Mounting Hi-Lift (with pictures)
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Mounting Hi-Lift (with pictures)
Got my 60" Hi-Lift in the other day, and wanted to mount it somewhere in the bed/on my roll bar so that it was accessible when needed in the woods. Scratched my head and tried out a few different spots, and finally found a solution that wouldn't take up bed space that I'd be using, allowed for the jack to be mounted pretty darn solid, and looks pretty cool too 
.
NOTE: Most of this might pertain to mounting on a roll-bar, but I figured maybe some others with/without one might find something useful or take an idea or two from it.
My rollbar consists of two vertical tubes, and one horizontal (diagonal?)- its for an 8 foot bed (as far as I know). I figured this was the most logical place to mount the jack as I don't mind drilling into it if needed and it would keep it for the most part from banging around on the body if done right. I wanted something that I could install some sort of lock as well so nobody walks off with my new tool.
Here are some of the things I picked up to get the job done:
2- 3" U-Bolts (come with a metal strap and 2 3/8" bolts as well) (Hardware section of Home Depot)
2- bags of 3/8" Wing nuts to allow removal of U-bolts without a wrench (HW section Home Depot)
1- bag washers (may not be necessary) (HW Section Home Depot)
1- Hitch Receiver lock kit (got this idea from bigbroncojeff's Hi-Lift install over at FullSizeBronco http://fullsizebronco.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45999
Can't find my receipt but the hitch lock was most of the bill, and that was only 10$ or so.
Tools used:
Safety goggles
Air cutoff wheel
Old Craftsman Corded Drill
Assorted metal bits + step up bit
Lincoln Electric Weld Pak 100 (weldinghelmet and gloves)
Mini air grinder
Sorry if pictures are out of order, didn't think to take any or do a write up until I was nearly done.
Here's where/how I decided to mount the jack (will block rear view mirror a tad):
Top u-bolt clamping jack to roll bar. The straight metal piece that comes with the ubolt's is pretty thin so you will have to keep cranking the wingnuts in until it forms it to the bar.
My original intentions were to drill a hole straight through the rollbar so that I can just slide the hitch receiver lock in. However, I didn't take into account that I would not be able to fit the pin in between the two vertical bars. Not to mention the pin only had 3" of room to work with, and the roll bar is 3"... meaning it wouldn't long enough to reach the jack itself if I put it through the bar that way :o. That's where the cut off wheel and welder came in. I cut the hitch lock at the opposite end of the lock, and had to cut off the external piece pressed around it. I think the total length I had then was about 4sum" of just the pin with the groove for the lock (forgot to take a picture of it before install). I mounted up the jack and then drilled a 1/2" hole for the pin right through the one side of the bar where the hole for the jack would sit. Then sanded down the chrome to ensure a good weld contact between the pin and the bar. I placed the pin with about 2 or so inches sticking out (remember, the pin is just to lock the jack, not hold it tight on the bar) and welded her in place.
The chunks removed from the hitch pin:
Pin welded into rollbar (still a beginner at welding, but hit it with a hammer a few times and feels like it should keep the thieves at bay):
Theres no weight on the pin, the end of the jack is sitting on the angled part of the bed where the filler necks are:
Lower ubolt bracket set up- the bent piece was straight before tightening and forming during mockup:
Bottom bracket in place:
Painted over the welds (the whole bar is getting done black soon) and lock in place:
And thats pretty much it
. The jack is VERY secure, but I will check the wingnuts often to make sure they don't come loose at all from vibration and whatnot. If I feel they are at risk of coming loose, I'll have to tweak it a little bit.
Sorry if the write up was long for a relatively simple install, but its my first one and I wanted to make sure I hit all the points the best I could. If I do remember something I forgot I'll be sure to update it. Maybe this will help others figure out an idea to mount whatever to where ever, not just a Hi-Lift to a roll bar.
. NOTE: Most of this might pertain to mounting on a roll-bar, but I figured maybe some others with/without one might find something useful or take an idea or two from it.
My rollbar consists of two vertical tubes, and one horizontal (diagonal?)- its for an 8 foot bed (as far as I know). I figured this was the most logical place to mount the jack as I don't mind drilling into it if needed and it would keep it for the most part from banging around on the body if done right. I wanted something that I could install some sort of lock as well so nobody walks off with my new tool.
Here are some of the things I picked up to get the job done:
2- 3" U-Bolts (come with a metal strap and 2 3/8" bolts as well) (Hardware section of Home Depot)
2- bags of 3/8" Wing nuts to allow removal of U-bolts without a wrench (HW section Home Depot)
1- bag washers (may not be necessary) (HW Section Home Depot)
1- Hitch Receiver lock kit (got this idea from bigbroncojeff's Hi-Lift install over at FullSizeBronco http://fullsizebronco.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45999
Can't find my receipt but the hitch lock was most of the bill, and that was only 10$ or so.
Tools used:
Safety goggles
Air cutoff wheel
Old Craftsman Corded Drill
Assorted metal bits + step up bit
Lincoln Electric Weld Pak 100 (weldinghelmet and gloves)
Mini air grinder
Sorry if pictures are out of order, didn't think to take any or do a write up until I was nearly done.
Here's where/how I decided to mount the jack (will block rear view mirror a tad):
Top u-bolt clamping jack to roll bar. The straight metal piece that comes with the ubolt's is pretty thin so you will have to keep cranking the wingnuts in until it forms it to the bar.
My original intentions were to drill a hole straight through the rollbar so that I can just slide the hitch receiver lock in. However, I didn't take into account that I would not be able to fit the pin in between the two vertical bars. Not to mention the pin only had 3" of room to work with, and the roll bar is 3"... meaning it wouldn't long enough to reach the jack itself if I put it through the bar that way :o. That's where the cut off wheel and welder came in. I cut the hitch lock at the opposite end of the lock, and had to cut off the external piece pressed around it. I think the total length I had then was about 4sum" of just the pin with the groove for the lock (forgot to take a picture of it before install). I mounted up the jack and then drilled a 1/2" hole for the pin right through the one side of the bar where the hole for the jack would sit. Then sanded down the chrome to ensure a good weld contact between the pin and the bar. I placed the pin with about 2 or so inches sticking out (remember, the pin is just to lock the jack, not hold it tight on the bar) and welded her in place.
The chunks removed from the hitch pin:
Pin welded into rollbar (still a beginner at welding, but hit it with a hammer a few times and feels like it should keep the thieves at bay):
Theres no weight on the pin, the end of the jack is sitting on the angled part of the bed where the filler necks are:
Lower ubolt bracket set up- the bent piece was straight before tightening and forming during mockup:
Bottom bracket in place:
Painted over the welds (the whole bar is getting done black soon) and lock in place:
And thats pretty much it
. The jack is VERY secure, but I will check the wingnuts often to make sure they don't come loose at all from vibration and whatnot. If I feel they are at risk of coming loose, I'll have to tweak it a little bit.Sorry if the write up was long for a relatively simple install, but its my first one and I wanted to make sure I hit all the points the best I could. If I do remember something I forgot I'll be sure to update it. Maybe this will help others figure out an idea to mount whatever to where ever, not just a Hi-Lift to a roll bar.
