If you own a 13th generation Ford F-150 in a Lariat trim or higher, then you are blessed with the soft open of the tailgate due to it being outfitted with an OEM tailgate assist. Unfortunately if you own an XLT trim or lower trim like me, then you are met with a loud and sudden drop of the tailgate when you open it. If you prefer the soft opening of an assisted tailgate, then you have a couple of options: install a Ford OEM tailgate assist or install an aftermarket one. Since there were a high number of excellent reviews on the DeeZee tailgate assist, I decided to go this route. The install is fairly easy and doesn’t look bad.