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Pop & Lock
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What you see is what you get.
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To install any of the Pop & Lock Power Tailgate lock assemblies, you need to start by accessing the backside of the handle assembly by removing the cover plate.
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Bolt in the electric actuator and make the electrical connections. We fished the cable out the bottom of the tailgate through a drain hole. Don’t close up the cover plate until you are finished. If you need to reverse the wires to the actuator for proper operation, the bullet style connectors in the tailgate are the way to do it.
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For access to the chassis to run the remainder of the cable, we trimmed a small hole in the access plate. The WeatherPack connector for our assembly will be located back here as well in case the tailgate has to be removed.
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Route the wire up the chassis following the factory harness towards the front of the truck away from any sources of heat. The supplied zip ties allow the cable to be tied in securely. The directions say to go to the engine compartment and then to the drivers’ foot well.
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We went through the bottom of the cab using the e-brake cable grommet. If you need to poke a hole, use a grommet and paint the edge… this is Canada, and rust is a PITA (aka Pain In The Ass). We like these multiple size Daystar unit.
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Depending on what truck you have, Pop & Lock directions let you know what harness and wires to splice into.
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We HATE Scotchlocks, and loathe their existence, but in an effort to get out of our wives parking space post haste, we reluctantly used them and have since soldered and spliced the connections ensuring years of trouble free service.
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For those of us just looking to keep our tailgates from growing legs and wandering the neighbourhood, the Gate Defender comes in at a reasonable price for the security it provides and is not vehicle specific.
Story & photos by Bryan Irons
Pop & Lock makes keeping your tailgate secure easy
When out on the hunt for a new truck a few years ago, I had simple criteria; four-doors, enough power to haul the trail rig and a bench seat in the front. S-I-M-P-L-E, just like me. As the road to responsibility and parenthood started to include hauling various cargo under the 2012 Ram 1500’s tonneau cover, having a way to securely lock it back there should have been on that list. Hindsight sucks and time machines are WAY above an editor’s pay scale! We don’t have the latter so a Pop & Lock Power Tailgate lock will fill the void. Truth be told, a locking tailgate has only come into truck mainstream existence in the past decade, and a power lock that activates with your cabs door locks is a very recent upgrade only made available by a select few OEM’s.
We ordered a complete Pop & Lock Power Tailgate kit for our Ram for under $150, which includes all the stainless steel hardware, actuator, wiring harness with quick connects and instructions. SCORE! We spent less than two beers time (aka two hours) completing the install in our driveway with only a pair of side-cutters, pliers, an 8 mm socket and a T-40 torx bit.
While we made the order, we saved some shipping costs and picked up another Pop & Lock kit for our buddies 2014 Ford F-350 as well as a Tailgate Defender lock to suck up to the neighborhood patriarch; the local watch he heads has it out for us, something about “too many derelict vehicles”. The GateDefender simply defeats the easy, tool-less removal of the tailgate on almost all major makes and models with a simple, inexpensive lock setup. It sucks to leave the hockey game only to discover someone has stolen your tailgate – that’s no party. If you get a Pop & Lock Power Tailgate kit, there is no need for the GateDefender, just keep your doors and tailgate locked. Just to be clear, the goal of our GateDefender strategy is to avoid a written warning from the association about a missing tailgate, and an earful from our significant other, we’re not trying to win “Yard of the Year” here, just keeping the peace.
Check out the pictures and captions to see how easy it is to install a Power Tailgate kit even after a few wobbly pops. The install is essentially the same for all makes and models with the hardware mounting brackets making the difference. The design is simple and solid, and the security it offers for those of us running a tonneau cover with big-ticket items stored away, or just avoiding getting our tailgates pilfered, is immense. We feel the Defender is a great stocking stuffer come the “Holiday” Season (ugh), or if you reside in a shady part of town. For all others, pick up a Power Tailgate and question why the OEM’s haven’t all offered this as standard equipment.
Pop & Lock - www.popandlock.net
Daystar - www.daystarweb.com