Not Rick's fault a fellow member was holding hostage ....





Good deal ... They are rugged I mean rugged pieces .....


Rick has put a lot of thought into making them the best they can be ... Fit, finsh,design,installation,was a breeze ...


My stock strap on the passenger side had a kink in it was just a matter of time before it would let go ... I have had them break on my 98 with the weight of just the tailgate when lowering the gate ....


I have confidence the VRStraps will easy hold the weight capacity of the tailgate (600 lbs) for a long long time ....


MMMMM Stainless .....


Mac http://mail.wackywack.com/forum/smileys/Clap.gif

i wonder if i'll ever get mine? http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Embarrased.gif

Alright, I think I am gonna have to get me some of them.

You guy's need to do what I did. Borrow an Apache from a rich uncle and pick them up in person.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif Got my straps in Jan. and they are first rate. Can't imagine they can be broken, but as everything has a weak link in this case I believe it would be where they attach to the truck. In other words I wouldn't advise putting excessive loads on the tail gate as the truck may break and you would still land on your Arse. But it is nice knowing that a time bomb is no longer holding my tailgate up.

I don't do much hauling in the bed of my truck, but I do climb in and out of there a lot and it was a constant concern that my over-2-year-old factory cables might let go and dump me every time I went in and out. Thanks to Victory Red for some fine worksmanship and piece of mind!http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Clap.gif

These are first rate. But, I noticed that one side of my tailgate doesn't quite put the same tension on the VR Straps as much as the other. That isn't VR's fault, my tailgate must be racked a little.


Does anybody know how to fix this? I'd like even weight on both straps to protect the one from taking all the initial load when dropping the gate.


Jim

2fast2, mine was that way with the OEM cables and now with the VR Straps. Tailgate must be tweaked from the factory, majority of the money tied up in the engine and tranny.

Anybody know how to fix that?

2fast2:


My cables differed by between 1/32 and 1/16 inch. I put 675 lbs. on the tailgate expecting it to 'tweak' it back into place. It helped, but it still isn't even. Maybe over time the tailgate will conform to the straps like it did the cables.

Diesel Power, all I need is an address and I'll ship you off a set. If you're really nice to me I'll make them a donation to you for


1. Giving us this great forum to meet at


2. Giving me a free place to spread my wares


3. Giving us this great forum to meet at(I really like this place if you


haven't noticed!)


As for the uneveness I have the same deal on mine as well. Thing is some report this, some don't. I believe I did a good job on the design but I have no idea how to adjust for manufacturing discrepancies from GM.


a64, wish it wasn't so dang cold that day I would've liked to check out the birdie a little more. Plus I've got two guy's PO'd at me because I didn't bring them along.


dmaxallitech, I'd actually like to chat with you and have you offer them at your website/dealership if you're interested. One of these days I'll have to ring you to chat, or how long till the next gtg?

These are first rate. But, I noticed that one side of my tailgate doesn't quite put the same tension on the VR Straps as much as the other. That isn't VR's fault, my tailgate must be racked a little.


Does anybody know how to fix this? I'd like even weight on both straps to protect the one from taking all the initial load when dropping the gate.


Jim








Mine also is racked a little...The left side is tight and the right side has about 3/16"-1/4" of slack in it. If I push down on the gate it will tighten up. I swapped Rick's straps left to right and the right side still has the same slack. I think the cables were not the same lenght and that may have caused the tailgate to bend slightly. I had put a lot of weight on the tailgate from time to time, so any inequality in cable length would no doubt be enough to cause it to rack.


I may try removing the right strap and applying some pressure to the gate and see if I can even it out. With my luck though, I'll probably end up with slack on the left side then. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Embarrased.gif


The slack in the strap is in no way a reflection on the straps themselves. I am extremely happy with Rick's design and workmanship.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Thumbs Up.gif I've been spreading the word everywhere I can.http://dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Wink.gif








Kevinhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

Has to do with alignment and catch .... You can adjust catch to minimize slack in straps but as Rick says there are manufactures variables and tolerances to tend with ....


My stock cables were the same one tight one lose ...





Mac

so you're the one with the big mouth Kevin??? http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Embarrased.gif


Anyhow last week or so has been crazy. Last Friday I ordered 65 more pieces for stock, as of right now around 43 are gone already.

Anybody know how to fix that?
I'm all ears too, because my DS is tighter then the PS. I spent the better part of an hour trying to "adjust" the tailgate, but I couldn't figure out how to do it (well, I never found the combo that made a difference anyway).

Switching parts around doesn't fix it... it's still loose on the same side, proves that it's the tailgate. Apparently the cables stretch "even" over time. The straps are exactly the same length and do not stretch.

I personally am not doing anything about it cause it's not that much on mine. You could do a little grinding inside the contact areas on the tight one. That will increase it's working length a little. Grind a little at the top, making the slot slightly longer and at the bottom where it attaches to the gate... elongating the hole a smidgen.

Edited by: hoot

Switching parts around doesn't fix it... it's still loose on the same side, proves that it's the tailgate. Apparently the cables stretch "even" over time. The straps are exactly the same length and do not stretch.

I personally am not doing anything about it cause it's not that much on mine. You could do a little grinding inside the contact areas on the tight one. That will increase it's working length a little. Grind a little at the top, making the slot slightly longer and at the bottom where it attaches to the gate... elongating the hole a smidgen.







Good idea hoot,http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Thumbs%20Up.gif I will give that a try when I get some time to play with it.








Kevinhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

Kevin,


Just be careful if you do attempt this(or anyone else for that matter). If you take away too much material and allow for too much slop you can severly weaken that point. On the upside though, should you goof up these straps can be dismantled by the end user and I can send you out replacement parts if needed.


I wish there was an easy fix for this.

Kevin,


Just be careful if you do attempt this(or anyone else for that matter). If you take away too much material and allow for too much slop you can severly weaken that point. On the upside though, should you goof up these straps can be dismantled by the end user and I can send you out replacement parts if needed.


I wish there was an easy fix for this.








Thanks Rick,


If I do tecide to do this, I will be careful...Don't want to mess up a good thing!http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Embarrased.gif








Kevinhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

Hey Rick,


Finally had nice enough weather (50 degrees...wahoo!!!) to go out and install the straps. Been waiting for a while to, but seeing I spend enough time working outside in this weather ... http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif


You make a great product, that's for sure. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Clap.gif http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Clap.gifhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Clap.gif


Speaking of that...there was an article in the paper last week about GM having a problem with tailgate cables failing.....


GM tailgate failures subject of safety probe
Last Updated Mon, 23 Feb 2004 15:39:48


DETROIT - American safety regulators have upgraded their investigation into tailgate failures on full-size pickup trucks built by General Motors. The probe by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a move that could signal a major recall.


GM has reported 96 injuries linked to the tailgate problem. If there is a recall, it would involve as many as 4.5 million pickup trucks sold in North America by the world's largest automaker.


The trucks involved include:



<UL>
<LI>1999-2003 Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras
<LI>1999-2003 Chevrolet Avalanche
<LI>2002-2003 Cadillac EXT trucks </LI>[/list]


GM has reported 430 complaints about one or both of the tailgate support cables breaking on the trucks. NHTSA said GM has also reported more than 61,000 warranty claims due to the problem.


GM has already recalled more than 2.4 million cars and trucks this month.


Looks like they'll be knocking on your door soon to buy you out!!!!http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

I also finally got around to installing my VR Straps this weekend … they are Awesome!!! http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Cool.gif

Thanks Rick for developing this great product!!! http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Clap.gif

When installing*the Straps I remembered Rick saying they might touch the paint when opening and closing… So being ultra anal,*http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Geek.gif*I added a few pieces of TrimBrite Paint Protection Film (http://www.cabelas.com/information/AutomotiveATV/TrimbriteBodyguardPaintProtectionFilm.html) to the spots where the straps may momentarily come in contact with the paint. Probably overkill but it was fun… Here are a few pics…

http://thumb0.webshots.com/s/thumb3/2/19/90/121921990TVZxtm_th.jpg
Added Protection Film (http://community.webshots.com/photo/63497470/121921990TVZxtm)
http://thumb0.webshots.com/s/thumb2/2/22/80/121922280BXICqB_th.jpg
Protection Film on potential contact points (http://community.webshots.com/photo/63497470/121922280BXICqB)
http://thumb1.webshots.com/s/thumb1/2/26/91/121922691cBRjWV_th.jpg
TailGate Closing contact – outside (http://community.webshots.com/photo/63497470/121922691cBRjWV)
http://thumb2.webshots.com/s/thumb1/2/25/2/121922502dVwvAZ_th.jpg
TailGate Closing contact – inside (http://community.webshots.com/photo/63497470/121922502dVwvAZ)

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Geek.gifEdited by: jbplock

These are first rate. But, I noticed that one side of my tailgate doesn't quite put the same tension on the VR Straps as much as the other. That isn't VR's fault, my tailgate must be racked a little.


Does anybody know how to fix this? I'd like even weight on both straps to protect the one from taking all the initial load when dropping the gate.


Jim


Try leaving it alone for awhile. I've had my straps for a couple of months now. One was a little loose. I checked this weekend and they were equally tight. I'm guessing that the factory cables were not the same length and "racked" the tailgate a little and some time and use "unracked" it. BTW I measured the length of the VR straps and the hole centers were very percise on mine, only a couple of thousand's diff, very precisehttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Approve.gifEdited by: a64pilot

I have had my VR Straps on for a couple of weeks now and they are great. So much better than those cables from the factory. Excellent product you have there Rick. Hope it remains a succesfull venture for you....

Mine isn't racked, but when installing the cables I noticed the top bolts have been stressed so they are not quite square to the body. I also can sight along my tailgate and notice a bow outward. I guess that is what happens when you have a 10' long, 1000lb roll of rubber roofing in the truck, and to get it out you do a reverse/brake. Doesn't bother me one bit, because only I know it's there.


Maybe that helped even out my tailgate???????


Regardless, Rick did an excellent job on these. Makes me want to try a couple thousand pounds on the gate..... No I think not!

MONEY SENT TODAYhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Thumbs Up.gif

Chevyfreek,


I'm not so sure how successfull I am, but if busy means good then I'm great. The upside I've had only one real unhappy customer, 1 strap was accidentally sent to a guy made 'backwards' and a few insightful comments about them.


More than anything still I guess I'm enjoying the fame of it all. I'm also waiting for the chance to get to another get together. I can see it now, 25 trucks lowering their tailgates in a salute http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Wacko.gif.

I did take some pics the other day of the straps and they were the cleanest thing on the truck...lolhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif


Here is a link to the pics:


http://mct.truckmoxie.com/mygallery.ten?id=3741&amp;album=10215


Those pics are my tailgate salute to you Rick. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Clap.gif

Not to take anything away from Rick,(I plan on getting a set also from Rick), but I seen this in my new Cabela's catalog and found it online. Kind of pricey though.


http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jhtml?id=0024970521414a&amp;navAction=push&amp;navCou nt=2&amp;indexId=cat20143&amp;podId=0024970&amp;catalogCode=IE &amp;parentId=cat20143&amp;parentType=index&amp;rid=&amp;_DARGS=%2 Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fcatalog%2Fitem-link.jhtml.1_A&amp;_DAV=MainCatcat21412&amp;hasJS=true


http://a1460.g.akamai.net/f/1460/1339/6h/www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/content/Item/52/14/14/i521414sq01.jpg

Those are interesting, but they are expensive! Out of my price range for tailgate straps....

When installing the Straps I remembered Rick saying they might touch the paint when opening and closing… So being ultra anal, http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Geek.gif I added a few pieces of Trimbrite Paint Protection Film to the spots where the straps may momentarily come in contact with the paint. Probably overkill but it was fun… Here are a few pics…
Well all right, there IS someone else like me in this world! http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Clap.gif I did the exact same thing, using the exact same product in the exact same spots. You're my new best friend...

But I did it first, so you copied me. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/HiHi.gif

Makes me want to try a couple thousand pounds on the gate
Feel free -- you already signed the waiver... http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Tongue.gif

I can see it now, 25 trucks lowering their tailgates in a salute
As though they were mooning you? http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/HiHi.gif

And shouldn't you be adding a little something to your sig? Perhaps an item with the word "straps" in it?

When installing the Straps ... http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Geek.gif I added a few pieces of Trimbrite Paint Protection Film...

...I did the exact same thing...
But I did it first, so you copied me. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/HiHi.gif

Jim,
Cool! http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Cool.gif It's reassuring to know there is someone else who is like minded but you get the credit for being first.. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Approve.gif

It's a quick easy fix for those who choose to do it. These straps could cause paint damage over time(as I've always stated).


In my case the truck has never had a bedliner and looks like it so to me it's no big deal. For others, it's a big investment and they want it to stay pretty as long as possible.


Whichever way anyone decides to go, use the straps in good health.

Not to take anything away from Rick,(I plan on getting a set also from Rick), but I seen this in my new Cabela's catalog and found it online. Kind of pricey though.


http://a1460.g.akamai.net/f/1460/1339/6h/www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/content/Item/52/14/14/i521414sq01.jpg





I've always heard of nuclear powered wrist watches, now I've actually seen onehttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Disapprove.gif. Kinda Rube goldburg don't ya think.