# Towing With Tailgate Down



## 2500Ram

Like the title says. Truck and TT are in sig, short box 6' and ATV is 86". Anyone towing with the tailgate down? Issues while cornering etc. I can open the tailgate and have about 5" clearance from the jack (Atwood 3500) but have never looked while towing or turning plus the TT is in winter storage. So I'm looking for other members that have or tried and say never again and why. I will pull the trailer out of storage before I buy anything and will test all turns but would like some info before I have to do that, it's cold here.

TIA


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## Ghosty

Don't know what your clearance DURING the turn will be ... but last year I saw a PU's with the top of their tailgate dented in because of that very reason they said

Don't forget - when you turn .. the tailgate gets CLOSER to the trailer jack and propane cover....

.02


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## Juan

I've looked at my set up and would have to remove the tail gate on my truck to carry my ATV. Luckily, it's only a 2 minute job and no tools are needed. It's worth the extra work to keep the tail gate dent free.


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## Oregon_Camper

Juan said:


> I've looked at my set up and would have to remove the tail gate on my truck to carry my ATV. Luckily, it's only a 2 minute job and no tools are needed. It's worth the extra work to keep the tail gate dent free.


While that is very convenient for you....theives also know this. Probably only take them ~1 min and then you're out ~$700. Mine is locked and I have a hose clamp over the area that allows the tailgate to lift out. The clamp has been stripped so the bad guys would have to have a very long extension and the correct socket to get mine off the truck. My tailgate came with the reserve camera, so this was one of the first things I did to protect it.


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## 2500Ram

I don't yet own the ATV I'm asking about and if the wheels will fit in the bed of the truck I would remove the tailgate. I fully understand the potential of the tailgate hitting the propane cover in a tight turn, just curious if anyone has towed with it down.


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## Oregon_Camper

2500Ram said:


> I don't yet own the ATV I'm asking about and if the wheels will fit in the bed of the truck I would remove the tailgate. I fully understand the potential of the tailgate hitting the propane cover in a tight turn, just curious if anyone has towed with it down.


Not sure what ATV you're planning on putting back there, but my Yamaha WR250 fits with the tailgate closed on my short bed F-350.


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## muddy tires

Good question. I was wondering the same thing. We just picked up a new truck with 6 1/2 bed and I was also wondering about towing with the tailgate down - either for an ATV or extra snowmobile. My ATV is an Outlander Max and I think it's too long so the back wheels would need to rest on the tailgate. I'll see what it looks like with the snowmobile trailer tomorrow.


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## Nathan

Oregon_Camper said:


> Not sure what ATV you're planning on putting back there, but my Yamaha WR250 fits with the tailgate closed on my short bed F-350.


See Jim, good thing you got the Ford. Dodge's short bed is ~8" shorter than yours.


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## Carey

Nathan said:


> Not sure what ATV you're planning on putting back there, but my Yamaha WR250 fits with the tailgate closed on my short bed F-350.


See Jim, good thing you got the Ford. Dodge's short bed is ~8" shorter than yours.








[/quote]

lol.. I say nothing...

eh what the heck. BRAND WAR STARTER!

lol

Carey


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## jetjane

Our first camper was a 8.5' truck camper. We used it in our short bed truck so we always had our tailgate down since the camper actually had to rest on it. We also needed to tow our boat at the same time so my husband built an extension for the hitch. It worked well for us. Maybe the same could be done for your truck if needed. Our boat only had a 200lb tongue weight though.


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## Juan

My truck has a 5 1/2 foot bed. I can fit my Honda 250ex ATV and still close the tail gate. I can fit my brothers Suzuki Z400 or Yamaha Banshee in the bed, but can't close the tail gate. The tail gate hits the back of the rear tires when it's about 1/2 way up. It would be fine without the tail gate on the truck as long as the ATV is secured properly. My ATVs aren't as big as yours, but neither in my truck bed. You might be able to make it work.

And yes, I too keep my tail gate locked to minimize the possibility of it getting stolen.


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## TwoElkhounds

I have about 1" of clearance with my tailgate down. Every time I am hitched up I make absolutely sure I close the tailgate. I have almost no margin for any turn!!

DAN


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## marker

With 5" clearance between your gate top when in the down position and the jack, you are likely all right for anything but a complete jacknife turn. I towed my last trailer that way for a few years with my motorcycle in the bed of the truck and the rear wheel resting on the gate.

Now I have the outback toy hauler and no need to do that anymore so have not tested it, but the front of the Outback is fairly long so you should be OK. Requires a test though to be sure.


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## Just Add Dirt

I have a similar situation; I have 2 ATV's one is a Polaris 2 seater X2 800; similar in lenght as the Outlander Max (which I was thinkin real hard about getting instead), anyway, I put my wolverine in truck bed; also a Ford 6.5 bed, and the Polaris goes into the OB toyhauler with NO room to spare. I looked into putting the polaris into the truck bed; it won't fit unless the tailgate is down,.... then, no clearance for the jackstand on the OB..But alas' I had an idea: how about one of those tail gates for a 5er that is cut out in the middle? it'll clear the Jackstand, when down, and still support the ATV. something like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/...=item19b88ddb3f
OR:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Husky-5th-Wheel-Tailgate-Fits-99-08-Ford-F250-F350-Supe_W0QQitemZ360066291514QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item53d59f973a

Eric


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## Oregon_Camper

Why not get a rack like this? Gives you the entire bed of the truck to still haul stuff (gas, helmet, boots, cooler, etc....)

I don't have a need for this type of rack (yet), but I have bought 4 items from this company and they are all excellent quality.
http://www.discountramps.com/atv-truck-rack.htm


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## H2oSprayer

The picture posted above was the first that came to my mind when I read your post. I don't believe that you will be able to turn very much with just a few inches of clearance that you mentioned. Another thought would be to find a draw bar that was a bit longer. The only drawback of doing that would be pushing the tongue weight even further from the truck axle.


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## 2500Ram

If and when I get the atv, Polaris 500 or 800 sportsman 2 seater. I will try to fit it in the bed first, then build a ramp to sit on the front of the bed by the back window and see if the will create enough clearance to close the gate. If not I have a friend with a sportsman 800 that has his ramp on top of his headache rack so his atv is almost at a 45* angle in his chevy shortbed with tool box. He has plenty of room to spare to close the gate that way. He uses his winch to pull up the ramp and secure the front end and then plenty of ratchet straps to keep the entire rig secure.

I'll keep everyone posted.


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