Available on the F-150 Lariat and Tremor and standard on King Ranch and Platinum, Ford’s Pro Access Tailgate is the latest in tailgate design. A visit to Benna Ford will quickly demonstrate how its side-swinging door within the traditional tailgate promises to solve some problems that have long plagued traditional tailgate design. It is also the latest in Ford’s long tradition of tailgate innovation.
The Basics Were Set in 1927
The basic form of the tailgate has changed little since the 1927 Model A Wagon and truck. It was the width of the cargo area, bottom hinged with supports on either side that held it to a horizontal position when lowered. Initially, those supports were simply chains. They hung in a loop when the tailgate was up and bounced against the inner walls. In 1964, Ford replaced the chains with hinged metal bars that folded within the tailgate sides and stayed quietly in place.
How the Tailgate Both Provides and Hinders Access
One issue with the standard tailgate design is that an open tailgate keeps one away from the load in the bed, making it more challenging to position items in the bed, make adjustments, and reach for things to unload. In 1980, Ford combatted this with the easily removable tailgate. Though a bit cumbersome, the removed tailgate did allow a person much easier access to loading and unloading the bed.
Interestingly, Ford developed a precursor to the Pro Access in 1966 on its full-size station wagons with a feature called the Magic Doorgate. An available feature at the time was seats on each side of the cargo area, each of which could fit one adult or two children. To prevent those passengers from having to crawl over the tailgate to get in and out, Ford created the Magic Doorgate, in which the full tailgate opened to the side and down. As this was for passenger accommodation, Ford did not extend this feature to its pickup trucks.
The 2000s Provided an Explosion of Tailgate Ideas
In the mid-2000s, Ford showed they paid considerable attention to the tailgate. In another move to improve access to the truck bed in 2006, Ford created a step extension for the King Ranch model. This would drop down at a height approximately halfway between the lowered bed and the ground and out a bit to help you step into the cargo bed. The following year, they showed a Pickup concept in which the entire tailgate would power downward horizontally to both act as a step and give the operator access to the bed while standing on the gate. It never went into production.
In 2008, however, Ford addressed the issue of using the tailgate as an extension of the bed but subsequently leaving the rear open. Available on Super Duty trucks, the Bed Extender was a three-sided cage that could rotate out to create an enclosure on top of the extended gate for long loads. When not needed, the extender would rotate inside to divide the cargo bed or collapse out of the way. In 2021, Ford used the bedliner composite molding on the tailgate to create an on-site workbench with a built-in yardstick, grooves for pencil holders, and other clever shapes to assist working.
Ford’s Pro Access is the Best Tailgate Innovation Yet
Ford’s latest and most comprehensive innovation is the Pro Access tailgate. Here, the middle 60% of the tailgate, or 37 inches, is hinged on the passenger side to swing out of the way to give you access to the cargo bed. The swing-out gate has check-stops at 37, 70, and 100 degrees. The first check stop addresses a long-term issue with traditional tailgates when towing, in which a trailer jack hampers the ability to lower the tailgate.
The 37-degree check is designed to stop just short of the trailer jack to give the operator bed access. When there is no trailer, the 70-degree stop provides easier access while still remaining within easy reach to close. Opening it 100 degrees gets it completely out of the way for unloading. A wider kick step on the bumper under the license plate provides a convenient step for entering the cargo bed area.
That the Pro Access hardware adds 62 pounds to the tailgate weight is not an issue because every Pro Access tailgate comes standard with power raising and lowering. By contrast, GM’s Multi-flex tailgate does not address the trailer jack issue, and Ram’s 60/40 side swinging tailgate adds 75 pounds and has no power function.
The Pro Access tailgate is both the latest in Ford’s long history of tailgate innovation and just an example of the clever, user-based thinking that Ford puts into all of its trucks. Take a look at the best and best-selling trucks in the U.S. at Benna Ford.
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