High-Lift and Jumper cable/rope bed mount

I decided that I wanted to mount my High- Lift in the bed against the cab and thought I would add pegs to wrap my jumpers around since when I went from an 05 to an 11 I lost the storage space behind the rear passenger seat.



Anyway I thought I would post a write up on what I did. Please be gentle, as this is my first write up attempt.

Parts List:
3 12 x 1½ mending plates
2 9/16 x 3/8-16 T-slot nuts Fastenal Part # 302932-130481
2 3/4 x 3/8-16 bolts (not 100 percent sure on length)
2 3/8 flat washers
2 5/16-18 Lock nuts
2 5/16 fender washers (black or painted black)
4 5/16-18 jam nuts
2 5/16-18 regular nuts
2 1 ½ x 5/16-18 bolts
2 2 ½ x 3/8-16 bolts (see note)
2 3/8-16 wing nuts
4 3/8 Flat washers
4 3/8-16 jam nuts
1 semi flexible rod (I used a 2 ft x ½ in aluminum strap)
1 Roll of duct tape
2 Pegs (I used fence gate latches)
1 Can black spray paint

NOTE: I used 3/8 bolts because I wanted them a bit stronger. You could probably use 5/16 and save yourself some drilling later on. Just be sure to get the matching nuts and washers. Also the length can vary a bit. I am not 100 percent sure on the ones I used but as long as you can get a washer and a wing nut on to hold the High- Lift you should be fine.

Tools:
½ & 9/16 wrenches and sockets
½ & 3/8 in drill bits
Drill
Metal Saw of some kind

Mounting Bracket Fabrication:



Step 1: Drill out the top hole in 2 of the mending plates to accommodate the bolts that mount to the T slot nuts in the rail. If using 3/8 bolts for high lift mounting drill out the third hole as well. Look closely at the bracket above and you can see the difference. All but the two holes mentioned above have a counter sink to them.

Step 2: Weld or otherwise attach the pegs to the bottom. Make sure that they point in opposite directions since we are only drilling out some of the holes.


Step 3: Attach high lift retaining bolts in third hole of bracket using one jam nut on the side that will hold the upper portion of the jack and 3 on the side that holds the base. For me it was 1 on the driver side and 3 on the passenger side.



Rear Support Bracket Fabrication:

Step 1: Cut third mending plate in half.

Step 2: Attach 1 ½ x 5/16-18 bolt through middle hole with a jam nut. the jam nut needs to be on the side that does NOT have counter sinks. Tighten VERY tightly. If it is loose enough to spin at all it will cause problems later. Repeat for each half.



Mounting:

Step 1: LOOSELY Attach the main brackets to the rail by sliding the t-slot nuts inside the rail and then bolting the bracket in place using the ¾ x 3/8-16 bolt and a washer. You want to be able to slide them back and forth. Test fit your high lift to find the positioning that you like best. I went to the sixth vertical channel from the outside of both sides of the bed. It was damn close but not perfect.

IMPORTANT!!! The bottom holes MUST line up center on one of the Channels that are out or the support bracket that goes between the bed and cab wont work.

Step 2: Once you get it positioned tighten the bolts to secure it to the rail. Then use the bottom holes of the bracket to mark the holes that need to be drilled in the bed. I recommend leaving the high lift in place so that everything fits when it goes back together.

Step 3: Once the holes have been marked you can remove the high lift and the brackets and paint them if you wish. Drill out the holes you marked with the ½ in bit but wallow the holes a bit as the jam nut on the rear support plate actually sits inside these holes. Should look like this:


Step 4: Mounting the Rear Support Brackets. This was the most PITA part of this mod. I duct taped one of the supports to a 2 foot piece of ½ aluminum strap. You want the tape to hold it enough to position the bracket but you also need to be able to pull the bar out once that is done.



I fed the strap up from the bottom and then working from inside the bed, wiggled the whole thing between the cab and bed over to where the holes were drilled and then worked the bolt into the hole. From here just slide on the fender washer and a jam nut to hold it in place. Pull up on the rod to get it to detach from the tape on the bracket and then tighten the jam nut until the support bracket is flat against the inside of the channel and the first jam nut is actually inside the hole drilled in the bed. This should lock everything in place, if it spins freely on the back side then something is wrong. Then add the regular nut on top of the jam nut to act as a spacer. Repeat for the other side.



Step 5: Remount the bracket to the rail using the same method as before, only sliding the bottom hole onto the bolt from the support bracket and attaching with a washer and lock nut. Before tightening anything, remount the high lift to ensure proper spacing. Tighten the top bolt first to ensure that the t slot nut fits in the rail properly.





If the holes were marked correctly then the High-Lift should fit exactly as it did when the test fit was done. If not, its not a huge deal. Just remove the support brackets and give yourself a little wiggle room by opening up the holes in the direction the mount needs to move. I had this issue on the passenger side as you can see in the picture of the holes above.



Thanks for looking, Please let me know what you think of both the mod and the write up. And if you decide to undertake this, feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

 

Like.

 

There it is! Still looks just as good as it did last night. Thanks for the write-up! And pretty extensive and well written DIY!

 

Glad you guys like it. And I'm happy to help. I figure its about time I made a contribution after all the things I've learned from this site.

 

nice work! +rep for you.

 

Great write up! Not my cup of tea, but +rep for a good, well written how to.

 

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback.

 

great write up, and massive jumper cabels too.

 

cool idea!

 

+1 Looks cool and nice write-up!

 

Yeah, they came from a coal mine so I'm pretty sure there for heavy equipment. They'll jump a normal vehicle real quick though.

 

looks good man!

 

Thanks. Glad you guys like it.

 

Good job! I like the location up against the cab out of the way. sub'd

 

Thanks. It does stay out of way for the most part, however it can be a pain to get to with the bed cover closed or the bed full. I think that would hold true regardless of the rail used though.

 

Here is a couple pics of how I did mine using carriage bolts in the track ...


_MG_0638 by bkrdave36, on Flickr


_MG_0639 by bkrdave36, on Flickr


_MG_0636 by bkrdave36, on Flickr

 

Well Jake... I picked up a Hi-Lift 48" Jack today at NPS for 40 bucks so I will have to do this soon. The other option is go for a Tire gate but that is a big investment since I'd have to buy another Tire/Rim and the tiregate with HiLift mounts... We'll see.