Exactly what I do as well.
"Tougher" Tailgate
- Thread starter plarsen111
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The big issue is how to fasten it to the tailgate. Those plastic snap ins are only capable of holding so much. Therein lies a big chunk of the problem. If you can solve the fastening problem, everything else will be fine. If we can find a way to attach product with screws in those same holes that were used previously, it will open up a world of opportunity regarding the surfacing.
There is a vendor near me that swears they can put in a soft foam rubber tailgate liner and the texture is similar to what's pictured above...but i'm convinced at this point the only way to do this is to ditch the red plastic snap ins and go to some sort of screw assembly..
Yes, Shane owns LabRak.
^This.
That hard plastic makes my knees hurt just looking at it. Not to mention having dog paws jumping on/off my food preparation surface.
I like that rubber coin material idea a lot. Wonder if you could just fashion a small panel in lieu of the carpeted board to fill in the holes and then adhere the coin material with spray adhesive, overlapping onto the metal gate rim.
I crawl on the tailgate to mess with my kids car seats, a hard panel will be rough on the knees. If and when I do this, I plan on using wing anchors through the OEM clip holes (if will fit). I think this is basically what Labrak uses.
I suppose if you want a hard panel and also a soft top, you could install some toggle fasteners on the hard panel, and some grommets on the soft panel and mount it that way. You could just take the soft top off and hose it down.
what about just take the panel to an upholstery shop and have them install some vinyl over it? it would be both soft and impermeable. can't imagine it would cost a lot in this small footprint.
an idea i just had - what about making a tailgate out of something like horse stall rubber mat or similar material? it's kinda soft, impermeable, and incredibly strong. you could mount it with screws, or if you don't want screws I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard to figure out a way to recess some neodymium magnets around the perimeter (like mounted in a shallow hole filled with rubber adhesive). i can't imagine it moving much at all with a dozen of those magnets holding it on there...and it would be easily removable to disinfect or allow access to the cubby space. actually, i kinda like this idea - maybe i'll try it someday.
an idea i just had - what about making a tailgate out of something like horse stall rubber mat or similar material? it's kinda soft, impermeable, and incredibly strong. you could mount it with screws, or if you don't want screws I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard to figure out a way to recess some neodymium magnets around the perimeter (like mounted in a shallow hole filled with rubber adhesive). i can't imagine it moving much at all with a dozen of those magnets holding it on there...and it would be easily removable to disinfect or allow access to the cubby space. actually, i kinda like this idea - maybe i'll try it someday.
That's what I was thinking. I was looking at it last night and it looked you could 1. Remove the entire panel and lay down (glue down?) the rubber coin material, or 2. As you suggested, remove the carpet from the existing panel and glue it on. I think the second option sounds like the better one to me, and if you ever wanted to go back, you could just order an OEM panel with the carpeting.
I don't think (1) would work as I don't believe it's a solid surface. Haven't had mine off, but from the pictures I've seen I believe there are large access holes. A point load over them would fail the rubber material (I would guess).
You're on the right path or at least you're on the same path I'm on
But the caveat is that the truck rug community swears they can do it cheaper with a similar product. But simple answer is, that would work. The materials are relatively cheap, it's only a matter of fastening it to the tailgate.My big hangup is really how the trim or edges look. I'd be fine with a good list of the rubber truck bed products, but I want the edges to be smooth and look a certain way.
Would love to have something that overlaps the metal edge slightly. Don't know how many times I've scraped my shin on that silly gate design. 
Btw, that idea would work very well. A legit autoupholstery shop could do this one very easily..but it wouldn't work for me for two reasons, 1) my underboard is worn/torn, and I want something water resistant.
There are a couple materials that come to mind that I've worked with for other things.
First is acetal copolymer or alternately Delrin homopolymer. Delrin is more expensive but both will hold a thread tap for machine screws or you could use sheet metal screws. You could get a sheet and use your tailgate board as a template (maybe even water jet or laser cut it.)
Second is playground matting. Made from chipped rubber It is also used in commercial and industrial flooring applications and in thicker versions it's used as horse matting. I used 1/2 inch thick base layer squares to isolate the feet of a machine that was vibrating a concrete floor and I have a an 1/8 inch thick top layer piece as a compressible shim on one of my cargo barrier brackets. I think I was considering using it for ergonomic flooring and had a sample kit. The 1/2 inch material would be heavy for a tailgate but very soft on the knees.
If I were making a tailgate piece that got messy i'd probably use 1/4 inch black acetal but I haven't looked at the tailgate voids under the carpet. Otherwise I'd use aluminum and Velcro down an ergonomic floor mat made of closed cell foam.
First is acetal copolymer or alternately Delrin homopolymer. Delrin is more expensive but both will hold a thread tap for machine screws or you could use sheet metal screws. You could get a sheet and use your tailgate board as a template (maybe even water jet or laser cut it.)
Second is playground matting. Made from chipped rubber It is also used in commercial and industrial flooring applications and in thicker versions it's used as horse matting. I used 1/2 inch thick base layer squares to isolate the feet of a machine that was vibrating a concrete floor and I have a an 1/8 inch thick top layer piece as a compressible shim on one of my cargo barrier brackets. I think I was considering using it for ergonomic flooring and had a sample kit. The 1/2 inch material would be heavy for a tailgate but very soft on the knees.
If I were making a tailgate piece that got messy i'd probably use 1/4 inch black acetal but I haven't looked at the tailgate voids under the carpet. Otherwise I'd use aluminum and Velcro down an ergonomic floor mat made of closed cell foam.
My solution wish list is the product in the video below. The texture they have is perfect.: I need to find a strong, water resistant plastic I can secure to the tailgate. Securing that will be tricky, but not impossible. The US plastics link is a great one!
This truk rug product is out standing. Wonderful soft texture, and the underside is velcroable to the truck bed. If anyone wants to join me in nagging them to make something for LCs...I'm all in.
It's hard to see from their web site but it's really a great material ..problem is they only want to sell custom.
This truk rug product is out standing. Wonderful soft texture, and the underside is velcroable to the truck bed. If anyone wants to join me in nagging them to make something for LCs...I'm all in.
It's hard to see from their web site but it's really a great material ..problem is they only want to sell custom.
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I initially toyed with the chipped rubber you mention. It's a really strong product, but you're right, it's thick. 1/2 inch was too much. What turned me off was I had a difficult time building a trim around the edges, but it''s not a bad bed product..
Where would you recommend purchasing the aluminum, and what specs/grade, etc? I think if I put an aluminum plate that closed off the tailgate and got it secured, it would be a cinch to velcro the bedtred product I found..
This is your cutting board material. http://www.richlite.com/Its the same stuff they use at Pizza Hut for cutting boards. Its layers of paper thin plastic/wood pressed together with resin into whatever thickness and color you need. I have worked with it extensively, there is nothing like it. I build skateboard parks and this is an outdoor surface we use. Its extremely dense and crazy tough. Its used in many applications. Get a sample, its the best option for your cutting board.
Agreed. It's what we use for our cutting boards. Really good stuff. Not cheap, though, and you need good sharp tooling to work it and not burn it. I have plans to bring a tailgate cover to market made from it, but it will be a while yet. My CNC guy is changing locations, and won't be open for business for at least another month. It's an easy diy, though, with the right tooling. I'd use nutserts w/spacers to attach it in the stock locations.
I've tested HDPE, and I personally don't like it. It's not very strong at all.
Here is what I did. Has held up pretty good. The foam could use some support though, maybe the particle board from the factory carpet would work well for support.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/fi...ment-with-foam-flooring-picture-heavy.808311/
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/fi...ment-with-foam-flooring-picture-heavy.808311/
I just used it with skateboard ramps. I use a skill saw and a drill but never had a problem burning. You are probably talking about machining it. I like that it can be polished too. The other company that makes the same material is Ramp Armor. Richlite has a company called Skatelite (thats the skateboard ramp stuff) and we sometimes have bought "blem sheets" that were made too small or out of square. They were $90 per sheet but that was a long time ago.
That product looks good, and that's key. Thin enough and has a good bounce and texture. I bought some tough stuff and its' good, but it's brutal to cut..