DPN: 009900
Page 7 of 28
Rev 18 6-29-21
RAILGATE TERMS AND METHOD OF OPERATION
Figure 1: Railgate terms.
!Caution:
Never leave the truck with the platform on the ground, partially raised, or open.
Never show children or unauthorized personnel how to operate the gate.
To prevent children or unauthorized personnel from operating the lift, be sure the gate is in the stored
position and both the driver's side and passenger's side latches are secured. Make sure the passenger's
side latch padlock is installed and the control is deactivated before leaving the truck unattended.
Your Tommy Gate is connected to your vehicle battery. The vehicle battery powers a motor, coupled to a
hydraulic pump. This motor and pump combination is called a power unit. Flow from the pump extends a
cylinder to provide tension to the lift chains that lift the gate platform. A check valve blocks return flow
from the cylinder to the pump and a pressure relief valve prevents the gate from being overloaded. The gate
platform is lowered by gravity after the "lower" solenoid valve is activated and opened at the pump.
!Warning:
Liftgate is not to be used as a scale. Liftgate may lift more than its rated capacity. Be aware
of how much is being lifted and never exceed the rated capacity of the liftgate. Be aware of
how much is being hauled and never exceed the rated capacity of the vehicle.
Two safety switches are mounted above the safety trip bar. These two switches interrupt power from the
"raise" solenoid and direct the power to the "lower" solenoid valve if an obstruction raises the safety trip bar.
A "Low Voltage" condition exists when 7 Volts or less is present at the power unit. A low voltage condition
should be corrected as soon as possible. In a "Low Voltage" situation, whether the gate actually raises or
lowers depends on how low the voltage is.
Caution:
Continuing to operate the the liftgate in the "Low Voltage" condition may result in failure of
electrical components in the power unit.
The low voltage condition may be caused by a weak battery, loose or corroded connections, improper ground,
or bad electrical cables. This condition may be corrected by just starting the vehicle or replacing the battery.
The terms used to describe parts of the
railgate in this manual can be found in
(Figure 1).
(Torsion Spring Models Only)
TORSION SPRING
CONTROL
CYLINDER IN MAIN FRAME
LATCH
BEARING PADS
SLIDERS WITH
MAIN FRAME
UPRIGHTS
DROP LID CHAIN
(Self-close Models Only)
SAFETY TRIP BAR
SELF-CLOSING ARM
BOX COVER
PLATFORM
LIGHTS
MAIN FRAME
LIFT CHAINS AND
SPROCKETS IN
PUMP, MOTOR AND
(RF Gates Only)
MAIN PLATFORM
PLATFORM FLIPPER
(RF Gates Only)
TIE DOWN RINGS
CONTROL SHIELD
