If you are using the bed I would not remove the cables. they are there to support weight so even though the tailgate won't normally hit the bumper, if weight is put on the tailgate it will bend down.

 

Lol the things people complain about on this forum....

i feel as if most owners are former MB coddled owners that needed a truck.....

 

This forum has many threads and you'll find a lot of bitching in many of them. I usually move on to another thread instead of insulting others.

 

When using your truck as a truck, both cables will be tight because there is weight on the tailgate.
Mine are not exactly the same, until I am loading my quad or sled, then they are both tight.
Worry less and just drive it.

 

I own a 2016 and the loose cable really bugged me.

My solution: Remove / disassemble the cable that is TIGHT (left side on mine), using a die grinder with a carbide bit, elongate the eyelet holes at each end of the cable, (a little bit at a time). You can also grind down the shoulder of the cable-to-tailgate mounting bolt. I chucked the bolt in a drill for a makeshift lathe to get a nice machined finish. Reassemble and verify.

I did this to mine and my dad's

Tools: T45 torx bit, ratchet, side cutters, die grinder, drill, cutting wheel

 

They're ALL that way due to the torsion spring in the tailgate. The cables are symmetrical, the tailgate is slightly twisted because of the spring. Put a little weight on the gate and it flattens out.

 

That makes sense, since all trucks seem to be the same, including mine. I'm going to use the tailgate to load my 460-lb motorcycle, so hope they're strong enough. Somebody posted once a link to bars that hold the tailgate from the latches, but might not be needed with less than the 800-lb limit some other person posted. Any truth to that? The tailgate will only bear the weight for a second or so. Thx.

 

My ATV weighs 550 and I'm 200. I ride mine in (via a ramp) on a regular basis and have for years, with several cable-equipped trucks.

 

The Torsion spring only comes in tailgates with the built-in fold out step. Neither my dad's or mine has that feature.

 

Wrong, all trucks 09+ has it for sure. Had it on my 2010 STX. It had no tailgate step.