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When I tow I keep the tailgate on the rig. Only forgot to drop it once and caused a knick on the topside molding - not enough to replace but the knick remains as an effective reminder. When I towed commercially I was not allowed to use my tailgate and kept it in my garage.
Things I've read say it's better to drive with the tailgate when not towing because it causes enough wind turbulence back there to assist with fuel mileage. Those three months towing commercial and I didn't use the tailgate and it seems that the fuel mileage was worse by a little bit (2 or more miles per gallon). Since I put almost 14,000 miles on my truck in those 3 months it seemed to make a difference, since it was also around the time when fuel was at its highest! I got paid for the tow but the fuel and maintenance were on my dime. I was happy when I stopped that job, put my tailgate back on and the fuel mileage seemed to go back up.
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