Are you going to install something on the bed of your F-250 truck that means you'll have to remove the tailgate? Do you want to know how to remove the tailgate and the backup camera? You’ve come to the right place, for we have researched this question and have the answer for you.
Here is a summary of the steps to remove the tailgate from your Ford F-250 with a backup camera.
- Disconnect the wire harness from under the truck.
- Unhook the steel cables that support the tailgate.
- Angle the tailgate, then pull the right side out of the hinge.
- Pull the tailgate out of the left hinge.
Let’s talk more about the Ford F-250 in the succeeding sections. Learn about removing the tailgate and camera in detail in the sections below.
Read on!
The Ford F-250
Ford’s F-Series of trucks are light-duty trucks that Ford began marketing in 1948. In 1999, the Super Duty series joined the F-Series, to which the F-250 also belongs.
The Ford F-250 is a three-quarter-ton truck that sits between the half-ton and the one-ton trucks.
The 2022 Ford F-250 Super Duty truck is a capable truck that can tow up to 22,800 pounds and haul 4,260 pounds of cargo. Like many other trucks, it is also highly customizable out of the factory. It has several body configurations and different engines to choose from.
Among the available engines is the 6.2L Flex-fuel (FFV) V8 engine that comes standard to the 2022 Ford F-250. It can produce up to 385 horsepower at 5,750 RPM and 430 pound-foot of torque at 3,800 RPM.
Another available engine is the 6.7L Turbo V8 diesel engine. This optional engine for the F-250 can produce up to 475 horsepower at 2,600 RPM and 1,050 pound-foot of torque at 1,600 RPM.
The 7.3L 2V DEVCT NA PFI V8 engine is another optional engine you can install on a Ford F-250. It has a variable cam timing that optimizes high-output power.
All F-250 trims use a 6-speed automatic transmission, except for the Ford F-250 Limited. This high-end trim uses a 10-speed automatic transmission and can only install the 6.7L Turbo V8 diesel engine.
All other trims have the option to install any of the three available engines.
The Best F-250
Ownership reviews of the F-250 show that the most reliable models are those from 1994 to 2003, with the 7.3L V8 diesel engine. Low mileage units of these trucks still have a high value in the used vehicle market.
The 2004-year model of the F-250 was unreliable because of the numerous emission control devices on its engine. The demand for F-250 units from the previous generation went up because of the new generation’s unreliability.
How to remove a tailgate with a backup camera on F-250?
Here are the steps to remove the tailgate of your Ford F-250, including the camera.
The F-250 is made for heavy work, which includes hauling heavy cargo and equipment. From time to time, you need to remove the tailgate to get access to more cargo space.
Additionally, if you plan to permanently install equipment on the bed of your F-250, removing the tailgate will make it simpler for you to complete the installation.
Preparing Your Truck
- Park your F-250 on level ground.
- Activate the parking brakes.
- Place your transmission to Park(P).
- If you did some modifications to the wheel and tires of your F-250, check if you can still slide under it without jacking it up. If you need to jack it up, follow the steps below. If not, you can skip to the next section.
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- Place tire chocks on the tires opposite the tire that you will jack up. In this case, place the chocks on the two front tires.
- Slide the floor jack under your F-250.
- Jack up your F-250 on its recommended jack-up points.
- Place a jack stand on the jack-up point of your F-250.
- Jack up the other rear tire and place a jack stand under it. Ensure that the second jack stand is at the same level as the first.
- Lower the floor jack and raise it once more until it barely touches the jack-up point. This will set your floor jack as a backup if your jack stand fails.
- Tug at your F-250 to check if it is stable enough on the jack stands.
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BIG RED Torin Steel jack stands are available on Amazon through this link.
Going Under Your F-250
- Get on a creeper and slide under the back of your truck.
- Trace the wire that is coming from the tailgate. There is a wire harness connector close to the left side of the wheel well.
- Release the lock to disconnect the wire connector.
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- Some F-250 models can have up to three wire connectors that you need to disconnect from under your truck.
- In some Ford F-250 models, there is a brightly colored terminal cover hanging close to the wire connector that goes to the front of the truck.
- Clean the interior of this cover.
- Once the cover is clean, you can use it to cover the open connector to prevent water, dirt, or mud from getting into the connector and damaging it.
- Leaving this connector open can cause electrical problems in some F-250 models.
- If you don’t have the terminal cover hanging on the wire harness, check your glove compartment. Some F-250 models have a tailgate removal kit inside the glove compartment that includes the covers for the wires when you disconnect them.
Pro-Lift C-2036D Z-Creeper is available on Amazon through this link.
Removing The Tailgate
- Open the tailgate of your Ford F-250 but don’t let it down completely. Let the tailgate rest on your leg instead.
- Use a small flathead screwdriver to pull the locking clip at the end of the cable on one side of the tailgate. They’re the steel cables that keep the tailgate parallel to the ground.
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- Once you pull the locking clip higher than the level of the support screw, you can push the metal cable upward until the screw head gets to the part of the hole that is big enough to release it.
- Do the same thing to the other steel cable to remove it.
- Angle the tailgate at around 45 degrees.
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- It is best to have a friend assist in supporting the tailgate because it can be cumbersome.
- Once the tailgate is out of the bottom hinges, it can easily slip and fall without a second person to help you support its weight.
- Pull the right side of the tailgate out of the hinge.
- Lift the tailgate to around 80 degrees with the ground. Prepare to support the full weight of the tailgate as you move to the next step.
- Slide the tailgate to the right until the left side is out of the left hinge.
- Set aside your tailgate.
How to replace the backing camera on a Ford F-250?
The tailgate of an F-250 Super Duty truck goes through a lot of punishment. Any cargo that you haul on the bed of your truck will have to go over the tailgate unless you remove it first.
However, it is not feasible to remove the tailgate each time you need to haul cargo on the bed of your truck and put it back again. Then when you get to your destination, you can’t just remove the tailgate once more and then put it back after you unload all of your cargo. That will be too much work.
The backing camera on the tailgate of your F-250 is also subject to the same level of punishment. The vibration from loading and unloading cargo from the bed of your truck will eventually take its toll on the camera.
Additionally, pressure washing your F-250 truck can cause some moisture to get into the backing camera. This moisture can blur the image from your camera.
It’s a good thing that this article’s got your back.
If you need to replace the camera on your Super Duty Ford F-250 truck, here are the simple steps that you can follow to replace it.
Getting Access To The Old Camera
- Park your truck on a level surface with plenty of light.
- Follow Steps 2 and 3 from the section “Preparing Your Truck” above.
- Open the tailgate.
- Press the button at the center of the step molding to release the tailgate step.
- Pull the step to get access to the bolts under it.
- Remove the four nuts that keep the handle in place.
- Close the tailgate and pull the handle horizontally. Only plastic clips should be left to keep the handle in place.
- Remove the Torx screw that is holding the camera cover.
Replacing The Camera
- Disconnect the wires from the old camera.
- Remove the old camera from the mounting.
- Install the new camera.
- Connect the wire harness to the new camera.
- Reinstall the camera cover.
- Secure the camera cover with the Torx screw.
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Finishing Up
- Reinsert the tailgate handle.
- Reopen the tailgate and make sure that you deploy the tailgate step partially.
- Reinstall the nuts that hold the tailgate handle in place.
- Test the new camera.
Conclusion
Removing the tailgate with a backing camera is simple because Ford designed the tailgate to be easily removable.
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