DIY Trail Jack mount

Many of you probably have money to throw at your projects and Tacomas - I ended up building a budget hi-lift jack mount bc I don’t (yet).

I’m hoping it’s temporary- I just needed something to keep this thing in place until I get a properly engineered piece. I’m open to suggestions for anyone that has run into the same need…not sure that these zinc brackets will hold

 

Looks like a solid solution, but you might want to consider buying a locking threaded knob to replace some of those wing nuts to help deter opportunistic thieves.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/hi-lift-shovel-mount-pics-please.499936/

 

I wouldn’t Trust that to hold up for long at all, especially off-road. It’s visibly bending in the pics. If you’re running an open bed you can use 1/2” carriage bolts in the bed track. The heads fit surprisingly well. Only catch is the jack will stick up slightly above the bed rail.

I ran mine that way for years. Carriage bolt in rail, washer and nut to hold it in place, then a piece of tubing for a spacer and another washer and wing nut to hold the jack on.

 

A few hard bumps that will fail.

I have built a few different mounts over the years

A few pieces of unistrut mounted to the bed rail make a good mount.

To bad your not close I would be glad to help.

 

Always on a budget. Stand on it. If it holds with minimal flex you are ok. I’d look at more of an L to reduce the leverage on the pull. I’d use much thicker bracket and stainless hardware. Paint is good to. Good luck while you save up for a permanent solution.

 

I wonder if you threw on two or three more brackets if it would help keep it in place.

 

Perhaps it all depends how hard of use the truck gets.

The fact only one bolt holds each bracket does not bode well.

It will be a work in progress!

 

I made a set of my own brackets as well. I couldn’t stomach spending $60 on pre-made ones. So I spent about $20 on some aluminum bar stock and some stainless hardware from Home Depot. This is what I ended up with:



I went with aluminum to prevent rust issues and it’s general ease of use, but ultimately one my brackets broke after only a few wheeling trips; and I don’t wheel that hard. The constant bouncing/swaying with the weight of the jack suspended caused the base bracket to break here:


This leads me to believe your current setup will most likely break too, even with just daily driving. BUT I say use it until it fails and the revise and improve. I’ve already made another set with the left over scrap metal I’ve had that will outlast the previous ones and haven't had to invest any more monies.

 

Aluminum its going to fatigue a lot faster than steel in this application. I do agree with a lot of the comments here though that they will bend.

 

Had mine for quite a few years now with no issue's. Pretty much the same thing.

 

Agreed. I mostly went with aluminum because my tool selection is minimal and I could bend the aluminum by hand on the bench vice. When I get the time I will make a set from steel.