Abstract: The invention disclosed herein relates to a novel mechanism for assisting in opening and closing the lift gate on a vehicle, namely, a trailer. The lift gate assist mechanism is attached to the back of the closed lift gate and cables extend from the mechanism to a connection point on the trailer itself, allowing ease of installation on a variety of trailers. The mechanism is particularly convenient to attach as an after-market product. The mechanism comprises one or more strong outer casings having one or more concentric springs contained therein, where one end of the springs are attached to one end of the casing and the second end of the springs is attached to the bed or some other portion of the vehicle. The mechanism also provides extra strength to the lift gate to enable it to support additional weight of objects when they are rolled onto or off of the trailer. The invention also relates to the method for adding the novel lift gate assist mechanism to the lift gate on a trailer.

Abstract: A self-aligning post cutting jig comprising four elongate cutting guide members each having fasteners at opposing ends thereof for securing the guide members together in a closed four-sided jig for placement on a post. The fastener is adapted to provide a first securement mode wherein the ends of the guide members are spaced-apart to facilitate placement onto a post and a second securement mode wherein the ends of the guide member are brought into contact with the post so as to provided square and true cutting guide thereon.