Fascination for trucks leads to new invention

By Michael Picarella Acorn Staff Writer

MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn AN INNOVATION FOR PICKUPS--James Casey stands next to his invention, a motorized tailgate.

After three and a half years of pre-med school in the 1970s, longtime Calabasas resident and local contractor James Casey, 48, dropped out, built a yacht for his father and sailed half way around the world; he tried acting in film, TV and commercials, is a member of the Calabasas Players, sky dives and races motorcycles. Casey has a lot of hobbies and a lot of aspirations, but one interest, in particular, gave him the ambition to succeed.

Casey loves pickup trucks and has been fascinated in them since he was a kid. But an interest in trucks doesn’t pay the bills—unless you design them.

"Being a truck owner and an enthusiast, it was brought to my attention that when driving with the tailgate down or having a net instead of a tailgate—that it allows for less drag, especially when driving on the freeway," Casey said.

Casey was personally interested in the idea because he drove a pickup.

"After experimenting and putting (the tailgate) down," Casey said, "I could feel a slight improvement." That kept Casey’s attention, but he needed something solid to do for a living.

He enrolled at Cal State University Northridge and studied engineering. He hoped the degree would get him a career.

While in school, Casey stumbled upon the notion that a fully opened tailgate on a truck might not be the best way to eliminate some of the drag when driving.

Again, for personal reasons, Casey tested the tailgate at different positions and monitored the fuel mileage. He found that when partially open, the tailgate accommodated the best gas mileage, he said. The trucks he tested got 8 percent or a mile and a half per gallon better gas mileage with the tailgate partially open compared to when it was up.

Between classes, Casey thought of a device—which would be less than two square inches in size—that would electronically lower the gate of a truck about halfway open when driving at freeway speeds and allow for better mpg.

"It transforms the tailgate into an aerodynamic improving spoiler on the freeway automatically," Casey said. "It’s got a little microprocessor controller that deploys the tailgate halfway at highway speeds where the drag is most prevalent... And then it closes automatically before you come to a stop."

When the bed has cargo, the tailgate mechanism won’t deploy.

Casey wanted to drop out of school again to get his invention off the ground. He thought if he didn’t get a patent on his tailgate device that Detroit’s motor companies would surely develop something similar.

But Casey knew having an education was important, he said. He stuck it out and decided to finish school. When he graduated about a year later, at 40 years of age, he was happy to know that no one had developed anything like his invention.

"I had gone back to school and gotten an engineering degree, came back out and invented a product and patented it," Casey said.

"Droptail" is the name Casey gave his invention. It was finally a reality and next to his degree, it was the second dream he made come true.

Droptail and Casey are already becoming the talk of the industry.

Casey’s tailgate device won one of three of the "best products of the year" awards at the prestigious SEMA (Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association) convention in November. Automotive experts call SEMA the Oscar Awards of motoring.

Droptail wasn’t only noticed for improving gas mileage on a truck, Casey said, but also for the novelty and its other uses.

"No longer is the heavy tailgate lifted manually by hand," Casey said. The tailgate can now be lifted electronically. When you’ve got your arms full, you can use a remote to lower the tailgate, so you don’t have to set everything on the ground and lower your tailgate physically. And the remote also locks and unlocks the gate as well.

"I think I’ve caught Detroit with their pants down with this," Casey said.

Droptail is primarily designed for full-size pickups. Casey has the products, which are about $589 each, for GM full-size fleetside trucks for 1988 to 2003 models and Ford F-150 styleside trucks for 1997 to 2003 models. Devices for the Dodge Ram trucks are coming and Casey anticipates he’ll soon make products for other pickups, especially mini pickups.

For more details about Droptail or Casey’s company, JSC Engineering, Inc., visit his Website online at www.droptail.com. Or call JSC toll free (877) 707-TAIL (8245).