How to Make an Emergency Release Handle for Inside of Swing Gate

[Lifeliberty]

I get that necessity isn't the only reason for invention but i'd be curious in what condition you'd use this.

You could probably ask Ford the same thing, they built the latch and wrote the manual on how to release gate from inside, this is just an easier way to do it

Let's say you on a beach and are sleeping in the back with the rear is facing east. You wake up and are tired, but want to watch the sunrise over the ocean. Yank rope

Or you are vacuuming the front and you have ocd. You started in the front, but end up in the back, pull rope.

You are being chased, but your road spikes are in the back. You have the passenger climb to the back, pull rope, release road spikes

You are only limited by your imagination

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[Keldel]

Convenience. If I'm sleeping in the back, it'll be easier to get out.

Yes and safety if the front doors are blocked. If you have a hard top can't get through that like maybe you can a soft top.

 

[Bwaggs83]

You could probably ask Ford the same thing, they built the latch and wrote the manual on how to release gate from inside, this is just an easier way to do it

Let's say you on a beach and are sleeping in the back with the rear is facing east. You wake up and are tired, but want to watch the sunrise over the ocean. Yank rope

Or you are vacuuming the front and you have ocd. You started in the front, but end up in the back, pull rope.

You are being chased, but your road spikes are in the back. You have the passenger climb to the back, pull rope, release road spikes

You are only limited by your imagination

The only one I see here which I previously thought of was maybe the sleeping one. That's a convenience thing. If we are putting road spikes out we may as well build a drop device that on a press of a button within arms reach while driving and drops them out. No need to open the tailgate.

 

[Roll Sound]

There is limited need for it. Some might even say there is no need for it.

I would argue there is indeed a need for it.

 

[Roll Sound]

The thing is though... because the whole Bronco is open means there is no need for an interior rear tailgate release. You can remove the panels on a hardtop. you can climb over the back seat and open the door. You can remove a soft top. I'm not sure it makes sense. Nice ingenuity though.

With all due respect, you are wrong. If you are camping and sleeping in your truck, exiting through a roof panel is about as dumb as it gets. I'm 6' 250lbs, no way I'm crawling over seats in the front to get out a front door.

 

[Roll Sound]

I get that necessity isn't the only reason for invention but i'd be curious in what condition you'd use this.

Do you really not get it?

 

[CT203]

I would argue there is indeed a need for it.

Enough need to spend money on R&D and production? I'd argue no. But glad there's a DYI option for the few who want it.

 

[Headsong]

You could probably ask Ford the same thing, they built the latch and wrote the manual on how to release gate from inside, this is just an easier way to do it

Let's say you on a beach and are sleeping in the back with the rear is facing east. You wake up and are tired, but want to watch the sunrise over the ocean. Yank rope

Or you are vacuuming the front and you have ocd. You started in the front, but end up in the back, pull rope.

You are being chased, but your road spikes are in the back. You have the passenger climb to the back, pull rope, release road spikes

You are only limited by your imagination

You've been strapped to a roof rack, and they're driving you away. But you have a .45 tucked into the cargo hold....and they left the rear window out/open.

You're in a James Bond movie and you're on the roof as the bad guys are speeding along, and you see a low bridge coming.........

You've been on a great date, your wife is not clothed inside, you step out to use a tree, the rear door latches...........

Imaginations.

 

[Bwaggs83]

Do you really not get it?

I do not, captain obvious. Why don't you share your mighty wisdom with me.

 

[Bwaggs83]

With all due respect, you are wrong. If you are camping and sleeping in your truck, exiting through a roof panel is about as dumb as it gets. I'm 6' 250lbs, no way I'm crawling over seats in the front to get out a front door.

who said anything about exiting through the roof while sleeping? If you are running away from an ant in your sleeping bag and you are too scared to go that way then a roof panel makes sense (using ya'lls dumb logic("imagination") here).

I said if there was an emergency and you couldn't get out the tailgate you have other options such as hmmm....maybe doors or your roof. The tailgate doesn't come with a factory release because it's open to the cab. You call me dense. Also I can't help your laziness. I'm 6'1" and 225lbs and i can definitely do this. If you read through the posts you'll see that I said camping in your vehicle would be the only reason I could see use for this.

 

[Lifeliberty]

Another reason here

Thread 'Unlock rear door without power?' https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/unlock-rear-door-without-power.45774/

 

[Jhuff]

Another reason here

Thread 'Unlock rear door without power?' https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/unlock-rear-door-without-power.45774/

I was just about to post a snarky response while reading through this thread . Glad you found this thread for me and responded, nicely, first!

OP: Looks like a fun project, I'm definitely going to at least hide one behind the vent for emergencies/dead batteries. Thanks for the detailed instructions!

If I do one on the outside, I might forgo the Paracord for security; I'm thinking of a printed black plastic handle that clips to the vent and "blends in" with the plastic of the vent. Tough choice of convenience v security.

The OPs idea in that other thread (of hooking up a remote cable release) really has me has me thinking too. Not poo-pooing the Paracord, which is slick, but would like to have access to my drawer (for jumper-pack or other emergency supplies) when the battery is dead, without climbing.

 

[LoneRider]

Nice thing about options, you can use them or ignore them as your situation suits and you see fit.

Yes, if vehicle is locked and it is pulled without key fob nearby, the alarm will sound.

As another mentioned, it could be useful with a dead battery. I just attached to it and am thinking I will route a cable to the passenger side rear seat.

Seems silly to deride others choices and ideas just because you may not think it useful.

 

[sledboy]

I made this release handle out of paracord so that I can get out from the inside of my Bronco rear swing gate.

Recommended Tools & Supplies

• Plastic pry tools
• Four (4) inches of wire, or anything you can fashion into a flexible sorta needle, I used 22 gauge craft wire.
• Small needle-nose pliers
• Something skinny with a small hook on the end, I used a loop turner for sewing. You could probably use a hook and pick tool set too.
• Twenty (20) feet of paracord, I used PARACORD PLANET 275 LB Tensile Strength Paracord Rope for the inner cord and PARACORD PLANET 425 LB Tensile Strength for the outer cord. (You may not need this much.)
• Lighter
• Paracord FID or something metal to push ends through when done and smooth out singed ends. I used a pair of large pair of tweezers (again from my sewing kit!)

Follow these steps:
1. Use the pry tools to remove the tailgate trim panel.
Start on the left side, the left side has the clips, and the right side just slips out once the clips are popped out.

2. Remove the inside release lever cover.

3. Using the small needle-nose pliers, find the release lever (just so you know where it is. It's very hard to see).

4. Fashion your wire into a flexible needle with a small loop at one end.

5. Poke the other end through the end of your inner paracord, and squeeze it closed to secure.

6. Feed the loop end of the wire through the hole in the release lever.
This is the tricky part, but I swear there is a hole in there!

7. Once you get the wire through, use the loop turner or hook to grab the loop end and pull the paracord through. It helps to push lightly from the paracord end while pulling it through from the other end.
Success! At this point, I closed the tailgate to check that it worked, with the window open, of course!

Now that you have your paracord through the hole, you need to determine the size of your loop. Pull enough paracord through until you have two strands, equal length and long enough to form a simple loop plus a couple of inches. I used about 60 inches total but 30 inches as it is doubled on itself.

8. Tie a regular ‘ol knot just at the end of the lever “tunnel” to keep it all tidy.

9. Feed the loose ends through the tailgate trim panel.

10. Replace the trim panel by sliding the right side into place and pressing the left side clips into the swing gate.

11. Fashion the cord into a loop handle as you please. I used a cobra knot, but this was my first time using paracord, so not sure I could explain it as well as the zillions of videos on youtube. I liked Bored? Paracord! and Paracord Planet videos.

UPDATE: Be sure the loop is thin enough to tuck back into the trim panel to avoid accidental or nefarious openings!

12. Once you are done, just pull the handle along the tailgate, as shown below.
Don’t pull straight away from the tailgate. It won’t work and may damage the lever.

This is what is happening when you pull the cord:

THANK YOU!

We also sleep inside our Bronco with the DeepSleep matts. The setup works very well but after last weekend, my wife Tina insisted that we be able to open the rear door from the inside to make it easier and more conveneint to get out. We also have a rear tent that attached to the back of the Bronco and she would rather get out into the tent instead of the side door.

So I did a search and found your post and it was very helpful. Here are a few pictures of how we set it up.

The instructions Tina provided were awesome! Here is a closeup shot of the hole in the bar that we had to thread the paracord through. It is hard to see let alone thread something through.

Here is a shot of the paracord threaded through the hole.

Tied a knot in the cord under the trim panel so the cord stays secure.

Turned the Dremel loose on the trim panel in an attempt to reduce some of the friction when pulling on the cord.

We just have the two ends of the cord dangling out. I think this will reduce the chance of us accidentally snagging the cord. Also reduces the chance of any nefarious activities.

Tucked in to give it a cleaner look.

So to the OP, my wife says from one Tina to another, Thanks for sharing!

 

[Tina]

This makes me very happy! Thank you for posting.

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