Tailgate Limit and loading Motorcycle

[DT444T]

I have loaded bikes time and time again in my Ranger. I keep straps, Canyon Dancers, and a ramp in my truck at all times.

I have hauled my sport bike across the country with the rear wheel on the tailgate.

I wouldn't worry about it.

I also wouldn't haul something as heavy as a Goldwing...

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[Cabose-1]

Tailgate damper allows for 1345 lb weight limit

 

[WhyNot21]

I'm thinking of getting one of these for our scooter. LINK

Would something like this not work for for the OP?

 

[MountainGoat]

Decades ago you would never have to check this but nowadays you never know what dumb s*** manufacturers will pull.

For example my old Tacoma. Owners have bent these just by sitting on them.
View attachment 98893

 

[TISK]

Good Morning !
New member with a question that I am sure as been asked but...

I have a 2019 STX 4 door, so 5' bed. I am going to pick up my new Honda CRF300L dual sport bike next week. Does a full size bike fit in the bed with the tail gate is down?

Thank you!

 

[tfisher15]

Good Morning !
New member with a question that I am sure as been asked but...

I have a 2019 STX 4 door, so 5' bed. I am going to pick up my new Honda CRF300L dual sport bike next week. Does a full size bike fit in the bed with the tail gate is down?

Thank you!

Bike overall length = 87.8”
Bike wheelbase = 57.2”
Truck bed with tailgate down = 85.25”

I’ll let you do the math.

 

[TheDo114]

Decades ago you would never have to check this but nowadays you never know what dumb s*** manufacturers will pull.

For example my old Tacoma. Owners have bent these just by sitting on them.
View attachment 98893

Anybody has a picture like this but for the Ranger? I'm just curious what it looks like.

 

[OFC Ranger]

Bike overall length = 87.8”
Bike wheelbase = 57.2”
Truck bed with tailgate down = 85.25”

I’ll let you do the math.

So the answer to his question is; yes it will fit?

Less than 3" could be the seat poking out or just a smidgen of rubber.

Edit: Googled a picture of his bike. Looks like the license plate bracket / lights are like the last half foot of the overall measurement.

 

[NOVA_Ranger]

Biggest thing to worry about is securing your ramp(s) properly. Loaded many ATVs into the beds of various trucks without issues, most of them well over 500 pounds.

 

[halligan1201]

Anybody has a picture like this but for the Ranger? I'm just curious what it looks like.

I've seen videos of Australian guys removing the skin of theirs to put "overlanding" tailgate covers on and it looks pretty much just like this photo.

 

[Zaph]

I thought I read somewhere that the rating of the tailgate was right under 500lbs.
Is this limit based on the cables? Not sure if they make a more heavy duty cable.

I have a few bikes and one of them is 500lbs. So that certainly seems ok, until I also stand on the tailgate while loading, then we're over the 500lbs.

I'm sure you guys have loaded some motorcycles into the back, how has your experience been?

I believe it's more a concern of the tailgate buckling in the middle than the cables failing.

Don't forget, if the whole bike weighs 500 lb, and if the weight distribution is 50/50, that you only have 250 lb per wheel, so you are probably ok, as both wheels are not on the tailgate at the same time. There is a safety factor too, as others have mentioned.

Not sure what their failure mode is for the 485 lb, so I can't say any more. Does it dent the surface of the gate, or does the hinge fail, or does the cable break? No way to know how to improve the load rating, unless Ford gives more information about exactly what breaks at max load. (or maybe some other selfless brave soul risks the damage and does the experiment)...

Anybody have a tailgate fail? What were you doing when it happened and what broke first?

Yes, I've seen a tailgate fail a couple times loading a motorcycle. Now that I think of it, both were Tacomas. And don't forget that in the process of loading, there is a point when the front wheel is on the corner of the tailgate, the rest of the bike is "on the way up" the corner of that tailgate is supporting more than half the weight of the bike and a portion of the weight of the guy loading too.

Let me tell you guys a nerd story. I've run load calcs on this. I had a buddy loading a a Harley in the back of his truck. Wanted to know if his short bed with tailgate down could handle it. I ended up with a loading diagram of a long right angle triangle representing the loading angle, 2 circles with the wheel diameters and a line from center to center with a fixed point where the center of gravity for the bike was. Then there was another relative fixed point to the bike geometry for the human loading it. Bike was 650, human was 200, and given the angle and length of the ramp, the corner of the ramp saw about max 600 lbs just as the front wheel touched it if I recall. Affecting factors: ramp length was the most. For example a 30 ft long ramp at a 10 degree angle puts almost the entire load on outside corner of the tailgate and it is sure to buckle - but it's easy to load. On the other hand a ramp that is only slightly longer than the wheelbase of the motorcycle will split the load 50% between the ground and the tailgate - but be almost impossible to load due to the angle. So you can kinda see how the calc works.

I wasn't getting the good feels about the tailgate while loading that fat hog. So what we did was put in a 1" thick plywood board that went from the front of the bed to the tip of the tailgate. And for good measure we screwed a wheel chock and some eye anchors into it too. It added reinforcement to the tailgate.

My recommendations:

Dirt bikes - no problem
Standard street bikes - no problem

600cc+ sport bikes - no problem, but: the ramp needs to be a bit longer or you might mash your chin fairing. (ask me how I know this, hahah) That means a higher load on the tailgate. Because of this I recommend being very gentle and and slow while loading. One thing some buddies do to assist, or allow shorter ramps is to back their trucks up to a hill and put the ramp on the hill to decrease the loading angle. Note that some of the "arched" prefab ramps help to keep you from destroying chin fairings also. If your truck is lifted, the "hill trick" is going to help too.

Harleys and Goldwings - Consider a bed reinforcement plywood sheet out to the end like I mentioned above.

 

[TheDo114]

I've seen videos of Australian guys removing the skin of theirs to put "overlanding" tailgate covers on and it looks pretty much just like this photo.

Thanks, I was able to find a picture.

Really not as bad as the Tacoma, only half is full of holes instead of the whole tailgate.

 

[DT444T]

Good Morning !
New member with a question that I am sure as been asked but...

I have a 2019 STX 4 door, so 5' bed. I am going to pick up my new Honda CRF300L dual sport bike next week. Does a full size bike fit in the bed with the tail gate is down?

Thank you!

Welcome to forums. Here's a helpful tip: please do your due diligence in trying to find info that already exists on here before asking. If you were to look up THREE whole posts from the one I'm quoting you would see the picture I posted that answer exactly your question.

And to answer the question you didn't ask, it is possible to get a bike in, on an angle, with the tailgate CLOSED. Provided you do not have a drop-in bedliner.

 

[TICKLE ZOMBIE]

Aloha!

How much weight can the tailgate hold when down?

I don’t plan on placing a tank on it but curious if anyone knows.

Thanks!

 

[T Bone]

Aloha!

How much weight can the tailgate hold when down?

I don’t plan on placing a tank on it but curious if anyone knows.

Thanks!

from the owners manual:
MANUAL TAILGATE
Note: Do not exceed the maximum
permissible tailgate load of 485 lb (220 kg).

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