Loading motorcycles up the tailgate

From: Pan Chan (Pan_Chan@iacnet.com)
Date: Fri Feb 23 1996 - 11:35:04 EST


Spring's coming, and as much as I enjoy driving my Dakota, I yearn for my
motorcycle. I asked about this several weeks ago, but let me again:

I have a '95 Dakota. The tailgate, when lowered, is held up by two thin "arms."
The arms are probably aircraft cable within, but w/a black rubber skin around
them. The arms at both ends are crimped in by clasps. If I load a motorcycle
up a ramp onto the tailgate, I do NOT have fear that the arms will snap. But
what I do fear is that the arms will slip out of the clasps.

I got a couple of responses last time from people who've actually loaded bikes
over the tailgate -- one guy w/a Harley, another 400 lb ATV w/the rider himself
being 265 lbs -- but I don't know if they have the same kind of tailgate
support I do. Maybe older Dakotas had a different tailgate support
construction? So, my question is, does anyone have a tailgate as I described,
and has experience w/putting a 500-700 lbs load onto the tailgate?
 



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