dieseldawg142 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 (edited) ............ Edited May 9, 2018 by dieseldawg142 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemodeler Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Well Dan, I will take the opposing view for a minute. Imagine having to haul a few pieces of lumber and some other items in the back of your truck. With a current tailgate set up, you either leave the tail gate up and the lumber sticks up or you drop the gate and secure the load and drive carefully. It might be that Dodge is thinking about that scenario I just gave and feels this is the way to go. Not sure I like it any more than you do, it will be interesting to see if it makes it to production and if it does, do all versions (1/2, 3/4 and 1 ton) get it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan White Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 If he hasn't already, he should send it to Jalopnik and see if they'll run an article on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 (edited) Allpar had a couple articles about it last year.... nothing has been announced yet. https://www.allpar.com/news/2017/11/the-ram-split-tailgate-is-real-38862 https://www.allpar.com/news/2017/11/is-this-why-they-redesigned-ram-tailgates-38918 Edited February 7, 2018 by Rob Hall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieseldawg142 Posted February 7, 2018 Author Share Posted February 7, 2018 5 minutes ago, mikemodeler said: Well Dan, I will take the opposing view for a minute. Imagine having to haul a few pieces of lumber and some other items in the back of your truck. With a current tailgate set up, you either leave the tail gate up and the lumber sticks up or you drop the gate and secure the load and drive carefully. It might be that Dodge is thinking about that scenario I just gave and feels this is the way to go. Not sure I like it any more than you do, it will be interesting to see if it makes it to production and if it does, do all versions (1/2, 3/4 and 1 ton) get it? everybody has their own opinion of it Mike... just not mine. I do use my truck in my job (construction) and have hauled whatever you can think of, plus my toys, and most important of all, my mutts..lol and that's why I studied it for 20 mins, I did go over every possible scenario where I use my box, and for me, well....i'll just install a hand sanitizer by my door handle so I don't get dirt inside my truck... Jordan, go ahead, no clue. here and my truck site is the only place I go on the entire wwweb, and sometimes fleabay and CL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 I can see advantages both for this NEW gate or the conventional style depending on what it is you are using the truck for. I may be mistaken but I think it was Lincoln a few years ago that had something like this on their Black Wood Pretty Truck model. My personal choice would be the conventional tail gate, but I could see someone who only used their truck as if it was a big car with an open trunk could get excited over this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieseldawg142 Posted February 7, 2018 Author Share Posted February 7, 2018 7 minutes ago, Rob Hall said: Allpar had a couple articles about it last year.... nothing has been announced yet. https://www.allpar.com/news/2017/11/is-this-why-they-redesigned-ram-tailgates-38918 this could work if, and only if, you had an 8 foot box. Anything less and you need the tailgate for it to sit on. not very many tractors or quads or motorcycles will fit a sb without the gate. and if they did, I myself would still not want to sacrifice the strength of a one piece'r tailgate anyways. around here, the only people who get 8ft boxes are business'es, farmers, and guys like me, bet over 80% of trucks where I live are shorties and c'mon, if you can't really load something with the tailgate on, maybe a truck is not what you really need. I load junk like this, do not think, no I wouldn't trust a split gate for this kind of stuff thank you. and I am no spring chicken, other side of 5-0.... saying all that, when i'm in the bush, if I see a hill I can un-load on, I will take it though... sacrificing strength or utility for comfort or conveince is not for me. like I said will work for some- i'm not one of them................................................(frivoulous....lol) two way tailgates are a gimmick anyways. we bought wife's xuv new in '04 and have used the tailgate down feature exactly twice, that's it in 14 yrs. I actually had to free the hinges on it last yr when we hauled my sons new bed home. they rusted just enough from lack of use it would not pop down...other than that we use it like a door, like any other door on the truck. the first time we used it hauling son's first quad home. going by the plates, it is '08, we had the truck for four yrs before we even used the 2 way (!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieseldawg142 Posted February 7, 2018 Author Share Posted February 7, 2018 9 minutes ago, espo said: I can see advantages both for this NEW gate or the conventional style depending on what it is you are using the truck for. I may be mistaken but I think it was Lincoln a few years ago that had something like this on their Black Wood Pretty Truck model. My personal choice would be the conventional tail gate, but I could see someone who only used their truck as if it was a big car with an open trunk could get excited over this. how well did that go, little over 3000 copies....big car with open trunk...lol truck has to have good utility value, 'specially for what were paying for them now.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamsuperdan Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Some of you may have noticed that I'm a bit of a Ram fan. Having said that, I'm not sure how I feel about this split gate idea. Honestly, I think it's kind of gimmicky. Needlessly complex and increasing costs and weight for something that I'm not sure anyone was asking for. I'm all for choice, but I for one will probably not be ordering it on any of the trucks I bring in here. It's a moot point anyway, as it's currently not in production, and won;t be for the foreseeable future. Maybe a late 2019 MY build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 1 minute ago, iamsuperdan said: ... I'm not sure how I feel about this split gate idea. Honestly, I think it's kind of gimmicky. Needlessly complex and increasing costs and weight for something that I'm not sure anyone was asking for... 2 hours ago, dieseldawg142 said: ...maybe so you don't break a nail loading your murse in the back... Yup. Another case of fixing something that ain't broke, and redesigning-the-wheel by a group of folks that may be a gender-and-ethnically-balanced "team", but who have no idea of what a truck is actually for. Of course, "NEW!!!" "GIMMICKY!!!" and "NEEDLESSLY COMPLEX!!!" has appeal to one market sector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 On an automotive forum, one use case I heard for a split dutch door style tailgate was for towing trailers. Seemed plausible... one anecdote I know of was a buddy of mine that towed a popup trailer preferred barn doors on his old Suburban compared to a fold down tailgate. (for clearance on the hitch and propane tanks?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamsuperdan Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 We all have our opinions on things like this, but at the end of the day, each manufacturer has a committee devoted to this kind of stuff. They do studies and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on focus groups and research. I have to think that studies were done and this was determined to be a feasible project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 (edited) 10 minutes ago, iamsuperdan said: ... each manufacturer has a committee devoted to this kind of stuff. They do studies and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on focus groups and research. I have to think that studies were done and this was determined to be a feasible project. Edited February 8, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High octane Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 8 hours ago, dieseldawg142 said: buddy on my truck site posted this....ram 1500 tailgate after studying this for 20 minutes, I think this is a step in the wrong direction for trucks. cant figure out how in the heck this is any good, at the expense of losing a strong part of your truck, the tailgate. as most trucks sold now have no real box, having an extra 2 feet of bed is even more important. what will happen driving down the road with a load over it (say a quad or dirtbike or building materials) and it decides to "open"? and I am quite aware of 2 way gates, my uncles old ford wagon had a 2 way gate, magic gate I think it was called, and my wife's envoy xuv also has a 2 way gate, still don't see how a split gate can usefully apply to your truck gate though. most new trucks have "assisted spring" gates now anyways so they don't completely crash if your fingers slip. thinking this might be some kind of ploy to bring non-truck people into the fold.......and next year, a small door in your hood to check fluids, no need to open the whole hood....or, maybe so you don't break a nail loading your murse in the back.... myself, I hope this a trend that doesn't catch on, but if it does, i'll just drive my current truck for another 30 yrs... It doesn't matter if it's any good or not, but will it sell? That's all they care about. The ONLY way I could get the truck I wanted was to "special order" it and then have it outfitted the way I want it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinfan5 Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 (edited) Its not an option for the 2019 Ram.....yet, so maybe it didnt work as well as they were hoping. *note, that I could find* Edited February 8, 2018 by martinfan5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieseldawg142 Posted February 8, 2018 Author Share Posted February 8, 2018 (edited) ........... Edited May 9, 2018 by dieseldawg142 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamsuperdan Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 7 hours ago, dieseldawg142 said: maybe easier to see the trailer hitch with the double doors open, a drop down gate would block your view of it as you got closer. without the kid or wife to back me into our trailer, it is a real pia, the gate just rides over the hitch completely blocking it. been seriously thinking 'bout getting one of them back-up cams, just not sure if it would last very long back there... Rear camera, available on all but the most basic of trim levels, roughly $200 to add. Makes hooking up a trailer amazingly simple. And far less complicated that the split gate. Especially when the monitor in the dash has the guide lines on it. I have to think that the split gate if and when it becomes available, will run at least $1000 to add, much like the Ram Box setup. Honda has the dual opening tailgate on the RIdgeline. Neat idea, but I don't know anyone that has used the side opening feature. 9 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said: Images of products that flopped. Yeah, those all bombed in a major way, but a committee still sat down, discussed, analyzed, graphed, polled, and still decided that these were the directions they should go. Not every product that gets to market is a success, but brands don't market stuff on a whim. Spending millions on a thought, without real discussion, just doesn't happen. Especially when it affects the bottom line of your biggest selling product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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