Tailgate not level with bed.

[Old Ranchero]

I’m thinking you’re trying to be the smartest person in the Chat. Your attempts to ridicule Mav owners’ legitimate concerns is Troll like. But that’s ok; a competent Troll can be entertaining.

Lighten up Francis.

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[Bj517]

I determined before buying a Maverick wouldn't possibly meet every use case I might encounter and workarounds would be required. I share an F-150, 6' bed with my wife and purchased a 6x10 box utility trailer to mitigate limitations of Maverick short bed length. Furniture, motorcycles, bales of hay, etc. end up in the other options instead of the Maverick.

Ok that's great for you and yours, but not everyone has the means, space, or desire to own and store multiple vehicles and trailers for multiple use cases.

It's not asking too much of Ford to have measured/calculated properly and manufactured a cable to the proper spec. a^2 + b^2 = c^2

 

[Old Ranchero]

Ok that's great for you and yours, but not everyone has the means, space, or desire to own and store multiple vehicles and trailers for multiple use cases.

It's not asking too much of Ford to have measured/calculated properly and manufactured a cable to the proper spec. a^2 + b^2 = c^2

You guys are assuming there's an official design spec for this, but maybe there isn't. If you read the article about the cables, it implies only a functional spec that the tailgate doesn't hang low enough to contact the bumper. Another poster says he has multiple cables and can't match an even length set. Having worked in multiple departments in manufacturing and production including QA/QC, replaceable piece parts like this nearly always had an allowable tolerance in the published spec and drawings, like 10%+/-. The poster with the multiple different lengths of cables would support this.

 

[Grand Nat.]

The tailgate closes and aligns just fine. And you can't adjust the cable mount points - they're welded on. The problem is the length of the cable. It's like an inch too long.

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

The good news is, on my MY23, the tailgate is pretty co-planer (level) with the bed, but there is some slack in the drivers-side cable. I stopped at my dealer today and ordered a new cable for that side, I may experiment with using a threaded fitting like is used for cable railings and on sailboats, and make an adjustable version.

https://e-rigging.com/products/stai...zLXdLd0RORn0c0IRrLiOt-GEs3vHJsExoCrWQQAvD_BwE

HRG

 

[Bj517]

You guys are assuming there's an official design spec for this, but maybe there isn't. If you read the article about the cables, it implies only a functional spec that the tailgate doesn't hang low enough to contact the bumper. Another poster says he has multiple cables and can't match an even length set. Having worked in multiple departments in manufacturing and production including QA/QC, replaceable piece parts like this nearly always had an allowable tolerance in the published spec and drawings, like 10%+/-. The poster with the multiple different lengths of cables would support this.

So this cable is about 20" I believe. You're saying anywhere between 18-22" is acceptable and within spec? Why aren't we seeing people complain about their tailgates being sloped upward several degrees?

 

[Old Ranchero]

So this cable is about 20" I believe. You're saying anywhere between 18-22" is acceptable and within spec? Why aren't we seeing people complain about their tailgates being sloped upward several degrees?

I have no insider information on Ford's thinking and processes here, just providing food for thought based on manufacturing experiences. Look at your last sentence again. The nugget is why aren't people complaining. Seems like it is very limited altogether.

 

[clavicus]

I have no insider information on Ford's thinking and processes here, just providing food for thought based on manufacturing experiences. Look at your last sentence again. The nugget is why aren't people complaining. Seems like it is very limited altogether.

 

[Old Ranchero]

C'mon man! Misdirection penalty. That's not 20 pages of unique posters with 1 post each complaining. That's like multiple posts from 3 anal retentive whiners and me trying to inject a little reality into their "discussion". Thanks for playing though!

 

[BDennis]

The angle of my 23 tailgate appears level with the bed. Also the cables on both sides have about the same tension, not the sag like I've seen on 22s.

Although the cable at tailgate assist might be slightly less taught when you "pluck" it. Not sure if tailgate assist plate moving cable inboard 1/8" or so can cause that. But it's barely noticable when you feel them and seems fine.

I was wondering if it were fixed in the 23, thx.

 

[BDennis]

You're supposed to use the 3\4 tailgate position for your long, flat loads, and anything longer than 4x8 sheets using the tailgate as a mid way "balance point" doesn't sound smart, or even legal. But you do you.

No the 3/4 position is for carrying items wide enough to sit on the wheel wells such as a 4’ X 6’ plywood.. If you were carry a longer item, but narrower than the wheel wells it OUSD only touch the bed at the very front.

 

[BDennis]

Our stamping and other processes have improved massively since then, and I can't remember even seeing that category even ranked anymore because of industry wide parity. The moral of my story is I had to learn to live with less than perfect on some aspects of my vehicles and ignore it.

The problem is you have learned to accept substandard workmanshi, and may be that is okay with body panel gaps. Problem is this is a weigh bearing part of the truck. At the end of my tailgate using a plane is a .75 gap. It Carrie’s none of the load on longer items.

 

[BDennis]

C'mon man! Misdirection penalty. That's not 20 pages of unique posters with 1 post each complaining. That's like multiple posts from 3 anal retentive whiners and me trying to inject a little reality into their "discussion". Thanks for playing though!

Seems like a good percentage of these 20 pages are you replying that we should all accept it. There is no need that a truck tailgate to actually assist in supporting a load. Come on, a tailgate is supposed to be a load bearing part of a truck bed when houling longer loads. Maverick, with its short bed is more apt than a full size to haul items longer than its bed, making this issue more critical, not less,.

 

[Gonefishin]

It's an issue (and annoys me on my 22) but definitely not a reason to walk away from the truck. That's pretty dramatic. We're talking about a couple $20 cables. Ford or the aftermarket will eventually produce ones that are the correct length

Concur about being overly dramatic. The truck came in today (2023 XLT Hybrid) and the tailgate is fine. I took her home. Since ordering the truck, and subsequently reading many MTC forum posts, I found numerous reasons to worry and/or not buy it. However, once it arrived I was smitten and couldn’t turn her away.

 

[clavicus]

Concur about being overly dramatic. The truck came in today (2023 XLT Hybrid) and the tailgate is fine. I took her home. Since ordering the truck, and subsequently reading many MTC forum posts, I found numerous reasons to worry and/or not buy it. However, once it arrived I was smitten and couldn’t turn her away.

Would you take a pic with a 2x4, level, or whatever flat-ish object across the bed and tailgate and share if your 2023 model is indeed coplanar?

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