a control mechanism for controlling movement of a vehicle gate between a first and a second position comprises a dampener assembly and a lift assembly that are incorporated within the gate . the dampener assembly has a first component mountable to a vehicle structure and a second component supportable by the vehicle gate mounted for pivotal movement relative to the vehicle structure . the first and second components cooperate to control vehicle gate speed as the vehicle gate is moved from the second position to the first position . the lift assembly includes a spring operatively coupled to the dampener assembly to reduce lifting effort as the vehicle gate is moved from the first position to the second position .