Interior tailgate handle

[armoredpig]

Having a topper, I wanted a way to open the tailgate from inside the bed.

I searched around for a suitable latch and found that a Mercedes Benz hood latch handle can mount to a flat surface with little cutting.

I also found that a mountain bike brake cable fits the handle perfectly.

I drilled one hole at the end of the plastic tailgate latch and inserted a copper crimp connector to keep the zip tie from eating into it. Otherwise, no drilling inside the tail gate.

You do need to cut a square hole in the access panel, just large enough for the tab to fit through and drill one hole for the retaining screw.

All in all, it works great and I'm glad I didn't modify anything that would be expensive to replace.

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[armoredpig]

Made a handle so I can close it from inside too

 

[D Fresh]

That's pretty slick.

I've got no need for this but kinda want to do it.

 

[THLONE]

Where did you get the DEW holder? nice.

 

[cmbarlow25]

I justs finished installing the same handle on my tailgate. works like a charm. Thanks @armoredpig

 

[underwhelmed]

I could really use this, but I dont have the skills to pull that off. Wow! The ingenuity in this forum never ceases to amaze me!

 

[Msfitoy]

Made a handle so I can close it from inside too

TGD make the opening so much more sophisticated...bonus creds to you!

 

[Mikey B]

Thank you for the great tip Joseph, I picked the same one up from the scrap yard. Looking forward to trip at some point this year. I can't wait to install it. Hopefully all toppers allow for the tailgate to open with the topper door/window closed, one would think so. I'm still making a decision on one, I'll have to look into that to be 100%

 

[Gdub]

Just make sure everything inside is secure. It looks like if something bumped it, it may open the tailgate.

 

[cmbarlow25]

Just make sure everything inside is secure. It looks like if something bumped it, it may open the tailgate.

From my experieence it's actually worse. If everything isn't tight, and the brake cable isn't the exact right length, the tailgate won't open at all. So be sure to leave a T20 torx screwdriver in the bed of the truck just in case you need to remove the access pannel. This happens because the tailgate latch needs to fully retract (when closing) in order to open again. It seems like the internal component sof the latch and locking mechanism were design with an arm inside that locks into position when the latch is released, and it has to go all the way back before that arm will re-engage and allow you to open the tailgate. So, if the brake cable is too short, you will open it once, but the arm inside the latch mechanism won't be able to re-engage, and you won't be able to open it again without removing the access panel and manually asissting it. If the cable is too long, you just won't be able to open it at all. Hope a tleast soem of that made sense, but it took plenty of trial and error trying to get the brake cable the right length to avoid this issue.

 

[Mikey B]

Just make sure everything inside is secure. It looks like if something bumped it, it may open the tailgate.

Good point, I'll look at options, perhaps even recessing it flush with the gate

 

[Mikey B]

From my experieence it's actually worse. If everything isn't tight, and the brake cable isn't the exact right length, the tailgate won't open at all. So be sure to leave a T20 torx screwdriver in the bed of the truck just in case you need to remove the access pannel. This happens because the tailgate latch needs to fully retract (when closing) in order to open again. It seems like the internal component sof the latch and locking mechanism were design with an arm inside that locks into position when the latch is released, and it has to go all the way back before that arm will re-engage and allow you to open the tailgate. So, if the brake cable is too short, you will open it once, but the arm inside the latch mechanism won't be able to re-engage, and you won't be able to open it again without removing the access panel and manually asissting it. If the cable is too long, you just won't be able to open it at all. Hope a tleast soem of that made sense, but it took plenty of trial and error trying to get the brake cable the right length to avoid this issue.

Thanks for that... I didn't think it would be that finicky but I guess it is.

 

[armoredpig]

For what it's worth, my cable has been reliable since I installed it but it did take a lot of trial and error. The cable release doesn't bypass the lock, so if the truck is in motion, lifting the handle won't open the tailgate!

In retrospect, incorporating some sort of cable tensioner would allow for adjustment of the setup

 

[cmbarlow25]

For what it's worth, my cable has been reliable since I installed it but it did take a lot of trial and error. The cable release doesn't bypass the lock, so if the truck is in motion, lifting the handle won't open the tailgate!

In retrospect, incorporating some sort of cable tensioner would allow for adjustment of the setup

Yes, that is a good point to make. I will second that your method (that I copied 100%) doesn't bypass the lock. The cable tenioner idea does sound better than a zip tie. I just worry about that plastic zip tie breaking down and getting brittle over a few summers of texas heat. It could not be a problem for years, until it is.

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