One tailgate cable is slack when tailgate is down

JimH

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I thought it might be the damper since the slack cable was on the same side. I disconnected both cables and the damper let the tailgate go down another 4 or 5 inches - so that wasn't the problem. Reconnected only the slack cable and it was tight... swapped cables and the slack one was on the same side as before. Obviously, the problem is the tailgate ... no worries, though, as soon as a little weight is on the tailgate, both cables are tight.
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FrostySaguaro

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Following up on this after a few drinks tonight, I think the point is that these are not cheap trucks, and when the MSRP is 40k+ the expectation would be that ford could get the cable lengths correct from the get go. I'm not worried about their performance under load today, I'm worried about durability of the cable that catches first 10 years down the road, and if I can get it sorted now while it's under warranty I would much prefer that than down the road when there the truck isn't under warranty. Seems to be a lot of machismo on this forum urging people to accept incorrect imperfections because "it's still functioning just fine" even though its not done correctly.

Ford has made 17mm+ trucks since 1997, I do not think having the expectation that they should have the basics figured out on how to assemble a tailgate is too outrageous.
 

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... Seems to be a lot of machismo on this forum urging people to accept incorrect imperfections because "it's still functioning just fine" even though its not done correctly...
Well, it is a truck Forum :wink:
 

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Me thinks that his tights are a little too tight. :crackup:
 


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FrostySaguaro

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worried over a $20 cable over ten years, which has many other ways to wear out from regular use??

10 years - 3650 days

$20 / 3650 = 1/2 cent per day

thats crazy talk...
Nah I'm worried about the $10,000 motorcycle, or 200lb refrigerator that's counting on the cables to do their job while I'm going 80mph down the interstate. That .5 cents per day is nothing compared to causing a multiple vehicle pileup, or killing someone.
 

HenryMac

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Nah I'm worried about the $10,000 motorcycle, or 200lb refrigerator that's counting on the cables to do their job while I'm going 80mph down the interstate. That .5 cents per day is nothing compared to causing a multiple vehicle pileup, or killing someone.
Wow.. you sure jumped off the deep end there Ryan.

The tailgate is only designed to hold 485 lbs. What makes you think your cables can't handle 243 lbs each? I'd bet each one can handle 1,000 lbs.

2019 Ranger Owners Manual Page 213 - Tailgate Weight.jpg


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FrostySaguaro

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:computerrage:
y'all are pretty triggered that someone on an internet forum wants their tailgate cables to be even.

Thanks everyone for your input but I think I'm going to go with the advice from the engineer that has a vast amount of experience on this subject instead of the keyboard warriors that chimed in.
 

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This thread should have ended after three posts. But, like many it has continued and gotten more ridiculous as it went. If it makes you feel better take your truck in to the dealer. Maybe they go out and pull the cables off every Ranger in the lot and find you one that matches one of yours so they are even. I am fairly sure it will give everyone in the shop a good laugh though and a story that will be talked about for some time.
 

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:computerrage:
y'all are pretty triggered that someone on an internet forum wants their tailgate cables to be even.

Thanks everyone for your input but I think I'm going to go with the advice from the engineer that has a vast amount of experience on this subject instead of the keyboard warriors that chimed in.
He said that ford should have made them look better, he didn't say that the tailgate was about to fall off. We wouldn't all be so amused if you'd just left it at "my OCD wants the cables to match" instead of spinning disaster scenarios and trying to turn it into a critical safety issue.

And BTW, as soon as you start talking about people being triggered you've pretty much admitted that you've got no real argument to make and are just throwing insults on the way out.
 

port43

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i still don't get why the cable issue is such a big deal to some people.
under no load the look isn't very appealing...but for the 10 seconds you have the gate open while you load your vegan groceries. its not harming anything, one cable under load is well within it's load limit.
However, if you have a Chevy loving brother in law who determines his manliness but how much better his truck is over yours and continually nitpicks items, and you don't have the cajones to knock his ass into the dirt and embarrass him publicly over his weird Chevy fetish, then you don't deserve a truck either.
if you're using it to haul something, it doesn't take much weight to load up the loose cable.

sit your ass down on the gate and if it's still loose you have an argument that the cable length is way off and only one side is supporting the weight. If they both tighten up, then they are fine.

As for the missing tie downs....FFS the box is 5.5ft long.....and we haul lawnmowers and small shit....how many tie downs do you really think you need????
Grumpy much? ;)

I have a friend who is one of those nit-pickers and years ago he was going on and on about the poor fit and finish of the A-pillar mouldings in a new car I was driving. I pulled over to the side of the road and told him to GTFO and I was dead serious. It was night time and we were in a bad part of Detroit so his apologies were heartfelt and many. He no longer makes unwanted comments.
 

port43

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Cables on my 2020 XLT are the same -- left one is slightly loose when tailgate is open. Both go tight if I lean on the tailgate. As to the tiedowns, I asked my dealer when I bought the truck and he took a couple off of another truck on the lot and put them on my truck.. no muss, no fuss..
Great, now the guy that buys that truck is gonna be on here making a thread wondering why he only has two tiedowns.
 

JimH

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Great, now the guy that buys that truck is gonna be on here making a thread wondering why he only has two tiedowns.
LOL - probably not, the sales manager told me they had some on order and would replace them when they came in..
 

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LOL - probably not, the sales manager told me they had some on order and would replace them when they came in..
Did you take the great deal on the bridge as long as you were there?
 

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Basically this thread is all about when you waste a life worrying about whether toilet paper should hang over the top of the role of off the back and you still use pine cones.:crazy:
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