when he gets home and gets it fixed!!