Good morning my friends, I'm looking to automate my car's rear door and wanted a cheap option just in case. is it possible to build a homemade Car Electric Tailgate Lift?

 

Welcome to AAC!

You can reverse engineer some auto manufacturer's design, or save yourself some hassle and buy an aftermarket kit that will include the safety features you should have.

This video shows an install that required drilling holes for cables: Power tailgate installation video - YouTube

 

Around here we have auto wreckers, strip your own, maybe worth checking where you are for something similar you could adapt.

 

You can reverse engineer some auto manufacturer's design,

Still haven't quite figured those power lifts out yet. They are electrical, able to be programed to how high they lift, and yet can be manually moved up or down. All in a small package that isn't much bigger in diameter than a hydraulic lift cylinder!

 

Still haven't quite figured those power lifts out yet. They are electrical, able to be programed to how high they lift, and yet can be manually moved up or down. All in a small package that isn't much bigger in diameter than a hydraulic lift cylinder!

do you know the electric actuator? do you think i could use it?

 

Welcome to AAC!

You can reverse engineer some auto manufacturer's design, or save yourself some hassle and buy an aftermarket kit that will include the safety features you should have.

This video shows an install that required drilling holes for cables: Power tailgate installation video - YouTube

so far, I have not found any video material or any diagram for me to reverse engineer this device. I suppose this system should look like a linear actuator, with internal use of motor and linear ball guide. however, the performance of this system is so silent that it left me with doubts.

 

Still haven't quite figured those power lifts out yet.

There's more to them than one might think. I opened ours too close to the garage door and I pulled on the door until it decided it should stop trying to open and reversed. It would be nice if they incorporated a sensor to prevent the door from hitting things hard enough to cause damage. I bought our Explorer used and there was a ding on the lift gate near the plate holder.

I wish someone who worked on the power lift was involved in the speedometer design. That's a waste of space in my trim package.

 

There's more to them than one might think. I opened ours too close to the garage door and I pulled on the door until it decided it should stop trying to open and reversed. It would be nice if they incorporated a sensor to prevent the door from hitting things hard enough to cause damage

No experience with how Ford does it. But both the 2018 Chevy Equinox I just turned in and the new Buick Encore GX I just go both have sensors in them that retract them if they hit anything. Even the human body.

 

do you know the electric actuator? do you think i could use it?View attachment 243327

Personally I wouldn't use one of them to lift a rear hatch. They are too powerful and will end up breaking something if the engineering design/geometry is even slightly off.

A power lift tailgate is more than just the lift mechanism. It also has to do with the gates latch mechanism. They need to work in sequence again to keep from breaking something.

You don't mention either where your located or what car this is for. Maxheadroom gave the way I would go to do this. but then I'm in an area of the world with many, many car wrecker yards to go and get something that has been developed by car manufacturers.