• If you currently own, previously owned or want to own an Avalanche, we welcome you to become a member today. Membership is FREE, register now!

Tailgate torsion bar lift assist (removes 70% tailgate weight)

Blue_03

Full Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2003
Messages
967
Location
Loveland, CO
Everyone with an Avalanche knows the tailgate is WAY TOO HEAVY.? GM has worked to resolve the issue in 2007 with springs on the hinges.? Good for ?07, but what about us with the ?02 ? ?06 trucks? Well glad you asked.? There is a least one company who makes a product to help.? It?s not designed for Avalanches, and I may contact them again to see if they would be willing to make a version for the AV, but I did find a way to make the existing product work for Avalanches / Esclalanches.? (That is my name for EXTs)

Hoppy makes a tailgate torsion bar.? If you search Froogle (now Google Products) for ?tailgate torsion bar? you should find a number of places that have this product for less than $30.? I got mine (with shipping) in 4 days for $24.? We found it removed 70% of the tailgate weight!? 70% !!!

I picked up mine at: http://autoaccessconnect.stores.yahoo.net/taasforpitr.html

post-152-11783090000.jpg


First some warnings:
  • You are doing this at your own risk ? it involves drilling a couple holes, if you are scared of this, go away now.
  • If you remove your tailgate often ? this will complicate that process, so think about that.
  • There is a little prying and just a little metal bending involved in this ? it?s at the hole you drill above the driver?s side tailgate hinge.

So what do you need to do??

Once you get the product, remove and throw away the instructions and drill template.? Avalanche/EXT details are not listed on the template ? details are below.

1.? We cut about ? of an inch off the torsion bar with the ?A label? or with the yellow paint. - will explain later.? Maybe it was not needed - maybe move the drill point up to 5" from hinge and don't cut anything.? I have only installed two of these.
post-152-11783090014.jpg


2.? Drill a 3/8? hole 4.25? above the driver?s side tailgate hinge.? (Take care you don't scuff the side of the truck with your drill chuck depending on drill bit length)? You will drill through the metal and the drill bit will hit another steel wall about ?? inside your nice new hole.? This is a little bit of an issue and the reason we cut the ?? off the torsion bar.?
post-152-11783090011.jpg

post-152-11783090572.jpg

3.? Measure over 32 ?? from the outside of the hinge cup on the tailgate and make a mark ? you will drill into the bottom of the tailgate in line with the existing rivets of the tailgate.
post-152-11783090012.jpg


4. Remove tailgate, transfer measurement and drill or re-measure and drill 3/8? hole in bottom of tailgate.? It?s fiberglass, so don?t brush it away with your hand unless you want to itch for the next 24 hours.
post-152-11783090570.jpg


5.? Insert the torsion bar back into the side of the truck and make sure it?s sitting flat against the truck bed wall behind the hinge pin.? You will need to insert the bar, push, pull, pry and try to wiggle the torsion bar into the hole between those two walls.? This WILL result in you bending the metal a little above the hole to get a little more room between the two metal walls.? I was trying to push on that inside wall to get it to bow in more and bend the outside metal less, but I don?t think it would be possible to insert the whole like 2? of the bar in ? cutting off ?? to 1? off the bar appeared to do the trick and we got about 3/4" into the hole.
post-152-11783090013.jpg


6.? Re-install tailgate, but this time you will insert side B of the torsion bar into the tailgate hole you just made.? I found a hammer to tap the bar into the hole was required due to the friction from the side of the hole on the torsion bar.? (NOT a one person job)
post-152-11783090570.jpg


7.? Don?t forget to latch your tailgate cables back onto the stops.? You should now be done.

Give it a try.? Your face may look like this when you close the tailgate the first or second or third time:? ?:eek:? ?:D? ?:D?


I forgot to check my tailgate weight before I changed mine, but we checked the second time and found the "weight" required to lift the tailgate using a bathroom scale went from 28 lbs to 8 lbs. Next time you are at the gym - go do a couple curls with a 30 lbs weight and then go do a couple with the 10 lb weight.? You will be out shopping for this product before the sun sets.? Your wife will love you for it.? ? :love:
 
How will that interfere with the removal of the tailgate (easily)?
 
DougD said:
How will that interfere with the removal of the tailgate (easily)?

Because you will have to remove the 5" long bar from the center of the tailgate after the gate is off the hinges.  Not hard, but not a one person job unless you have really long really strong arms and can hold the gate with one hand and wiggle the bar out with the other.

I so seldom remove my gate it's no big deal - and with the wires for the lock and camera, the gate removal is kind of complex anyway this was a simple decision for me.
 
Gadget,

Great write-up and post... ?:yourock:

I was looking into the "EZ Down" by DEEZEE, but they also don't have an application for the Avalanche. It's a little shock type thingy (dampener) that allows the tailgate to lower itself.
Don't these company's know that the Avalanche is the most modded truck in the country? ?:mad:

Bad Dad
 
Good post, I was looking into this:

http://www.aztrucks.com/category.asp?product=594

But they do not make a kit for the Avalanche. I called the company and they have no plans at this time to make it......BUMMER! It cost more that what you did but one advantage is you cannot drop your tailgate down hard! Mine has fallen open twice.........to me it does not make sense that they make it for a regular pickup and not the Avalanche, the last time I closed a regular truck tailgate it was no where near as heavy as the Avalanche tailgate!!
 
Great write-up and pictures, thanks.  I am a little surprised that folks think the tailgate is heavy, I've had a couple of full size pickups, and this is much lighter, it's closer to my Dad's S-10 in heft.  The outer skin is plastic, and not sure about the inner, but it is a little narrower tailgate than a full size truck also.  I was actually thinking that its lightness may be why nobody makes anything specifically for it. 
 
  the new Toyota has a cool little gizmo that prevents the tailgate from slamming down after you unlock it.  once i pulled on the handle i let it go, but it will not slam down.  it also seemed to assist in lift too.  that, or the tailgate was so lite it just seemed like it was.
 
Everyone interested should go to the EZ down website http://www.ezdown.com/ and type in the Chevy Avalanche for future consideration.  The CAFCNA website should have enough weight to influence them.
 
Really great write up. Good pics and it seems to do the job. Like others I think the EZ Down is the final answer.? I too had voted to add this to the Dee Zee line, but it does not seem to do anything. I finally found their toll free number....if EVERYONE would call them direct and say that they would buy one if they made it for the Avalanche it would help. The guy told me the new catalog comes out in October and it may have new applications. I think they need a ton of phone calls to wake them up....Call them tomorrow!
Please feel free to contact us directly!

Dee Zee, Inc.
P.O. Box 3090
Des Moines, IA 50316

1-800-779-8222 (customer service)
 
I was watching some truck show this weekend (I don't remember which) and I saw an advertisement for this tailgate damper called EZ Down.  It looked very functional and when I visited the web site the price was reasonable.  The bad side is that it is not available for the Avalanche (yet).  I think if we have enough interest and fill out the form on the bottom of their web page they may expedite production for the Avalanche.

Take a look...

http://www.ezdown.com/
 
I would think the one that fit silverado's would fit AV's I saw them also and it said all gm truck 1999 thru present. It's made by DeeZee and I think it's a universal fit best prce I found was on amazon.com $49.00
 
MichiganSilver03 said:
I would think the one that fit silverado's would fit AV's I saw them also and it said all gm truck 1999 thru present. It's made by DeeZee and I think it's a universal fit best prce I found was on amazon.com $49.00

I emailed them twice. They said it  will not fit and they have no plans to make one for the Avalanche at this time. It is a shame, the Avalanche tailgate is So much heavier than the Silverado! I had thought about buying one and trying it myself but am not ready to take on more projects at this time.........why don;t you do it and let us know? :love: I am thinking with the extra weight it may require two cylinders instead of the one that is in the Silverado kit.

Butch
 
I may just do that I did not know AV tailgates were heavier, I know they are heavy but other than narrower what the Difference
 
socalAVY said:
Everyone interested should go to the EZ down website http://www.ezdown.com/ and type in the Chevy Avalanche for future consideration.? The CAFCNA website should have enough weight to influence them.

Snoball said:
Really great write up. Good pics and it seems to do the job. Like others I think the EZ Down is the final answer.  I too had voted to add this to the Dee Zee line, but it does not seem to do anything. I finally found their toll free number....if EVERYONE would call them direct and say that they would buy one if they made it for the Avalanche it would help. The guy told me the new catalog comes out in October and it may have new applications. I think they need a ton of phone calls to wake them up....Call them tomorrow!
Please feel free to contact us directly!

Dee Zee, Inc.
P.O. Box 3090
Des Moines, IA 50316

1-800-779-8222 (customer service)

GO VOTE, Call them, we have enough clout that we can get this done!
 
On the standard pick-up there is a hole already there
(that's not there on an Avalanche) to be used as a mounting point for the "EZDown"... I bet if a guy were to duplicate that hole on the Avalanche tailgate, that it would work. Maybe we have a member that knows the tailgate, and how they're built, to let us know if it is possible to drill the hole needed to mount it.

  :0: Torsion bar + EZDown = sweet  :woot:

Gadget... you up for the challenge?  :kidding:

Bad Dad
 
I'm changing tailgates in about a month, I'll let you know
 
CA-AV said:
I created a new topic for the tailgate damper.  I wonder which moderator moved my comments to this topic?  My topic has to deal with the damper, which slowly lowers the tailgate, which has some similarities to the torsion bar but it's not the same.  Can a moderator please move my comments and those responding to my comments back to the topic I created.

EZ-Down was already discussed in this thread, hence it being merged to maintain continuity of discussion.
 
In case you missed earlier replies...

Contact EZ Down/DeeZee Inc.  and either fill out the webform for future consideration of the 02-06 Avalanche, or call or write them a letter expressing interest if they produce it for our application.

Website:  http://www.ezdown.com/

Dee Zee, Inc.
P.O. Box 3090
Des Moines, IA 50316

1-800-779-8222 (customer service)
 
Back
Top