Tailgate and ice

[CBsmallbusiness]

Had a surprise today. This weekend was the first “very icy” weather for me with my ‘02 maverick. I loaded up the tailgate for work and took off for the day.
Somewhere in the next 20 miles, the tailgate flopped open.

pretty sure the latches didn’t grab on securely - I was able to knock some ice off the mechanism and it latches just fine now.
Didn’t loose anything that I know of, but thought I’d remind people to clean those tailgates of ice and snow.

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[Ozarkbeard]

Where'd you get an '02 Maverick?

 

[CBsmallbusiness]

Right next to my fat finger…. I find a lot of good stuff there.

 

[Vettereddie]

I had the opposite problem last month, have a Sentry CT roll-up tonneau and ice came through overnight. In the morning I couldn't open the tailgate even though the the handle worked and it sounded like the latches were disengaging.

After it thawed a bit in the sun turns out water migrated under the rubber seal and froze the top of the tailgate to the tonneau cover.

 

[aitch-2-oh]

Not a tailgate open/close infraction, but the OEM tonneau did freeze during an ice/snow event and wouldn’t roll open. Time constraints forced a ‘crawl into the bed’ to get what was needed (pita). If time had permitted, a hair dryer warming the edges would’ve worked.
2-hours later the tonneau rolled up fine. Just another ‘thing’ to monitor, definitely a 1st world problem.

 

[Tim d]

Had a surprise today. This weekend was the first “very icy” weather for me with my ‘02 maverick. I loaded up the tailgate for work and took off for the day.
Somewhere in the next 20 miles, the tailgate flopped open.

pretty sure the latches didn’t grab on securely - I was able to knock some ice off the mechanism and it latches just fine now.
Didn’t loose anything that I know of, but thought I’d remind people to clean those tailgates of ice and snow.

Did you load up the box and leave the tailgate down? Or was the tailgate up and fell down when driving...

 

[linerguy]

I had the opposite problem last month, have a Sentry CT roll-up tonneau and ice came through overnight. In the morning I couldn't open the tailgate even though the the handle worked and it sounded like the latches were disengaging.

After it thawed a bit in the sun turns out water migrated under the rubber seal and froze the top of the tailgate to the tonneau cover.

A little Vaseline on that edge helps

 

[Vettereddie]

A little Vaseline on that edge helps

All jokes aside, great idea.

May try it with O-ring silicone grease instead to ensure it doesn't damage the rubber flap.

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