FJ62 tailgate capacity

[Zombie Weenis]

I put this in the search box and couldn't find it......Anyone know how much weight a 60/62 tailgate is rated to hold (in pounds)? Mine is an '89 if that matters......

---"Wait Master, it might be dangerous.....You go first."--

 

[corboto]

Mine at least holds me, which unfortunately is about 270 pounds.

 

[klinetime574]

Should hold three grown men fine as well.

The hard board factory piece would probably fail first. The metal is pretty strong.

 

[darwink1]

You could always reinforce it. Doesnt the wagongear lid add some rigidity?

I messed up the factory hard board dealie and made one out of 3/4" UHMW plastic. Used big assed countersunk shoulder bolts (coarse thread self tapper style) that screwed into the factory holes to secure it

Rant
(these massive screws came with my tacoma sliders from all pro, supposedly self tappers into the frame is a good way to secure sliders to your truck, a truck with a thin assed frame to begin with [had to add that in]).
Rant over

I also have a roll of this old fashioned double sided sticky rubber that I used as a seal between the tailgate and the new plastic trim piece. I could be mistaken but the tailgate feels more rigid now and its easier to slide stuff in and out.

D

 

[snowboardonsnow]

It would be interesting to know. I just added a swing off ladder to mine and it seems to multiply the force on the tail gate when I use it. I dont think its close to a limit but it would still be good to know.

Kline three grown men haha, I think I would start to worry anything more then that But thats what like 550#?

 

[snowboardonsnow]

You could always reinforce it. Doesnt the wagongear lid add some rigidity?
D

I think when it fails it would snap the stud on the stopping hinge, or shove the hinges into the body.

 

[corboto]

I messed up the factory hard board dealie and made one out of 3/4" UHMW plastic. Used big assed countersunk shoulder bolts (coarse thread self tapper style) that screwed into the factory holes to secure it

D

You got any pics of this?

I think when it fails it would snap the stud on the stopping hinge, or shove the hinges into the body.

Agreed. The failure point on the tailgate would be the support hinges and not the actual lid.

 

[darwink1]

D

 

[klinetime574]

Kline three grown men haha, I think I would start to worry anything more then that But thats what like 550#?

550-600. I wouldn't do more than that unless you had the lid. And I also agree about the hinges.

 

[Zombie Weenis]

Reason I'm asking is that I was delivering 500 lb. gun safes with my '01 Tacoma single cab. Having that truck with a wife and three dogs was okay, but we now have an eight month old baby. Can't fit us all in the Camry or the Tacoma so the truck had to go. Enter the FJ62! I lay the safes in the bed and slide them out and tilt them off the tailgate. I make some nice side money this way and want to keep doing it, but an '01 Tacoma tailgate has got to be 100 times easier to find than an '89 Land Cruiser. (And cheaper to boot!) I just don't want to risk tearing my gate or hinges off. I searched the forum and Googled it, but can't find the specs anywhere. I appreciate the replies guys. Thanks. Keep 'em coming.

---"Wait Master, it might be dangerous.....You go first."--

 

[snowboardonsnow]

550-600. I wouldn't do more than that unless you had the lid. And I also agree about the hinges.

Well you guys got me thinking because I recently found out only the 80-81 had my tail gate bar and the others don't. Does your guys's tail gates not have a metal top? with three bolt down access doors?
Just curious because of the plastic comment, which btw I like

 

[77TLCFJ40]

How about building some type of support to put under the outer edge when open and loading/unloading. Kind of like a kick stand? I don't know where it would attach and not become a damage multiplier??

 

[corboto]

How about building some type of support to put under the outer edge when open and loading/unloading. Kind of like a kick stand? I don't know where it would attach and not become a damage multiplier??

Yeah, I think you could easily build something like a sawhorse to put at the end tailgate just rest the safe on just as added protection.

But if these gun safes are 5' tall or so, they'll never have their full weight on the tailgate--they'll always be something else helping to hold it up. Either the cargo area of the FJ or you as you slide it out and across the tailgate. I would think that you'd be okay without any extra bracing but it surely won't hurt to have something.

 

[Zombie Weenis]

The whole weight will only be on the tailgate briefly as I slide it to its balancing point and then push down on the bottom end to start it toward the ground. I appreciate all the feedback. I've only had the truck a few weeks and just had a kid and bought a house....money is far from abundant rihht now! =\ Certainly can't afford another tailgate!

---"Wait Master, it might be dangerous.....You go first."--

 

[kevinmrowland]

Well you guys got me thinking because I recently found out only the 80-81 had my tail gate bar and the others don't. Does your guys's tail gates not have a metal top? with three bolt down access doors?
Just curious because of the plastic comment, which btw I like

Can you clarify this at all? There are some differences in the outer trim piece, but as far as i can remember the tailgates have remained unchanged all through the production years.

The whole weight will only be on the tailgate briefly as I slide it to its balancing point and then push down on the bottom end to start it toward the ground. I appreciate all the feedback. I've only had the truck a few weeks and just had a kid and bought a house....money is far from abundant rihht now! =\ Certainly can't afford another tailgate!

I think you are going to be just fine, the gate itself is actually quite week, but it's weakness is to point loads in the center, especially in the part towards the body, even just a well placed knee will start the cave-in process.
With the nature of a safe it's going to be wide and flat and will spread the load across the whole lid, no problem.
You are right in guessing that the load is taken by the support arms at that point, and transferred into the lower sill, but the lower sill is decently reinforced where the hinges attach, and the support arms are held in with 8mm should bolts, that are quite short (so not much leverage) If I remember in the right range an 8mm standard metric bolt has somewhere in the range of 50-70k psi shear strength, I would guess surface area is about .075sq, so lets just guess that each of those point could take 5klbs in shear? No idea if that is even close to right, but you get the point, it would take a lot to shear them off.

Like I said, you will be fine, I have loaded way more than 500lbs in on my tailgate before.
KR