Tailgate Thefts Are Down

[Ben]

I had no idea this was even a thing, but it's down. I can't believe the backup cameras would fetch anything considering how cheap aftermarket ones are on Amazon, and where is the market for a stolen tailgate?

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2016/06/21/tailgate-thefts-dropped-in-2015/?intcmp=hpffo&intcmp=obnetwork

[MechAg94]

I have heard they are easy to remove.  My brother put a different lug on his to make it hard to remove.  I have no idea why anyone would steal one.  I guess all vehicle parts can be expensive sometimes.

[MillCreek]

When I bought the 2016 Toyota Tacoma, apparently it was a very big deal that the tailgate now locked to prevent these thefts.

[RoadKingLarry]

My 2011 Ram 1500 has a locking tailgate.
The back-up camera in it would probably be expensive to replace.

[wmenorr67]

Considering the beating some of them take and the cost to replace I can see the reason.

But then there is always this:  https://www.google.com/search?q=tailgate+bench&biw=1920&bih=1024&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwir7Jb10cDNAhWINj4KHVldDekQsAQIGw

[RoadKingLarry]

Considering the beating some of them take and the cost to replace I can see the reason.

But then there is always this:  https://www.google.com/search?q=tailgate+bench&biw=1920&bih=1024&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwir7Jb10cDNAhWINj4KHVldDekQsAQIGw

Trivia alert!
Chevy used the same tailgate from 1954 through 1987.
In fact the entire bed box other than fenders was essentially unchanged from '54 to '87.

[Ben]

When I bought the 2016 Toyota Tacoma, apparently it was a very big deal that the tailgate now locked to prevent these thefts.

I've never had a reason to remove it on the F-250 (which I sold this week, so I can't test it now), but on two previous F-150s and a Jeep Comanche, they were really quick and easy to remove.

Still don't see where the market is, unless it's a self-perpetuating market of people who had theirs stolen looking for a deal on a replacement. 

[Kingcreek]

My 1999 F250 came with a locking tailgate (I bought it new). I've never used the lock and for sure nobody would want it now that its rusting out and dented.
I'm hoping to get another 10 years and another 100k miles on it- with or without the tailgate.

[Regolith]

I've never had a reason to remove it on the F-250 (which I sold this week, so I can't test it now), but on two previous F-150s and a Jeep Comanche, they were really quick and easy to remove.

Can confirm the F250 is the same way, at least on the '90 model. You open it a certain amount (IIRC it's about halfway), unhook the side cables, then simply pull the entire thing off. Might take a minute if you're slow.

[Perd Hapley]

Can confirm the F250 is the same way, at least on the '90 model. You open it a certain amount (IIRC it's about halfway), unhook the side cables, then simply pull the entire thing off. Might take a minute if you're slow.

I thought every tailgate ever made worked that way.

Well, except for the one on our old, Chevy station wagon. It was a tailgate when you rolled down the window (by turning the key the opposite way), and opened to the side, if the window was up.