Is there much if any difference between towing a fifth wheel with the tailgate on or using a flowthru tailgate? I have always had a flowthru till now and haven't gotten around to building one yet as I just got the truck and would like to go camping soon.

 

Just don't forget to drop your tailgate before you hookup or drop your trailer !!!!!!!!

 

I tow with a tailgate and I have messed it up after being talked to by someone while setting up. Brain FxxT. Without the wing up, there is huge air blast coming off the front cap of the trailer into the bed. Hard to keep stuff still loaded in the rear of the bed. The towing tailgate will dissipate most of the blast, but not all.

My last truck had a towing tailgate on it. The real tailgate was in its box until I sold the truck. The first time I towed with the 06 I forgot to lower the tailgate and buggered it up on the top.

Don't seem to do anything for fuel mileage either way. Just really easy unhooking and hooking.

Dave

 

I tow our fifthwheel with a vented, "V" shaped tailgate. What I like about it is that I don't have to keep dropping the tailgate for loading the trailer or for that matter when the trailer is off it is easier to climb in and out of the bed without lowering the tail gate. Also when hooking up my utility trailer, or boat you can see it pretty easy. When you get older you need all the advantages you can get {lol}. Mileage, can't tell never had the stock tailgate on.

 

I've used the "v" style and the strap only style but I prefer the stock tailgate for pulling 5vers/gooseneck, this also keeps the factory back up camera for bumper pulls and close parking. As for opening and closing the tailgate, you have to get out to hook and unhook anyway.

 

I can tow with the tailgate in place but because I have a slide hitch, I always fear the pin box coming in contact with the tailgate while in odd maneuvering positions. It gets really close. Plus its just one more thing to worry about.

5th wheel tailgates are stupid expensive so instead I simply take the tailgate off (setting it somewhere safe and out of the way) and then I place a 2x6 in the bed grooves which is specifically for a piece of wood. I curved the bottom edges to match the bed interior and painted it flat black too. Looks pretty cool.....and holds my things from unexpectedly flying out the back.

 

Lots of used rv tailgates out there?

 

I wonder what the reason for that is?

 

Change trucks or upgrade newer year

 

I usually tow with stock tailgate.

I have made some 500 mile plus trips where I just took the tailgate off, to lessen overall weight.

Didn't have any problems with wood, BBQ and 2 gal fuel tanks in back. Was a bit worried they would float out or shift back. I kept everything in front of the hitch, nothing behind it. Worked fine.

 

I have one of those also, and like it for all the same reasons. I do have trouble with stuff lifting out of the rear of the bed. Lost some 14G fabricated small parts and a pruning shear on the way home with them the other day. They blew out at wild angles. Most were lost in the high grassy ditch. Pocket in front of a stock tail gate would have held em in.

The kingpin clears the gate in any reasonable unhook. If it's on a knoll, or the trailer drops a little when it comes off the plate, I'd better stop and raise the landing gear a bit before pulling the gate under the kingpin.

 

Ditto
John

 

My two cents worth. For years before buying a fiver, the v-gate was something I just I wanted when we finally got a fiver until. A friend of mine had a v-gate on his truck. Called and asked if I would ride along with him to pick up a used Shopsmith. Well we had to hoist the darn thing up over the aluminum v-gate or crush the gate. Thank goodness the guy selling it was there to help us. Then when getting to buddies house, it was just he and I. What a cluster. I knew there and then there would be no v-gate. So in 12 years of fulltiming with our fiver that factory tailgate also serves as my work bench. If I would do a v-gate, I would take the factory gate to a good body shop, have them v the factory gate and move the latch downward and over towards the left side. Have seen some like this and they are neat if the shop knows what they are doing.

 

There are some interesting reports on the web on wind tunnel tests with tail gate up and tail gate down. The trucks running solo will actually get better mileage with a normal gate in the up position. They ran mist over the truck to track the wind flow. It seems there is more boiling and wind blustering down in the bed with the gate down. With the gate up, much less gusting inside the bed. They surmise the gate up creates a pocket almost like a bed cover which reduces the vacuum behind the cab. Guess the truck racers are pretty smart with their ramp from the top of the cab down to the tail gate.

I never could see any testing with a fifth wheel in place - - that would be interesting.
Bob

 

I just take my tailgate off.