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It takes only
once for the Tailgate to get away from you to realize the bad feeling
earned by doing so. The Tailgate is rugged but also relatively
lightweight. It is easy to be in the middle of another task and
decide to pull down the tailgate with one hand only to find it slip away.
The good news is that Toyota provides the necessary Tailgate Cables to
prevent the Tailgate from flipping down and hitting the truck, but the
jolt of a Tailgate getting away from you is something to avoid whenever
possible.
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To the
rescue is the EZ-Down Tailgate Damper
by Stabilus (www.stabilus.com). Once installed the
Tailgate can be literally released to open on it's own with a slow
cushioned drop. I purchased the product from an
eBay
Seller for $54.69 including shipping. As with most all my
eBay purchases, the product arrived fast and properly packaged for
shipping.
Click
HERE to
download installation instructions in .PDF (Adobe
Reader) format. |
I have read
where people had problems with the
EZ-Down gas shock interfering with the
Tailgate cable. I thought I would experience this also, but I found
that there is plenty of room for the shock and the cable with a little
forced closure the first couple of times.
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The
problem that I experienced was the removal of a star headed screw on
the side of the Tailgate. The manufacturer's screw is
virtually welded in place by the paint and Clear Coat and the screw
was impossible for me to budge. In fact, I pretty much
stripped the star head attempting to remove it. I took the
problem to a local muffler shop who I asked to do some other work
for me and they were able to remove the screw and affix the
EZ-Down
bracket for me. Otherwise the installation was easy and
straight forward.
The
product works great and it feels good knowing that anyone in my
family that feels the need to lower the Tailgate will always do so
without the Tailgate plunging down with a thump.
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