Bushwacker Tailgate Cap | Heavy-Duty Truck Bed Protection
Our Bushwacker tailgate cap delivers rugged protection for the exposed edge of your truck bed where cargo, tools, and daily use take their toll. Engineered from durable Dura-Flex 2000 TPO material, this tailgate cap resists cracking, fading, and UV damage season after season.
We designed the cap to fit precisely over factory tailgate rail profiles, creating a protective barrier that prevents scratches, dings, and paint damage. The low-profile design maintains your truck’s clean lines while shielding the vulnerable upper edge from tie-down straps, heavy loads, and weather exposure. Installation takes minutes with our pre-drilled holes and included stainless steel mounting hardware—no cutting or drilling required on most applications.
- Dura-Flex 2000 TPO construction resists UV rays, impact, and extreme temperatures
- Custom-molded for precise fit on specific truck makes and models
- Pre-drilled mounting holes with stainless steel hardware included
- Matte black finish complements OEM and aftermarket bed accessories
- Protects tailgate edge from scratches, cargo damage, and tie-down wear
Material & Construction Details
We manufacture every Bushwacker tailgate cap from Dura-Flex 2000 thermoplastic olefin, the same material trusted across our full line of truck protection products. This proprietary compound withstands temperature extremes from -40°F to 248°F without becoming brittle or soft, maintaining its protective qualities through desert heat and mountain winters.
The matte black finish goes beyond surface appearance—UV stabilizers are molded throughout the material, preventing the fade and chalking common with painted or coated alternatives. Cargo impacts that would dent metal or crack rigid plastic simply flex and return to shape. The tailgate edge carries more concentrated stress than nearly any other bed surface, so we engineered the cap’s thickness and flexibility profile specifically for this high-wear zone.
Vehicle Fitment & Compatibility
Our tailgate caps are vehicle-specific, molded to match the exact contours of your truck’s tailgate rail profile. We manufacture dedicated SKUs for over 200 truck configurations spanning Ford, Chevrolet, GMC, Ram, Toyota, and Nissan models from 1973 to current year production.
Each cap replicates the factory rail curves, stake pocket positions, and tailgate latch clearances unique to your year, make, and model. This precision fit eliminates gaps where moisture can collect and cause corrosion, while ensuring the cap stays secure under the stress of daily loading and unloading. The cap installs independently from other bed accessories—it works alongside bed rail caps that protect the full bed perimeter, tonneau covers, bed extenders, and fifth-wheel hitch systems without interference.
Installation Process
Installation requires no special tools beyond a Phillips screwdriver and fifteen minutes of your time. We include stainless steel screws, washers, and detailed instructions with every cap, along with a template for applications requiring drilling.
Start by cleaning the tailgate rail surface with isopropyl alcohol to remove wax, dirt, and oxidation. Position the cap over the rail, aligning the pre-molded stake pocket openings with your truck’s pockets. On most applications, factory holes in the tailgate rail match our cap’s pre-drilled mounting points—thread screws through the cap into existing holes and tighten until snug but not over-torqued.
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Tailgate Cap Installation & Fit Questions
Yes, our tailgate cap is designed to work with virtually all tonneau cover styles including roll-up, folding, retractable, and hard covers. The cap installs on the tailgate rail itself and sits low enough that tonneau cover seals contact the bed rail as designed.
If you have a cover that clamps to the tailgate rail, verify the cap doesn’t interfere with clamp positioning before final installation. Most clamp-style covers adjust to accommodate the cap’s thickness without issues.
Each Bushwacker tailgate cap is manufactured for specific year ranges, makes, and models. You’ll need your truck’s year, make (Ford, Chevrolet, etc.), model (F-150, Silverado, etc.), and bed length to select the correct part.
Our online fitment guide matches these details to the appropriate cap SKU. Mid-generation design changes sometimes create multiple SKUs within the same model year range, so verify the cap image matches your tailgate profile if your truck falls in a transition year.
Yes, the tailgate cap installs over the tailgate rail regardless of bed liner type. Spray-in liners typically stop before the top edge of the bed rail, leaving the mounting surface unaffected.
If your liner installer sprayed over the tailgate rail top, you may need to carefully remove excess liner material from the mounting area to achieve proper cap fit and secure fastener contact with the metal rail beneath.
No, our tailgate cap design includes cutouts that preserve full access to factory stake pockets. The cap surrounds each pocket opening, protecting the rail between pockets while maintaining functionality for tie-down stakes, bike racks, and other stake pocket accessories.
This design ensures you don’t sacrifice utility for protection—you can still use every stake pocket exactly as intended.
We back every tailgate cap with a limited lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. This covers cracking, warping, or failure of the TPO material under normal use conditions.
The warranty doesn’t cover damage from accidents, improper installation, or modifications to the cap. Keep your original purchase receipt as proof of purchase date for warranty claims.
The tailgate cap specifically protects the tailgate rail edge—the area most vulnerable to cargo contact during loading and unloading. It significantly reduces scratches, dings, and paint damage in this high-wear zone.
For complete bed protection, consider pairing the tailgate cap with full-length bed rail caps that protect the entire bed perimeter, plus a bed mat or spray-in liner for the bed floor. This comprehensive approach shields every surface from cargo damage.
While the cap’s Dura-Flex TPO material can technically accept paint with proper surface preparation and flexible paint systems, we don’t recommend painting it. The matte black finish is UV-stabilized throughout the material, whereas paint creates a surface coating that can chip or peel with the cap’s natural flex.
Painted caps also require ongoing maintenance that molded-black caps don’t need. The matte black finish complements trucks of any color and matches most OEM bed accessories.