Dee Zee DZ43203 Tailgate Assist Shock

I recently installed the Dee Zee DZ43203 Tailgate Assist Shock on my truck, and I’m very satisfied with it. The installation process was straightforward and didn’t take much time. The instructions were clear, and all necessary hardware was included. This tailgate assist shock works perfectly. It slows down the tailgate’s descent, preventing it from slamming down. This makes it much safer and more convenient to use. The build quality is excellent. It feels sturdy and well-made, which gives me confidence that it will last a long time. For the price, this product offers great value. It enhances the functionality of my tailgate without breaking the bank. Overall, I highly recommend the Dee Zee DZ43203 Tailgate Assist Shock. It’s a reliable and high-quality product that makes using the tailgate much easier and safer.

Install was easy, wrench sizes are stated in the manual. Hardest part was getting the old ball off of the tailgate as the pressnut was loose (junkyard tailgate previously had strut modification).

It's not a pair, Only on the drivers side. Only 1 is needed. It even came with a small tube of blue lock tight and special Torx Allen Wrench to remove the top bolt. It was easy to install with color instructions with pictures and everything!!! IN ENGLISH!!! It operates very smoothly and works great. My tailgate is heavy and this made it open and close with ease!! What was interesting is the bottom mount is in a blind hole. They included a special fastener that you put in the hole. Screw in a allen head bolt with a nut "tighten the nut while you hold the allen head" and it expands the flair inside the hole and locks the nut in. Kinda like those drywall flair fasteners for hanging a heavy picture.. It even had a 2 washers with ball bearing sleeve between them to make the process go smooth!! Top notch USA company!! I was really impressed with the quality and how good the engineering was! I would highly recommend this to anyone. Thanks, Marty

Received my unit today and as is the norm most of the time with Amazon, on-time and in good shape. Packaging was good and it was exactly what I ordered. Directions are good yet every truck may be a little different so I took the time to do a "walk thru" before I started wrenching on anything. All in all spent about 20 minutes and that was completely taking my time. My truck had been without this for 17 years, there was no need to rush the install...... Probably the biggest mystery (simply because I had never used one) was the Nutsert for the lower Ball mount. Once you get the concept, the install is pretty simple. The instructions with mine indicated marking the nut and tightening clockwise only 9 times times. For me 9 times was not near enough. The Nutsert had not even started to compress / grab, so a little more turning and common sense and it was in. I am holding-on to Nutsert install bolt & assembly so if it starts to get loose, I can tighten it up a little more. If it does come loose, I may put a drop or two of red lock-tight where the Nutsert contacts the tailgate. Had I thought about this ahead of time may have put a little on before I inserted the Nutsert. You can use some of the Blue Lock-Tight that comes with it, as you get plenty to do the job. Once the Nutsert was installed, the Ball Mount assembly screwed right in. I did a "slow" test closing of the tailgate at this point just to verify clearance before I moved on. It is close, but clears with no issues. The upper bracket was an easy install. The T-50 torx wrench that came with it is hefty, yet was a little wiggly in the bolt so I used my set. This is a bolt that had never been removed and it was a little rusty but once loose came right out. The truck has a cap and this bolt has been out of the elements all its life so on an open bed, this bolt may be tricky. Upper Ball mount Plate lined up fine and added a little anti-seize before I put the bolt back in. Shock installed with zero issues. Put the top in first, then expanded the shock down to attach top the bottom Ball Mount. Again I first closed the tailgate slowly to verify clearance. No issues.... as I let it down, the shock starts to kick in once it is about 3/4 down. Yes, if you are accustomed to bearing all the weight all the way down, it is a little strange to have it suddenly slow things down but that is exactly what we were looking for. I did notice that the upper part of my metal cable now came to rest on the upper ball part of the shock. Not an issue as far as functionality, yet I could see in time those two points rubbing the paint off the shock. Easy fix, I wrapped the metal part of the clip that touches the shock with some electrical tape. At least it is not metal on metal now...... All in all for $30, it seems like a good addition to the truck. Like any shock, in time it will wear out, but replacement will be a 60 second issue at most. If everything holds up, I would have no issues recommending it to others. Since only time will tell, if I remember in 6-8 months, I will add to this review.

Got the assist kit, had it installed an hour later. Works great.

Purchased this for my early '99 F250 crew cab 7.3 diesel. Installation was fairly straight forward and took me about 30 minutes. A couple of days ago, I was working underneath the truck and asked my daughter to hand me something that was in the back of the truck. She had to drop the tailgate to get the item I needed. She struggled to get it open and then the weight of the tailgate falling was more than she could handle and it almost knocked her down. I got to thinking about how much I myself struggle with the tailgate also because so many times when I go to let it down, I am doing it one handed and holding something with my other hand. I wondered if there was a way to make my old heavy tailgate fall softly like the new tailgates. Sure enough, I searched on Amazon and found this item. I ordered it and it is one of the best purchases I have ever made for my truck. It will be interesting to see how long the gas spring lasts as I usually do not have good luck with those lasting very long on other things like my toolbox lid. I was hoping to put this on the passenger side of the tailgate, but after receiving it, the directions said it could not be installed on the passenger side because the tailgate has to slide to the right to be taken off the truck. So far, I am very pleased with this and if for some reason my impression of this product changes, I will come back update this review. You definitely want to buy this if you have an older style heavy tailgate.

Fit great on my 2005 Ford Ranger FX4 Level II tailgate.

Installed two on a 1999 Ford F-250 Super Duty, very heavy tailgate and it also has a rubber mat on it. I may change that out to a Bedrug to lessen the weight. After reading other reviews I decided that two would be better and it would lessen the load on just one and share the load. I’ve got a Hopkins Easylift (torsion rod) and was a little concerned about clearance, but no problem, it clears. Yes, you can install it on the passenger side. As another reviewer said, you will need a 1 1/2 inch hose clamp(see photo). Without it, it will jump off at the tailgate bushing. I understand that on some year models the hole on the passenger side of the tailgate may be in the wrong place, but my was in the same place, just to small. I drilled it out with a 1/2 inch drill bit. Instructions are straight forward, but you will definitely want to invest in a 3/8 inch drive T50 socket. You will also need a 13mm & 16mm wrench, 6mm, 8mm and 11mm sockets. . I didn’t try this with just one Tailgate Assist, but with two it drops open slowly, but not too slow to a soft landing. Time will tell how long these will last. If I need I will update.

Not really a necessity, but it makes a nice addition to an older truck to slow the tailgate down upon opening.

Muy Útil , muy facil de colocar y funciona bien en mi Ford f250 ,saludos

Funktioniert perfekt, für den nissan navara war logischerweise eine kleine modifikation nötig, da das produkt ja für ein anderes auto ist. Montiert, schon senkt sich die klappe langsam ab. Lieferung von usa ging auch flott. 5 sterne!

No funciono la rosca que va en la caja

Fit and finish worked great, installed on my truck in less than 10 minutes. In very cold northern Canadian climates the gas shocks get very slow while lowering but no issue lifting. It's soft open while lowering but provides no assistance on lift. I bought two for my very heavy 2011 F-350 step tailgate thinking it may be required and over time that could be true but that second install will require reaming of the existing hole on passenger side of gate, driver side was plug and play so to speak. In cool to moderate climate I'm guessing one is suffice in very hot climates I would probably want 2.