Monster in 5' bed pickup?

[Old-Duckman]

Just traded my 6' bed, 03 Tacoma for a 5' bed, 09 Dual Cab Tacoma.

I had ridden the Monster to the dealer before I handed over the cash and I could tell that the bike would fit in the truck but I could also tell that the rear tire would be on the tailgate. In my old truck it was on the bed. I could not close the tailgate but could lift it up some. No bike weight at all on it.

So I bought the truck and measured at home with a tape measure. It will fit but the rear wheel will be about mid point of the tailgate.

It seems Tacomas are notorious for having weak tailgates. (read this on a Tacoma forum).Some guys beef up their tailgates, other put the bike in sideways.

Any FHE on loading a monster sideways in a Tacoma? Any on loading it straight in with the rear tire on the tailgate?

My mechanic is nearly 300 miles from my home and I don't want to carry the bike with the rear tire on the tailgate if it is even a bit iffy...

Any FHE stories, info, suggestions appreciated.

Got a good deal on the truck and carry more passengers than bikes so that is why I am dealing with this question now...

[Bun-bun]

If it's at all iffy, I'd put the bike in sideways, or "cattycorner". In my truck, I can load the bike straight in to one side of the bed, tie it down in front, and lift and slide the rear end over to the other side of the bed, and tie it down.
But I am an exceptionally strong, not to mention handsome and witty fellow.
Obviously, YMMV.

[kopfjäger]

There will not be enough weight from the bike to do any damage to the tailgate.

[Grampa]

cant speak for the toyo..... but I'm sure it's not much different for my Nissan

[scooterpower]

No worries with the tailgate or fitting a bike in dbl cab Tacoma. I'm not a contractor, but I do use the bed of my truck to haul some heavy junk. No problems or even a hint that the tailgate would fail. I'd recommend drilling in some forward hooks rather than using the adjustable oem ones.

I drove the bike home 2 hours (backroads) with no problem.

Zam

[scooterpower]

Oh yeah, if you have a bed extender, leave it at home. It won't fit over the rear wheel and you'll have to squeeze it in the cab. No biggie by yourself, but your passengers won't be pleased.  [moto]

[corndog67]

If you are worried about caving your tailgate, put a piece of plywood on the floor of the bed.   Cut it off even with the end of the tailgate. 

[silentbob]

If you are worried about caving your tailgate, put a piece of plywood on the floor of the bed.   Cut it off even with the end of the tailgate. 

Unless you bolt it to the floor of the pickup it won't add any support.

[silentbob]

No worries with the tailgate or fitting a bike in dbl cab Tacoma. I'm not a contractor, but I do use the bed of my truck to haul some heavy junk. No problems or even a hint that the tailgate would fail. I'd recommend drilling in some forward hooks rather than using the adjustable oem ones.

I drove the bike home 2 hours (backroads) with no problem.

Zam

You might get away with it for a while but they are known to fail.  I wouldn't trust my bike on it.

[kopfjäger]

You might get away with it for a while but they are known to fail.  I wouldn't trust my bike on it.

I belive you are wrong. I have done it numerous times. The weight of the bike is disrtibuted accross the bed, it's not all on the tailgate. If that was the case, it would fail on the way in.

[hbliam]

Multiple street bike trips in my 2000 Tacoma with the wheel on the tailgate. Multiple trips with two bikes. Multiple trips with three dirt bikes and gear. Never an issue with the tailgate.

[Carman]

Unless you bolt it to the floor of the pickup it won't add any support.

Not so much support he's looking for with this,  I'm thinking he's trying to spread out the load instead of it caving in the center of the tailgate where the wheel is making contact now you're spreading the weight of the bike over more of the area and it shouldn't fail.

This is a cheap and easy way to add insurance if you're still worried about damage, my bike spends a lot of time on the tailgate although I have a Dodge but from what I hear the Tacoma's are built better, I haven't had any problems.

[needtorque]

I think he is worried about the cables failing and the tailgate falling down, my 95 S-10 had the same issue when I was getting ready to load the bike one day.  Thankfully I was standing on it when the cables failed and the bike was no where near it.  (hit my back a bit but no damage to the bike) 

I would suggest getting your own replacement cables made with ones that are a bit thicker.

[BastrdHK]

Unless you bolt it to the floor of the pickup it won't add any support.

1" plywood will add the necessary insurance if it is cut to the dimensions of the bed + tailgate.  As long as it is under the front wheel and the bike is tied down it is an excellent, cheap, easy, form of insurance.  Paint it and you will look like a genius 

[rgramjet]

The Chevy Avalanche I own had a recall because the cables would corrode inside the plastic shroud.  Many people were hurt (or worse) while loading bikes and atvs. 

I did some research and found a company that made replacement stainless steel arms to replace the cables.  The website was vrstraps.com at the time, not working for me now.

Now I ride my 650lb + Brute Force 750 up the ramp with piece of mind.  Rear wheels sit on the tailgate.  Ive driven over a dozen four hour trips plus miles of rutty logging roads.

Ill see if I can find the link.