FAQs About Tailgate Damper Kits
- Do you need two tailgate kits per truck?
- No. Only one tailgate kit is required per truck. The EZDown tailgate kit has been specially designed to handle the weight and mechanics of the overall tailgate for each vehicle.
- Which side of the truck do you recommend for installing the EZDown kit?
- The driver’s side of the tailgate and quarter panel are the proper attachment points for the EZDown kit.
- Is it really as easy to install the kit as it appears to be on the video?
- Yes! The hardest part of the installation is getting the original quarter panel bolt that came from the factory loose. This fastener was torqued into place with air tools, so it is tight. After that step, the rest of the EZDown assembly is a cake walk. There is a helpful instruction sheet (single page!) included with each kit, too, to make installation a breeze.
- Can I use it with a spray-on bed liner in my truck?
- Absolutely, in fact you need the help of EZDown if you have a bed liner installed on your tailgate. The normal tailgate on a full size truck delivered from the factory weighs 35–40 lbs.. Once a bed liner is installed on the tailgate, that weight jumps to 75–80 lbs.. The hands-free feature of EZDown relieves you from having to catch and support this weight when opening the truck tailgate.
- What is the purpose of the small rubber pad and heat shrink tubing? (Ford & Dodge kits only)
- The pad and heat shrink tubing are a part of the Ford and Dodge kits only. They are needed to redirect the cable assembly to fold back into the tailgate stow area alongside the EZDown damper. The ideal assembly point for the rubber pad is about 1/8" above the bottom of the damper, once it is installed. Sometimes, bending a “dog leg” into that cable creates a “memory” point for the cable so that it automatically will “behave” and close up inside the stow area when the tailgate is raised into the closed and latched position.
- What is the purpose of the cable tie?
- The cable tie, a tailgate part, again, is only included in the Ford and Dodge kits. It gets assembled just below the foam pad so that the pad stays stationary and does not creep up or down the cable, once installed.
- Does EZDown help when you are closing the tailgate, as well?
- EZDown is not intended to be a tailgate closer. It does, however, counter balance the weight of the truck tailgate as you are closing it. This helps relieve some of the strain of “shouldering” the tailgate when you are trying to get it to close. Also, while closing the gate, if you slip or change your mind, EZDown will take over and begin to slowly reopen the tailgate. This prevents inadvertently having the tailgate slam down on any object that might be under or around the tailgate when you are maneuvering it.
- Is there a warranty?
- Yes! Every EZDown kit comes with a 1 year manufacturer’s warranty. A copy of the warranty appears on this website under policies. The kits have been tested to exceed 1 million cycles of opening and closing, and they have been designed to shoulder 4× the normal forces to which a tailgate would be exposed.
- What if the damper wears out?
- If, beyond the warranty period, the damper weakens or stops working, you can purchase a new EZDown tailgate damper kit. Trying to just buy a replacement damper doesn’t make sense, and would not be supported with a new 1 year warranty. For the affordable cost of the EZDown kits, this is a reasonable replacement move.
- Will the damper work okay in really cold winter weather?
- Yes! The EZDown damper kits have been rigorously tested to current automotive industry test requirements, just like the rest of Stabilus’ automotive products.
- Do the EZDown tailgate damper kits have a quick disconnect feature?
- The Ford and Dodge kits both disconnect easily from the quarter panel bolt. A quick lift on the tailgate and you can disengage the damper by hand for easy storage with the tailgate, if you need to remove the tailgate for towing or other truck use. Once the tailgate is reassembled, simply pop the damper back over the quarter panel bolt to reinstall the EZDown tailgate damper kit. For the Chevy/GMC kit, one lock nut needs to be loosened and reinstalled after disassembling the EZDown damper. Again, the kit can fold and stow easily with the tailgate until reassembled again to the truck.
- After installation, what if the cable assembly tries to jump out of the tailgate storage area when closing the gate?
- Again, this goes back to “cable management” after you have first installed the kit. Putting a slight bend or dog leg in the cable and also bending the cable end fitting on the tailgate slightly toward the center of the truck can “retrain” the cable assembly to slide in next to the damper when the tailgate is being closed.
- What is the delivery lead time for damper kits ordered from the web site?
- All of the EZDown products are in stock and are shipped out the day your order is received. For most destinations in North America, UPS or the postal service delivers in 1 to 4 days.
- Can kits be modified to fit other makes and models of trucks?
- No! The four kits that will be on the market by October of this year will service over 50% of the 40+ million trucks registered and on the road today in the U.S.. These damper kits are very specifically engineered to fit the dynamics and OEM designs of the rear quarter panels and tailgates for which they are intended. Trying to make them work on other makes and models of trucks for which they were not intended will void the warranty, and could be unsafe. Stabilus will continue to be developing kits for other trucks in 2007, so just keep an eye on the website occasionally to see what’s new on the market.
- Can I just install a regular shock absorber on the tailgate and achieve the same effect?
- No! This is not what the EZDown product represents, nor will it work successfully in controlling the opening of the tailgate. Again, EZDown kits were designed to be reasonably priced, and simple to assemble so that truck owners could buy the product, get it installed, and keep rolling without the headaches and effort of trying to reverse engineer or duplicate the desired effect. Save yourself the trouble of trying to create a “$64 tomato” and buy yourself an EZDown tailgate damper kit for your truck instead!