45 degree tailgate

[P. A. Schilke]

Thanks Phil, that definitely answers some questions! What do you think about wrapping the cable around the latch/hook like others have shown above?

Hi Adam,

I think the wrapping the cable around the latch is okay for some loading like sheets of plywood, but as I do know the tensile strength of the wire. The weak point is where the cable wraps around the latch bracket as it is a pretty sharp bend and you likely would not be able to put 485lbs on the tailgate at 45° angle without some risk. The yellow flat bar shown is likely a good solution, but you now have a couple loose parts that you need to keep track of... I think the cable would likely snap before you would damage the Tailgate unless both cables failed at the same time. Think I might look at fabing up some flat stock and carry it under the rear seat... I have quite a bit of 1/8" by 1½" flat stock and /or Square tubing, left over from when I designed and fabricated our front entrance gate...

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

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[t4thfavor]

Hi Adam,

I think the wrapping the cable around the latch is okay for some loading like sheets of plywood, but as I do know the tensile strength of the wire. The weak point is where the cable wraps around the latch bracket as it is a pretty sharp bend and you likely would not be able to put 485lbs on the tailgate at 45° angle without some risk. The yellow flat bar shown is likely a good solution, but you now have a couple loose parts that you need to keep track of... I think the cable would likely snap before you would damage the Tailgate unless both cables failed at the same time. Think I might look at fabing up some flat stock and carry it under the rear seat... I have quite a bit of 1/8" by 1½" flat stock and /or Square tubing, left over from when I designed and fabricated our front entrance gate...

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

QC Fail, I thought you were ISO90000000000001 certified?

(troll school, class is in session)

 

[SN13]

Hi Adam,

I think the wrapping the cable around the latch is okay for some loading like sheets of plywood, but as I do know the tensile strength of the wire. The weak point is where the cable wraps around the latch bracket as it is a pretty sharp bend and you likely would not be able to put 485lbs on the tailgate at 45° angle without some risk. The yellow flat bar shown is likely a good solution, but you now have a couple loose parts that you need to keep track of... I think the cable would likely snap before you would damage the Tailgate unless both cables failed at the same time. Think I might look at fabing up some flat stock and carry it under the rear seat... I have quite a bit of 1/8" by 1½" flat stock and /or Square tubing, left over from when I designed and fabricated our front entrance gate...

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

I love that you incorporated your love for Jeep Headlights into the bottom of the gate.

(@t4thfavor hired me as a Troll Teaching Assistant)


In all seriousness, I love reading your insights and find myself stopping to read and re-read your posts, especially when you add stories about former Ford Engineering.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

QC Fail, I thought you were ISO90000000000001 certified?

(troll school, class is in session)

Optical Illusion...???? That is why I quite being a mason and went back to developing Trucks...

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[Tracy Bowman]

Optical Illusion...???? That is why I quite being a mason and went back to developing Trucks...

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

Gives it character.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Gives it character.

Hi Tracey,

Agreed...character... Rear it is not visable...the Mexican Blocks are not square in all cases, but I missed this. I have to say it was fun to build the arch and we first fit it with wooden gates that I made and painted turquoise, but wood and Arizona desert caused deterioration. There is a place here that makes such Iron gates, but they are vanilla. Wife wanted Chocolate swirl with nuts. So I embarked on a redesign and when I hit on the half circle of the arch and why not continue it to make a circle, the design flowed out of the drafting pencil onto the paper. Love the creative process and then have it really accomplish what was drawn to scale on engineering grid paper.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[Tracy Bowman]

Hi Tracey,

Agreed...character... Rear it is not visable...the Mexican Blocks are not square in all cases, but I missed this. I have to say it was fun to build the arch and we first fit it with wooden gates that I made and painted turquoise, but wood and Arizona desert caused deterioration. There is a place here that makes such Iron gates, but they are vanilla. Wife wanted Chocolate swirl with nuts. So I embarked on a redesign and when I hit on the half circle of the arch and why not continue it to make a circle, the design flowed out of the drafting pencil onto the paper. Love the creative process and then have it really accomplish what was drawn to scale on engineering grid paper.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

It’s very pretty. I like it a lot.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

It’s very pretty. I like it a lot.

Hi Tracey,

Thanks! Have had a few people want the same gate and wife and I said no as we want it to unique, so the photographed and took it to the Ironworks...They would not produce it as they were concerned it was copywrited...smart company...

Anyway we like it and I have a bunch of scrap metal which with to work!

Best,
Phil

 

[FULLSCALE]

Hi Adam,

I think the wrapping the cable around the latch is okay for some loading like sheets of plywood, but as I do know the tensile strength of the wire. The weak point is where the cable wraps around the latch bracket as it is a pretty sharp bend and you likely would not be able to put 485lbs on the tailgate at 45° angle without some risk. The yellow flat bar shown is likely a good solution, but you now have a couple loose parts that you need to keep track of... I think the cable would likely snap before you would damage the Tailgate unless both cables failed at the same time. Think I might look at fabing up some flat stock and carry it under the rear seat... I have quite a bit of 1/8" by 1½" flat stock and /or Square tubing, left over from when I designed and fabricated our front entrance gate...

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

Thanks for your input! I made something similar for a coworker’s truck using flat bar with a key shaped hole in one end and a stud on the other. It fit into the tailgate latch and over the striker to be used when their ATV was loaded as an added safety measure. Nice looking gate by the way!

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Thanks for your input! I made something similar for a coworker’s truck using flat bar with a key shaped hole in one end and a stud on the other. It fit into the tailgate latch and over the striker to be used when their ATV was loaded as an added safety measure. Nice looking gate by the way!

Hi Adam,

Exactly what I envisioned. I am going out to my shop tomorrow to see if I can fab up some extensions similar to what you did. Super simple and very useful....Congrats on your creativity!

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retied

 

[Texasota]

Hi Adam,

Exactly what I envisioned. I am going out to my shop tomorrow to see if I can fab up some extensions similar to what you did. Super simple and very useful....Congrats on your creativity!

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retied

The joy of being retired!

 

[P. A. Schilke]

The joy of being retired!

Hi Tex,

Yep! Retirement is SO underrated!

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

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