Article By:
Corey
On my '91 4Runner I had made a
home brewed shovel mount using the Yakima Snap Arounds, some long bolts, and some Yakima plastic wingnuts.
The shovel I had bought at Lowes hardware.
Since Yakima has the 10V Mighty Mounts that let me mount the Slee Hi-Lift mounts, I knew Yakima would have the equivalent of a mount that would let the bolt go vertically, but the mount would be horizontal.
With the bolt vertically, this would allow the same shovel I used before to be able to sit on top of the FJ Cruisers rack slats.
After much debating with the clueless tech dude at Yakima, he thought the 23H horizontal Mighty Mounts would work.
I ordered up a set from RackOutfitters.com, and sure enough, they fit perfectly.
However my old bolts I had used on the 4Runner were a little bent, so I had to buy new ones.
The size you want is 5/16-18-4, and they are called hex tap bolts.
Also since I took off two of my racks slats when installing the Hi-Lift mounts, the two slats left were to far apart to make the shovel work with its two holes that are drilled in it.
I had to add back a slat and move it in front of the most forward slat, and that worked out perfectly.
Below are some pics showing just the 23H mounts, and finally a few shots showing the shovel mounted, and across the roof you can see the Slee Hi-Lift mounts.
The Hi-Lift is to heavy for me to heft it up there, so I am still looking at an alternative to as how to mount it.
I am not sure on the slat size on other Toyota factory roof racks, but if the slats are the same as on my FJ Cruiser, the 23H mounts will work for you.
Instead of spending mega bucks for some aftermarket holder, my idea works well and is pretty cheap.
I still have to 23H mounts leftover for another project.
Perhaps an axe mount?
Tools needed
1/2" socket for the bolts I bought.
Yours may vary
Links to sites mentioned here
Yakima 23H Mighty Mounts from RackOutfitters
Any questions about this article, please contact me, Corey