What Technical Information Is Required to Customize a Heavy-Duty Electric Tailgate Strut?

Many customers ask TOMASTER the same question:

What technical information is required to customize a heavy-duty electric tailgate strut?

This question is especially important for armored SUVs, bulletproof vehicle upgrades, rear spare tire carrier conversions and off-road vehicle modifications. After these upgrades, the factory power liftgate system may no longer match the real tailgate weight, center of gravity or operating load.

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The Short Answer

To begin a heavy-duty electric tailgate strut customization project, engineers usually need three core categories of information:

1. F1 opening force and F2 closing force data

2. Tailgate opening and closing travel distance

3. OE part number, strut/bracket photos and a video showing the actual tailgate issue

These data points help engineers evaluate the real operating load, mechanical structure and control requirements before designing a custom power liftgate solution.

1. Measure the Tailgate F1 Opening Force and F2 Closing Force

The first step is measuring the upgraded tailgate’s force requirements.

In a power tailgate system, F1 and F2 are important reference values used to evaluate how much force is required during opening and closing operation.

For modified vehicles, these values may change significantly after upgrades such as:

• Ballistic glass installation

• Armored plate reinforcement

• Rear spare tire carrier installation

• Tailgate-mounted ladder installation

• Off-road storage system installation

• Heavy-duty vehicle conversion

TOMASTER can provide a dedicated testing device to help measure F1 opening force and F2 closing force more accurately. This allows the customized electric tailgate system to match the actual tailgate load rather than relying only on original factory specifications.

Accurate force measurement helps reduce the risk of:

• Weak opening performance

• Tailgate dropping after opening

• Motor overload

• Electric strut deformation

• Automatic reversal during closing

• Premature power liftgate failure

2. Provide the Tailgate Opening and Closing Travel Distance

The second key requirement is the tailgate operating travel distance.

Travel distance helps engineers determine the required stroke length, movement range and operating parameters of the electric tailgate strut.

This information is important because the motor, internal screw structure, spring force and control logic must work together across the full movement range of the tailgate.

If the travel distance is incorrect, the system may experience:

• Incomplete opening

• Incomplete closing

• Poor height memory accuracy

• Abnormal operating noise

• Excessive load at certain angles

• Reduced durability

By confirming the correct opening and closing travel distance, engineers can optimize motor parameters for smoother and more reliable tailgate movement.

3. Provide OE Part Number, Photos and Failure Video

The third category includes practical vehicle identification and installation information.

Customers should provide:

• Vehicle model and production year

• OE part number of the original electric tailgate strut

• Clear photos of the original strut

• Clear photos of the brackets and mounting points

• Photos of the tailgate modification

• A short video showing the tailgate failure or abnormal operation

These materials help engineers understand the original mounting structure and the actual problem on the vehicle.

A video is especially useful because it can show whether the problem is related to weak lifting force, unstable holding, closing resistance, control logic, bracket movement or motor overload.

Why Is This Data Necessary?

A heavy-duty electric tailgate strut cannot be selected only by vehicle model.

After major modifications, the tailgate’s mechanical behavior changes. The key engineering factors include:

• Final tailgate weight

• Tailgate center of gravity

• Hinge geometry

• Strut mounting angle

• Required opening height

• Required closing force

• Motor torque demand

• Anti-pinch calibration

• Bracket strength

• Vehicle electrical capacity

For this reason, a customized power liftgate system should be designed based on real measured data and vehicle-level validation.

Applications for Heavy-Duty Electric Tailgate Strut Customization

TOMASTER custom power liftgate systems are commonly used for:

• Armored SUVs

• Bulletproof vehicle upgrades

• Rear spare tire carrier conversions

• Off-road vehicle modifications

• Overland SUVs

• Special-purpose vehicles

• Heavy-duty aftermarket retrofit projects

These vehicles often require stronger force output, higher torque motors, reinforced components and vehicle-specific control calibration.

What Should a Complete Heavy-Duty Power Tailgate Solution Include?

A reliable customized system may include:

• Heavy-duty electric tailgate struts

• Higher-torque drive motor assembly

• Optimized internal spring selection

• Correct stroke-length matching

• Reinforced brackets or mounting hardware

• ECU parameter adjustment

• Anti-pinch force calibration

• Hold-position stability testing

• Opening and closing cycle validation

• Vehicle-level installation verification

Simply replacing one component may not solve the full problem. For modified vehicles, the complete system must be matched to the real load and movement conditions.

Engineering Conclusion

To customize a heavy-duty electric tailgate strut, the most important starting data are F1/F2 force values, tailgate travel distance, OE part number, installation photos and a video of the actual problem.

For armored SUVs, bulletproof vehicle upgrades, rear spare tire carrier conversions and off-road modifications, these data allow engineers to design a power liftgate system that matches the modified tailgate’s real operating requirements.

TOMASTER specializes in armored tailgate solutions and heavy-duty electric tailgate systems for professional vehicle modification projects worldwide. Our customized power liftgate systems are developed to restore reliable automatic tailgate operation after major vehicle upgrades.