So I did some digging today since I had the day off ..
FCA states that the 2019 did NOT include the pivot points because of changes to Federal Tail Light laws.
hmm ..
Ok ?
Tail lights .. bed extender .. people running into the tailgate when it is in the down (open) position ..
No visual indications are required until items stick out 4 feet from the rear of the vehicle. Then you are required some bright (red / orange / etc) piece of 12" x 12" square to keep people from running into those nice new 2x4s you just purchased. Now, if you are driving at night, it is required that you mount a red light at the end of those long 2x4s ..
so ...
Original post ..
bed open is way less than 4 feet.
Most would right you up for not being able to see your rear license plate, NOT a blockage of your rear lights. And what if you take your tail gate off? You are no longer extending your vehicle by 18-24 inches and no longer blocking your tail lights (not like you were before the tailgate was put in the down / open position.
MOST states have laws on the books already for driving with your tailgate down to "save fuel" which is a myth even before Mythbusters decided to do an episode on it. One of my previous trucks had the tailgate removed and I had one of those nets installed instead = was never pulled over by any State Patrol for that. States that have laws on the books require that the tailgate be closed to keep items from falling out (all over the highway) .. but my bed is empty -- doesn't matter. (see previous statement about wrecks where people would slam into the opened tailgate .. see the round-and-round yet?
Those same states DO say that if your items are long enough that you cannot close your tailgate, then you ARE allowed to run with the tailgate open .. as long as the load within the bed is secured with proper strapping, etc .. they do mention that tailgate extenders are NOT to have holes large enough to allow items to fall thru them. Well, my 300 pound lawnmower is much larger than my tailgate extender holes, I can bet my life on that
SOOOo ..
Digging again into these new Tail light Laws .. we are still legal (within the limits provided by the state you travel in) -- notice I did not say the state you are licensed in -- see laws regarding window tint, the omission of rear bumpers on certain vehicles from the factory, etc.
It was also stated before that the reason MAY have been that the aluminum tailgate does not hold the weight the steel tailgate did .. OK, but you are STILL able to load say a 300 pound lawnmower into the truck with the new tailgate as well.
So I will be making contact with my local chapter of the State Police as soon as I get time and ask them about these new Tail light laws. All I could locate was Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 which provided guidelines for manufacturers on locations to post reflective material or lights and what type of lights you were allowed.
I decided to take some photos (my own and from the Internet) with the new RAM BED EXTENDER-not-so-much and I'll post up some images with red running LEDs that can be hooked up to the trailer harness that can bee seen from the rear and up to 180 degrees on either side of the rig and show that to the local Chapter and see if that is within Federal Laws. Even with the tailgate down while hauling something from my local Menards, I am still within Federal and Local Laws (running a 4x8 sheet of plywood even in my tailgate-opened 5'7" RAMBOX.)