Tailgate hard to open: HELP!!!

[pwrstrkr]

My tailgate has been very tough to open. You literally need to put two hands on the handle and yank up extremely hard. I have tried just to pop the latches shut and then open them again with the tailgate already down and it feels exactly the same. anyone else have this issue or know how to fix it?
thanks

[cchase]

2 of our trucks do that crap, including mine. havent had the time to look at it

[Eric]

Originally Posted by pwrstrkr

My tailgate has been very tough to open. You literally need to put two hands on the handle and yank up extremely hard. I have tried just to pop the latches shut and then open them again with the tailgate already down and it feels exactly the same. anyone else have this issue or know how to fix it?
thanks

I had a similar problem with my old tailgate. I took the back panel off and WD 40'd the crap out of every moving part and it worked as good as new

[pwrstrkr]

Thanks for the info. Its just one of those small things that drives me NUTS!! I think I'm gonna try the WD-40 tommorow and see if that does the trick.

[StarDriver]

Use Remington REM OIL for guns, it will lubricate but disperse water but won't attract dirt. I use it on door lock cylinders for the tour buses I drove so they wouldn't freeze in the winter.

[TurboSevenThree]

Yeah mine did that. After like a day the left latch broke inside. The spring popped off inside, I put it back and wd'd it but it was still doing it. SO wanna know how I fixed it? Took it off and got an airgate net. Works GREAT! Lol!

[rankroddin250]

also check the plastic bushings on the latch bolts if those get worn they kinda grap.

[TxPSD9673]

mine did the same EXACT thing and after one heavy dose of wd 40 it went away like that

[Rob]

try using some grease on any linkage inside the tailgate.

[kkbodyshop]

put some lube on it