What is the Chevrolet Multi-Flex Tailgate?

The Chevrolet Multi-Flex Tailgate is another salvo in a war that has been going on between full-size pickup truck makers for years. The war is being fought on several fronts to achieve a competitive advantage in the hotly contested and very profitable sector of the market. And one key strategy is to find ways to improve the functionality of the pickup truck. The Chevrolet Multi-Flex Tailgate does just that. In this article, we'll tell you what the Chevy Multi-Flex Tailgate is and how it works.

Multi-Flex Means Multi-Functions

As is implied by its name, the Chevrolet Multi-Flex Tailgate has several functions, each designed to ease the workload of the person using the truck. This could be the truck owner or an employee of a company that owns the truck since many pickups are used as commercial vehicles by construction and maintenance companies.

Standard Tailgate Operation

The first function is the simplest to understand: using the tailgate for full and open access to the truck's load box. In this mode, it operates as a traditional pickup tailgate, hinged at the bottom and lowering to a position in line with the floor of the box. This makes loading the box easy because you can push loads across the tailgate surface and into the box itself. You can open the tailgate by remote using the key fob or a button within the truck cab or by using the handle on the tailgate itself. The tailgate lowers manually.

Gate-mounted Load Stop

Frequently, loads are longer than the length of the cargo box. For cargo like lumber, pipe, or re-bar it is advantageous to keep the tailgate lowered to extend the cargo space. At the same time, preventing that cargo from sliding out the back of the vehicle is beneficial. To facilitate retaining such cargo, the Chevy Multi-Flex Tailgate has a "load stop" that folds out of the inner top of the tailgate to create a vertical wall that can keep loads from shifting out of the truck bed.

Secondary Gate Lowers for Access

While lowering the tailgate enables good access to the pickup box, it requires the person loading to stand some distance from the box. The Multi-Flex Tailgate has a secondary portion at about the halfway point that can drop down to enable the worker to get much closer to the box itself. This makes loading and unloading of some items much easier.

Full-Width Box Step

When you lower the secondary portion of the tailgate, it not only enables workers to get closer to the inner box; it also is affixed with a fold-down portion that you can open to provide a full-width step. This allows workers to step up into the truck bed as if climbing stairs, alleviating the thorny problem of climbing into the truck bed to load or unload while carrying items in both hands. The step has a large maximum load limit of well more than 300 pounds, and it extends for almost the entire width of the pickup.

Secondary Gate Load Stop

Much like the full tailgate load stop, you can lower the secondary tailgate hinged at about the middle of the full tailgate to accept cargo above the box floor, perhaps on internal box cross members. The secondary tailgate has a fold-up load stop that can help prevent cargo from sliding out the rear of the truck.

Secondary Gate Work Surface

With the secondary "half gate" folded down from the rest of the tailgate, it creates an area of about mid-chest height that you can use as a work surface. For instance, it could provide a convenient place to situate a laptop computer for use standing up. It could provide a surface to look at construction plans or even lay out lunch. It is not perfectly flat but has contours similar to the corrugated surface of the truck bed itself.

Summary

The Chevrolet Multi-Flex Tailgate owes a great deal to the GMC MultiPro Tailgate that came before it and that GMC offers on its full-size pickup trucks. As outlined, it provides several useful configurations. Because it is primarily constructed of aluminum, the tailgate isn't as heavy as it would be if made of steel. You lower and raise it manually with functions controlled by easy-to-understand pushbuttons.

In some instances, when lowered, the secondary portion and step can hit a tow hitch ball if installed. However, the added versatility and cargo-handling ease provided by the Chevy Multi-Flex Tailgate more than compensates for that potential pitfall. Widely available across the Chevy Silverado 1500 and Silverado HD lineup, the Multi-Flex Tailgate is certainly an option worthy of strong consideration.

To learn more, visit the Shopping Guides section of the website.

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