tatertot1025
New member
We just purchased a Gobi rack for our 5th gen 4runner. I am very happy with the quality of the product, but I could not bring myself to pay $180 each for the accessory brackets. So here is what I came up with. I will note that this design has not been tested in the wild just yet. It will be tested in about a week, but I'm confident it is plenty sturdy enough to withstand even the harshest trail. Below are lists of materials and steps I took to make the brackets.
Hi-lift bracket
1/8" thick by 1" wide mild steel flat bar
2x 1/4" by 2" long stainless steel hex bolts and nylon locking nuts
2x 1/4" expandable rubber nuts
2x 1/4" inner diameter large stainless washers
2x 1/4" stainless nuts
2x 1/4" plastic thumb screws (they make these in locking and can be found on amazon)
3/4" steel gas pipe to use to bend the metal
To bend the flat bar i used a propane torch, a vise, and the 3/4" gas pipe. This will take some ingenuity, but it wasn't hard to figure out. You will need to heat, bend, hammer, quench and repeat. I made the 180 degree radius first and then made the two other bends to make the triangle. To close the triangle you will need to weld where the bar meets the 180 degree radius (this is not shown in my photos). Also, i had to trim the expandable rubber nuts just slightly so that they fit into the hi-lift holes. I used an angle grinder with an abrasive wheel to do this.
Couple notes:
Finished 180 degree radius, the second bend is 90 degrees (not pictured)
How i made the third bend.
Weld this.
Finished product. Note the rubber stripping on the inside of the 180 degree bend. Also note that the rubber expandable nuts were trimmed on 2 sides so they fit into the holes of the high lift jack.
Installed.
Shovel and Ax mount
1/8" thick by 1" wide mild steel flat bar
1-1/4" long stainless hex bolt and nylon locking nut
2x 1" long stainless hex bolt and nylon locking nut
4x Quick Fist Clamps
1x Light bar clamps: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TNH72SG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This is relatively simple. I cut the flat bar to about 8 inches long. Drilled one hole for to attached the light bar clamp and 2 holes for the quick fist clamps. I think the most important consideration is that if this mount were to move that it wouldn't hit the body of the car.
Happy building!
Hi-lift bracket
1/8" thick by 1" wide mild steel flat bar
2x 1/4" by 2" long stainless steel hex bolts and nylon locking nuts
2x 1/4" expandable rubber nuts
2x 1/4" inner diameter large stainless washers
2x 1/4" stainless nuts
2x 1/4" plastic thumb screws (they make these in locking and can be found on amazon)
3/4" steel gas pipe to use to bend the metal
To bend the flat bar i used a propane torch, a vise, and the 3/4" gas pipe. This will take some ingenuity, but it wasn't hard to figure out. You will need to heat, bend, hammer, quench and repeat. I made the 180 degree radius first and then made the two other bends to make the triangle. To close the triangle you will need to weld where the bar meets the 180 degree radius (this is not shown in my photos). Also, i had to trim the expandable rubber nuts just slightly so that they fit into the hi-lift holes. I used an angle grinder with an abrasive wheel to do this.
Couple notes:
- The base of the hi-lift needs to hang behind the back of the rack.
- Propane torch isn't the best choice here, but it is what i had.
- I used 1/16" rubber between the bracket and the rack
Finished 180 degree radius, the second bend is 90 degrees (not pictured)
How i made the third bend.
Weld this.
Finished product. Note the rubber stripping on the inside of the 180 degree bend. Also note that the rubber expandable nuts were trimmed on 2 sides so they fit into the holes of the high lift jack.
Installed.
Shovel and Ax mount
1/8" thick by 1" wide mild steel flat bar
1-1/4" long stainless hex bolt and nylon locking nut
2x 1" long stainless hex bolt and nylon locking nut
4x Quick Fist Clamps
1x Light bar clamps: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TNH72SG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This is relatively simple. I cut the flat bar to about 8 inches long. Drilled one hole for to attached the light bar clamp and 2 holes for the quick fist clamps. I think the most important consideration is that if this mount were to move that it wouldn't hit the body of the car.
Happy building!