Interest in HDPE (plastic) tailgate cover

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SHAGGY101

SHAGGY101

Joined
Apr 13, 2010
Threads
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Location
Panhandle of FL
Hey guys,

I will be cutting out an HDPE (cutting board plastic) tailgate cover for my truck within the next week or 2. I was wanting to see if I should go ahead and order some extra material to cut some more covers. Please only state that you want one if you are actually willing to buy one. I don't want to cut out 10 and then be stuck with 8 for 2 years.

The covers are black (white is also avialble) HDPE. It is 1/2" thick and will replace the existing carpet on your tailgate. It is attached to the tailgate using countersunk screws. You may use nutserts or sheetmetal screws. The contour is exact and was measured using a coordinate measuring device to obtain the exact contours. The edges will also be beveled via router to eliminate any sharp edges.

Having this tailgate cover eliminates the worry of staining your tailgate carpet and cleaning it. The HDPE is food grade so you can prep deer, fish, veggies, etc and it will not absorb into the plastic. It has good lubricity for sliding stuff around on your tailgate also. This is much more durable than the cardboard backed carpet. Please let me know if you have any questions or if you are interested.
 
Also, can someone please post a picture of their tailgate if they have done this?

...cough...Loud...cough...
 
Any idea on cost?
 
Yes, forgot to mention, they are precision cut on a water jet. They will be $325 to your door.
 
Brock said:
dang....I was not expecting that price either. Might have to do my own with a less precise jigsaw and sander on the edges.
Click to expand...
Price put me off a bit, though cmm and water-jet time and the translation between the two to get a finished piece are not cheap. Nor is locating a dozen or so holes correctly so the thing mounts and doesn't look like a mess.

http://www.interstateplastics.com/B....500&qty=1&recalculate.x=108&recalculate.y=19 ...will give you a rough calculation for the material if you input width and length...raining like hell outside or I'd grab a tape now and do it.

Steve
 
yeah but getting a 2x4 foot piece with 1/4 inch thickness as it does not have to be really thick since it is mounted to the liftgate and not a weight bearing surface by itself...we also are not using our Ginsu Knives on it every day....and then to finally shape yourself is only $40 to include processing fee since order is less than $50. Shipping is $27 for UPS Ground...

I dont know how much time is worth on a water jet once the design and program is already loaded one time as they are all exactly the same....surely it is not another $250.

I will have to do my own for that price....I was not aware how much it would be and really was only guessing $150 max since the material is so cheap.

I guess I will be pulling off the carpet to make a template and working on the hole alignment over the next couple weeks before Christmas.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?sku=42590&catid=705
 
Last edited:
Brock said:
yeah but getting a 2x4 foot piece with 1/4 inch thickness as it does not have to be really thick since it is mounted to the liftgate and not a weight bearing surface by itself...we also are not using our Ginsu Knives on it every day....and then to finally shape yourself is only $40 to include processing fee since order is less than $50. Shipping is $27 for UPS Ground...

I dont know how much time is worth on a water jet once the design and program is already loaded one time as they are all exactly the same....surely it is not another $250.

I will have to do my own for that price....I was not aware how much it would be and really was only guessing $150 max since the material is so cheap.

I guess I will be pulling off the carpet to make a template and working on the hole alignment over the next couple weeks before Christmas.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?sku=42590&catid=705
Click to expand...


Yes, you guys are correct in the fact that it is pricey, however, .5" HDPE is not cheap to buy or ship. As for the manufacturing method, the setup and machine time take time and for a smallish run, that is just the way it is. After putting it into my cost spreadsheet, I too was surprised to find the cost to be that much. I beleve that if there is enough interest, say 10 people, it may reduce the price by $25-$50.

Other thicknesses such as .25" or .375" could be looked at as well, however, IMO I would not go less than .375" due to countersink and durability/ longevity purposes (for my intended use).
 
BTW, the minimum size you would need would be 18" x 55.5" (leaves 1" of slop on each side).
 
SHAGGY101 said:
BTW, the minimum size you would need would be 18" x 55.5" (leaves 1" of slop on each side).
Click to expand...

Sounds like we figured it out. For $325 you're not going to have enough takers to make it worth your time and expense. or $325 you could almost buy the wagon gear one.

But the good news is we figured a few things out for.

Lots of us are interested in a tailgate cover.

$100 would be the optimal price point.

People are less concerned with water jet cutting and countersinking than they are about price.

If it could be mounted as 2 18x27.25" pieces, It'd probably be easier to ship.

Open market opportunity for someone to figure out how to make this happen.
 
yeah, figured it was going to be a little longer and a little narrower but I was guessing from my desk...LOL

I was not hating on you but figured I really did not need a thick slab so figured 3/8 would likely work...so checking on local shops that can cut it for me since I can buy the material for less than $50.

I am sure yours is going to look a lot better on the edges....but then again my cargo area is covered in deer, turkey and small game blood stains...some mud....some grease....and lots of dirt since I dont clean it during hunting seasons. LOL

Shipping was only $30 UPS Ground for the 4x2 sheet...sure the 3x5 sheet wont be much more.....then if you do it right you only have to make three cuts with the piece as the straight edge will go toward the cargo area anyhow.

Figured maybe you were an engineering student Zoomie given your location.....hahaha. One of my best friends is a double e graduate of academy and is assigned there in reserves part time....if you ever see a Mark Ellis wandering around lost...hit him up for me. he and his wife are both zoomies actually...she flies for Delta out of SLC now and he is engineer for Food Lion I think. :)
 
Thanks for the input guys. I guess we will see if anyone else chimes in with interest. past 48", the shipping cost tends to jump up quickly (probably something to do with it being over a standard size). A 2 piece system would defiantly work better as far as shipping and price. I however, would not be confident in the fit given there is some variability in the method of attachment to the tailgate. However, if it is what the consumer whats then that the way it is.

BTW, I only see hitting the $100 price point if you do it yourself. I am not a plastics shop so I do not have a lot of the specialized equipment that they have on hand. I do however have other specialized pieces of equipment that are more pricey to operate. This is where a large majority of the price difference you may see come into play. For my pricing I use SAE standards to figure machining, fabrication, and R&D costs.

I am not a zoomie per say but I did graduate last year with an ME degree and am living here waiting to go to pilot training in Texas. I'll keep an eye out for him and make it awkward.
 
SHAGGY101 said:
Also, can someone please post a picture of their tailgate if they have done this?

...cough...Loud...cough...
Click to expand...

I kinda want a new one just because I know how awesome it'll look.

done.jpg
 
Loud, looks like you got a new bunk bed from Ikea.. :grinpimp:

and as long as we're submitting design feedback, having drank on Loud's a few times I'd lobby for some milled-in countersinks, where cans or bottles could rest and not slide- think plastic tailgate liner, like on a Taco. Also a routered-in groove all the way around the thing would be sweet for catching little screws, cotter pins, RC crawler lug nuts, Skittles... you don't realize how slippery that thing is, even when it's somewhat level. A little groove to catch small items would be really handy...
 
nakman said:
a routered-in groove all the way around the thing would be sweet for catching little screws, cotter pins, RC crawler lug nuts
/QUOTE]

YES. I'm tired of loosing little rc lug nuts. That would be awesome.
Click to expand...
 
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