Gate Assist by Matt400 - Great product!

[nauidvr1]

I bought 2 of the Gate Assists from Matt400 for my trucks, I Paypal'ed the funds on Tuesday morning and had them today (Thursday afternoon) from the West Coast (I live the on East Coast)! Fast delivery!



Wow, such a simple MOD does wonders. I can actually CLOSE my tailgate with one finger, and it helps to slow the tailgate on the way down. Well made product, easy 5 minute install and now my 8 year old son can open and close my tailgate by himself! Worth every penny, infact I have 5 neighbors and 2 family members that might want to purchase them as well, after seeing & testing mine.



The only improvement, I would suggest, is larger pictures on the installation instructions and possibly color pictures, if possible. I would also suggest that the installation instructions be posted on the GateAssist web site in PDF format (would make color pitures easy to add).



On Edit: I formatted the instructions in MS Word & Adobe PDF with full color pictures and sent them to Matt400, so this takes care of the suggested improvement. Now hopefully he will post it on the GateAssist web site.



nauidvr1

 

[Triton]

agree with everything you've said. One thing I'd add is, I wish there was a bit more tension on the down side. It works great taking the weight off the gate going up but, does still slam down somewhat.



I already have a EZ down for my gate with you can open and walk away from. It slowly ( hydraulically ) lowers the gate. The gate assist will be a nice addition for lifting it. My wife loves hers!

 

[Spooled-up]

I just installed my Gate Assist today. I'm impressed! It was a simple install. Make sure you have a riveting tool. I happened to have one and I had everything I needed. I marked things out and followed the install instructions to a T and it went as advertised. Great instructions. I was concerned about using rivets and having to drill my truck. The rivets are zinc coated steel and are very heavy duty and after seeing how much force it took to set them, I'm not concerned at all that they will work loose. I coated the base of the tailgate mounted bracket in silicone to prevent corrosion, but my gate is under a cover anyway, so it's overkill.



For those concerned with drilling your truck, don't be. It's worth it to have a product that works this well. Mine doesn't slam the tailgate at all if I let it free fall. It's balanced perfectly and I wouldn't change a thing. Like others have said, you can actually close the tailgate with one finger. After having back surgery last year, the less strain I put on my back over the years the better and this product takes a load off!



I like it better than the EZDown and it's much more compact than the cable operated tube that Geno's sells.



Great product Matt400!



Disclaimer:

I don't sell the Gate Assist on my website, and I'm not affiliated with Matt in any way.

 

[CJ8Rockcrawler]

I almost wish mine had less resistance on the way down. It seems to need some help... almost have to pull it open sharply when it unlocks to have it drop all the way down and not "hang" part way open. I wonder if my hinges are binding up or something... anyone else have any thoughts or comments?

 

[Matt400]

I almost wish mine had less resistance on the way down. It seems to need some help... almost have to pull it open sharply when it unlocks to have it drop all the way down and not "hang" part way open. I wonder if my hinges are binding up or something... anyone else have any thoughts or comments?

A few ideas. .



* For sure I would remove the gate, clean the gates pivots and feel the area for any burs that need cleaned up.



* Any binding on the first two inches of opening will slow the gate opening.

Since the cylinder is normally closed, it needs to be partially pulled open when the gate is closed because the two mounting points move closer a tad on that first 2" of opening.

If it is binding you can unscrew the silver socket end from the cylinder shaft side and grind off a little from the threaded end. This will make the overall length shorter and remedy binding. Good grip pliers will be needed to break loose the loc-tite.



* The cylinder is calibrated based on the gates lower mounting bracket location.

If the ball stud on the lower bracket is farther than 5. 5" from the tailgates pivot point this will put added leverage on the gate making it seem the spring is too strong.



* Cylinder temperatures can effect operation somewhat. Since the product needed to work year round we picked a temperature range of 30 degrees to 100 degrees that we were able to replicate during the design process.

If your cylinder sets in the hot summer sunlight the internal gas will expand making the spring feel stronger but it should still work well.

 

[CJ8Rockcrawler]

I may wait for it to cool down a bit here before I modify anything. It was over 100 degrees when it was installed so as it cools off, maybe that will take care of the problem. Thanks for your response. Overall happy with the product and more importantly... the wife is happy!

 

[Matt400]

Your post concerned me so I ran some calculations and also a test to confirm on my own 05 model. For less Assist that would let the gate fall more easily yet still provide acceptable Assist while closing, you can mount the lower bracket at 5" from the gates pivot point.



This would require a re mount of that plate, one of the holes you drilled would be covered leaving the other uncovered. The easiest way to remove that plate is to grind off the rivet tops.

If you want to do this I will send you a new plate and rivets at NC.

Just PM me your address if you want to do this.

 

[CJ8Rockcrawler]

I appreciate the offer... I'll let you know. The truck doesn't get used a whole lot right now, so I'll have to see if it works better when it cools off etc.

 

[JCrockett]

I sent a e-mail from the Gateassist website, like 2 weeks ago, and have heard nothing! How much are these? Would like to buy one to help the wife out while using the tailgate.

Thanks

 

[Matt400]

I sent a e-mail from the Gateassist website, like 2 weeks ago, and have heard nothing! How much are these? Would like to buy one to help the wife out while using the tailgate.

Thanks

Sorry about that, the form their was just to reply back when they became available. I will send you a PM about it.