Installation Time
(approx) 15 Minutes
Difficulty Level:
Simple installation for anyone.
Installation Guides
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Hey guys, Adam here with americantrucks.com. And today, we're taking a closer look at and installing the Barricade Tailgate Assist, fitting all 2015 and newer F150s. Now, as you can see, this is gonna be a must for the F150 owner whose tailgate does not already have an assist, and you're looking for something to help ease the tailgate down very slowly without you needing to guide it down without slamming. This is gonna be, again, for the guys who didn't have one off the factory line. Obviously, some models in the '15 to '21 range did come with a tailgate assist off the factory line. This is an XL 2017. It's more of a base model, it does not have the bells and whistles like a tailgate assist, in which case, the barricade option here is gonna be a must in my opinion.The tailgate assist attaches to the inside of the tailgate frame here at the top of the cord and at the bottom where the tailgate meets the base. That's gonna be something that's really out of the way, it tucks up nicely when the tailgate shuts, doesn't impede the shutting of the tailgate whatsoever, and just very slowly lets the tailgate down hands-free.Again, if you're used to pulling your tailgate down and just letting it go, you know that it can slam really hard, really quickly, it can be dangerous, and it can even damage the body of the truck and the tailgate itself. So you wanna have something to help guide it down.Now, the strut itself is just a simple gas-powered strut with a black powder coat finish on top for corrosion and rust resistance. It's something that, again, is just gonna help ease the use of the tailgate. Now, it is removable. It's a little tight to get off, but it is removable. There's two pins, one at each end, you just pop them off, and pop it out of position if you wanna take it back to stock. Either way, super easy to use.Now, this one is extremely affordable. It's about 50 bucks, making it one of the most affordable mods you can do to your track. And honestly, one of the easiest Just a couple of minutes. you can have it done in about 15 minutes or so from start to finish. I'll walk you through the entire process. It's gonna get one out of three wrenches on our difficulty meter. So, what do you say we get started?Tools used in the install include an impact gun, flat-head screwdriver, 10-millimeter deep socket, and T50 Torx socket. All right. First, up here, of course, drop your tailgate. We're gonna use a flat-head screwdriver to lift up on the metal tab and disconnect the cord here attached to the driver side of our tailgate. Now, we're kind of doing a couple of motions here at the same time. You wanna lift up on the tailgate to put slack on that cord, use a flat-head to lift up on that tab, push up, and disconnect from the bolt. Now we can slowly let our tailgate down and drop that guy down.With the T50 Torx bit, we're gonna remove this bolt here that was just attached to that cord. Okay. Next, we can install the top bracket included in the kit. It's the one with the little knob coming off of it just like that, with one open circle. Put the bolt through and tighten it back down, just making sure that that bracket is straight. Next, we can reattach the cord, lift up on the tailgate, drop it through.Next, we're looking at the inside of the tailgate. There are two 10-millimeter bolts, so let's get those guys off. Next, if your bracket is separate, you can install that guy right in place and put the two 10-millimeters back through. Now, of course, ours is attached to the stud already, so I'm just gonna proceed as is. Doesn't make much of a difference, but we do have to hold our bracket upward, then put the 10-millimeter through, just like that. And you can see the bracket itself is a triangle, so it matches perfectly with the body line there. Grab your 10-socket and tighten those down.All right. So, next what we're gonna do is pull up to decompress, lift up the tailgate, and snap them together. Just like that. Now, you can let your tailgate go, and your install is done.Now, if you were to ever want to remove the strut itself, it is difficult but it's doable. You'll use a flat-head screwdriver and directly across that mount is a pin. You lift up on that pin and it snaps off. Again, it is tight, on the top and bottom it is extremely tight, but you can use a small flat head or a pick or something, pull that out, unsnap, and it will be loose.That's gonna wrap up my review and install for the Barricade Tailgate Assist for the '15 and newer F150. Get yours right here at americantrucks.com.
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Barricade T528421
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Installation Info
Installation Time
(approx) 15 Minutes
Difficulty Level:
Simple installation for anyone.
Installation Guides
What's in the Box
10 More Questions