I was looking for a better way to get up into the bed of my truck with the tailgate open.
In my search I found the add on steps would cost up to $200, so I kept looking and ran across this step ladder that went on the side of an open tailgate. TraXion Model # 5-100 http://www.traxionproducts.com/inde...ticle&id=46:tailgateladder&catid=75&Itemid=73
I watched the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=na-HIANNiuA on the website and decided to order one. I found that Amazon had the best price of $38 delivered. I read the reviews found on Amazon, which were fairly good and the install problems.
I mounted the steel plate drilling the holes with a 9/32” drill bit and being careful used the supplied screws (caution the screw heads strip easily). I put some grease on the sheet metal screws so they can thread into the tailgate easy and maybe help to keep them from rusting.
I than put together the steel ladder with the supplied 3/8” bolts and locks nuts. The length of the ladder is adjustable so you can set the height of the ladder to your truck’s tailgate.
I purchased some ¾” Velcro tie down straps and used a flat washer with a screw to make my own tie down strap. I made up 2 straps to hold the ladder in place.
The ladder is held on with 2 hitch pins and comes off easily. You can also mount the ladder on either side of the tailgate. Someone mentioned that you can use the ladder as a cargo holder with the tailgate closed by adding a bungee cord to the bottom of the ladder, then to the bed tie down.
What I found were, the paint on the steel parts is thin and my rust in an open truck bed, the screw heads would strip out easily, and the tie down strap was short. I had no problem with the ladder supporting my weight and was stable on asphalt.
Aside from the above shortcomings I think the tailgate step ladder from TraXion was a good buy and a easy install.
Greg
In my search I found the add on steps would cost up to $200, so I kept looking and ran across this step ladder that went on the side of an open tailgate. TraXion Model # 5-100 http://www.traxionproducts.com/inde...ticle&id=46:tailgateladder&catid=75&Itemid=73
I watched the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=na-HIANNiuA on the website and decided to order one. I found that Amazon had the best price of $38 delivered. I read the reviews found on Amazon, which were fairly good and the install problems.
I mounted the steel plate drilling the holes with a 9/32” drill bit and being careful used the supplied screws (caution the screw heads strip easily). I put some grease on the sheet metal screws so they can thread into the tailgate easy and maybe help to keep them from rusting.
I than put together the steel ladder with the supplied 3/8” bolts and locks nuts. The length of the ladder is adjustable so you can set the height of the ladder to your truck’s tailgate.
I purchased some ¾” Velcro tie down straps and used a flat washer with a screw to make my own tie down strap. I made up 2 straps to hold the ladder in place.
The ladder is held on with 2 hitch pins and comes off easily. You can also mount the ladder on either side of the tailgate. Someone mentioned that you can use the ladder as a cargo holder with the tailgate closed by adding a bungee cord to the bottom of the ladder, then to the bed tie down.
What I found were, the paint on the steel parts is thin and my rust in an open truck bed, the screw heads would strip out easily, and the tie down strap was short. I had no problem with the ladder supporting my weight and was stable on asphalt.
Aside from the above shortcomings I think the tailgate step ladder from TraXion was a good buy and a easy install.
Greg