Tomken Projects

Easter Jeep Safari What a Show Moab WHAT A PLACE

2009-04-10T18:58:00.005-06:00

Well again as always we got to know some really awesome people at The Easter Jeep Safari Show. We will be up early in the morning to head back to Colorado. As much as I love Moab I can’t wait to get home. It was a great show and THANK YOU Red Rocks 4-wheelers for all the hard work. THANK YOU Judy for the use of your JK.

Moab Utah Easter Jeep Safari JK Build

2009-04-07T17:50:00.007-06:00

Last summer a loyal customer and friend stopped by the shop to let us know she had purchased a new JK and she would be back this year for a complete rear system ( bumper, swing out tire carrier, gerrey can /Hi-lift mount, and rocky rack ). We needed something new to take to the Easter Jeep Safari this year so I called Judy and offered her a deal on parts in exchange for use of her Jeep during this show. She had it to us all the way from Kansas in about a week. This gave us a few weeks to get all part put on and also design a new front full bumper with winch mount and brush guard. We also put on the New 2x6 rock bars (make a wonderful step).
We left for Moab Monday the 6th . We have had a wonderful trip down. When we arrived Tuesday we settled in and then had to take the new JK for Pictures. Just out side of town is a very mild trail but beautiful trail that we took. You know we have some of the most beautiful county out side our door at home, but this is a whole different kind of beauty that God has blessed us with. I am falling in love with the JK. It has lots of rum. In the morning we will be up early to set up the show booth . Judy Lynn THANK YOU so much for the use of your Jeep. I hope you like the way it all turned out.
More Pic to come of booth space.

Custom Bracket for TJ 99 Jeep Wrangler

2008-02-21T18:38:00.004-07:00

Using this TJ 99 Jeep Wrangler as a snow plow vehicle was great until you need to make a trip and can’t attach your tow bar unless you completely disassemble the plow set up. It’s definitely not time to do that, we are expecting maybe up to another 12” of snow tonight.

Not a problem we made a custom bracket that slides into the same attachment used for the plow

Snow Snow Snow What do we do with it all

2008-02-06T18:49:00.000-07:00

This morning when we arrived at the entrance the wind had blown a drift across the cattle guard that was as high as the front of my jeep and oh 4 to 5 ft in and then slanted off. Dave and Jeff hiked in to the shop and call our neighbor for help. He came down and knock a whole in it so we could get our vehicles up to the shop. You know 2 months ago I thought it was really cool to get to play on the way up the road but you know its getting a little old. I think its just all the worry about getting the road clear out so the steel truck and ups can get to us. They say we have another storm coming through tonight and tomorrow and then it is suppose to warm up a little. I’m not a city person but I think I’m ready to go to the city for the weekend so I can see some dirt. OH well just think how pretty and green every thing will be this summer.

NEW Tomken CJ YJ TJ LJ Wrangler front bumper that Accommodates the Blue Ox Tow Bar

2008-02-04T19:34:00.001-07:00

This 54” steel front bumper is made of 2 x 4 rectangular tubing. Tapered ends for steeper approach and departure angles. Comes with solid steel tow pins for easy strap attachment. We have designed this bumper with tow mounts integrated in bumper, welded to back surface and face of bumper for stronger hold.

The spacing of the mounts or for the Blue OX Tow Bar. Another nice feature is the brush guard with light tabs.
Like all of Tomken products it is powder coated. You can find this item on our web site Part number TMF-7310-B.

CJ YJ TJ LJ Jeep Wrangler 3rd Brake Relocator

2008-01-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

Now that you have your swing out installed, we offer a brake light relocator that will move the 3rd brake light up so it can be seen. First you will need to disconnect the wiring.

You can open tail gate and remove cover over door hinge and you will find the disconnect for the lights.
Once disconnected pull wire through.

Remove the 3rd brake light and stock tire mount.

Hold bracket to bottom of light and measure to cut off excess.
Trim of excess, mark and drill holes for mounting.

Mount bracket to light and then mount all to jeep.

CJ YJ TJ LJ Jeep Wrangler Swing Out Tire Carrier Install

2008-01-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

To start the installation of the swing out tire carrier, attach the cam over latch to the bracket.
Attach the bump stop to the back side of arm holes are predrilled

Attach the arm to the swivel end bracket. Locate swivel end bracket on bumper just to the right of the tow pin. (leave just under 1/8” between bracket and tow pin) Mark and drill the ½” holes only ( the 7/16 will come later) in the swivel end bracket. A smaller pilot hole will be help full

Line up the latch end bracket, mark and drill. Put all ½ bolts in. Do this o both brackets. Be sure to use backing plates. Snug nuts but do not tighten.

Open the cross arm enough to clear the upper catch tab. Then raise the cross arm to where it is exactly even with the tab. Hold in position and drill 7/16” hole in swivel end bracket.

Install upright and tighten all hardware.

Place the upper stud that is welded on the upright through a lug hole in the rim and in stall the 1/2x20 lug nut. Place the 1/2x2/x2 bolt through the rim retainer and the center hole of the rim.

Grease the bushing on the swivel end. Fill till you see grease coming out. Project is finished.
Just a note. Before installing swing out be sure that when bumper was installed that the strap from the bumper to the frame rail is installed if not. Give us a call. You DO NEED THESE

INSTALLATION OF CJ YJ TJ LJ JEEP WRANGLER FRONT STEEL BUMPER

2008-01-25T22:03:00.001-07:00

The front bumper is the easiest install. First of course you remove the stock bumper. On the later models like the TJ you will reuse the stock bolts or you can use hardware provided. You have two bolts on top and one on bottom of each side. Remove all six bolts take off stock bumper. Put Tomken bumper in place and replace bolts along with stock tow hooks at the same time.

We found the road to Tomken Machine

2008-01-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

It started snowing the first week of December and we have not seen the ground sense. Several evening we had problems getting out and then back in the next morning. Thank goodness we did not have any deliveries come in the big trucks through all this.

Last weekend we had to call a local excavating company to come out with the big machines. It was out of control.

Out in the field they pushed snow up on the north side of the road to make a snow wall so when the wind blows it will drift in the field and not in the road. They also pushed the snow over on the right side. The wind blew to day and it all work well.

Installation of a Rear Tomken after market steel bumper on a TJ Wrangler Jeep

2008-01-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

I am going to go through a few of the steps of installing one of our rear bumpers. First of all of course you need to remove the stock bumper.

On the newer wranglers, the TJ Jeep started putting just two holes on each side for mounting the stock bumper. If your jeep only has the two on each side you will need to drill two more holes. Put bumper up to the plate, line up the two existing holes and mark for the others. First do a pilot hole then drill two 7/16 hole.

Now this is a very helpful hint for when trying to assemble bolt lock washer and nut.
Wrap a piece of wire around a 3/8 x 14 bolt the back bolt out. Then screw in the 7/16x14x1 ¼” bolt.

Take the end of the wire and go in at the back side of plate the through the bumper bracket and pull bolt through. Before doing this don’t forget to put lock washer on the bolt. Do this step to all four of the inside bolts. Carefully put bumper in place start these 4 bolts with nuts. Follow with the outside four bolts. These can be put on with out the wire. You can do the first four with out the wire, but good luck it is hard to reach

We furnish frame brackets which help strengthen and stabilize the bumper. You can use the stock bolts that come on a TJ or the bolts we provide. You will mount it to the frame and to the bottom of the bumper at the tow pin. Once in place tighten, then go back to the four on each side and tighten.

This is a finished project or ready to add a swing out tier carrier.

Installed 2 x 4 Tomken Rock Bars on a 2005 Rubicon TJ

2008-01-13T21:22:00.001-07:00

We installed a set of 2 x 4 on a 2005 Rubicon. The bars not only work great for protecting the body when wheeling in the rocks, but from road debris. They are made of 2 x 4 rectangular steel completely enclosed. These bars mount to the frame rail and are strong enough for use with a high lift jack. No welding is required on the installation. You have 1 hole on each bracket that has to be drilled. Complete bolt on. The owner of this jeep is looking at lifting 3 to 4 inches, front and rear bumpers and swing out tire carrier some time this spring . He’s got the fever

Buena Vista Colorado Snow Storms along with the wind.

2008-01-11T19:43:00.001-07:00

Well we lost our road 2 or 3 times yesterday. Around 1:30 Jeff went out to make a pass with the plow jeep, it was closing in then . He went back out around 2:30 and tried to plow some more and got stuck. YAAA I was excited because we put a Black Mountain Winch on my Grand Cherokee last winter and I have never got a chance to see if it works. We hooked it up and start to pull well the plow jeep was so buried and the plow was wedged in the bank that when I started to winch in, with my jeep in park with emerg brake on the plow jeep was not coming out but my jeep was going forward it was a little scary. I kept trying and my jeep just got closer it was just the wrong jeep was moving. So yes the Black Mountain Winch works and yes our new winch bumper is sturdy. Anyway a neighbor up the hill came to the rescue with his tractor and they lifted and moved the jeep. Well the excitement has started to leave realizing that we are not going to be able to get out to go home. The neighbor went to work on the road. His wife also need to get out to go get the kids from school. It took till around 6:00 for him to just get a path wide enough for us all to get out. It was like a loosing battle. The wind was still blowing and it was trying to fill back up as fast as he moved it. We did get out. Well this was the sight when I turn in to the entrance this morning.
Our other neighbor was out before 5:00 trying to get the road open. He did get a path opened up and then both neighbors started between the snow fence that disappeared awhile back and the road to push up the snow to make wall so when the wind blows it will drift out in the field instead of the road. They worked hard this morning clearing the road. When leaving this afternoon it looked like a road again. Most times when it snows we are able to take care of it with just the plow jeep. Here lately we had to call out the big guns. I am very thankful for neighbors that help.

Repair on an ATV Honda Snow Plow and Snow Plow Mounting Brackets

2008-01-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

Snow, snow, snow what do we do with it. In this valley the past few weeks the main topic is plowing, getting unstuck, or when is it going to end. A gentleman brought in an ATV that he uses to keep the snow plowed in his driveway. The mounting brackets for the snow plow were bent so Jeff took them off and made a set of heavy duty brackets to replace these. He added a gusset made of ¼ steel to help reinforce the bracket.

The plates that mount the plow to the brackets were also bent. Jeff cut them off and welded on new plates made of ¼ steel

Now he back on the road and we wish him all the luck. Here are some pic of the road up to our shop that were taken a few days ago and the road was almost shut when I left the shop late this evening.

2007 JK Jeep 4 door Rock Bars

2007-12-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

Awhile back a couple stopped by the shop to see if we had rock bars for the 4 door JK. I explained not yet but if they were willing to give up the jeep for a few days for us to design a set that would be great. We use 2 x4 rectangular steel for all of our other rock bars. The gentleman had requested that we use 2 x 6 on his. The purpose of this was to deflect road particles from the side of the jeep. We did not have a problem with this. We thought we could make the set for them like they wanted them but then just use the regular 2 x 4 for our design. Well this guy had a great idea. The 2 x 6 looks great on this jeep, so the JK’s get 2 x 6 rock bars. It pays to listen to the customer

Mounting brackets and hardware

With being so long they have 3 mounting points

Use Factory body mount bolts. No drilling

This is a very easy install.

After they picked the jeep up a while later they stopped by and they had a noise that had started after the rock bars were installed. After taking a look at things J

eff realized that on one of the corners it had to be rounded off a little more to keep from vibrating on the head of a bolt. I talked to the gentleman the other day and he said all is good. That’s what I like to hear. We want to thank them for letting us use the jeep.

Winter In Buena Vista, Colorado

2007-12-08T00:53:00.000-07:00

Well the main project today was trying to keep the snow plowed so everyone could get up the hill. Winter finally hit Buena Vista, CO today.

We received 2 to 3 ft depending were you were. They say we have more coming the next 2 to 3 days. It’s looking more and more like it’s going to be a white Christmas. We installed several snow plows early fall and now they get the chance to use them

Installation of True Track and Track Lock in a 2005 TJ Jeep Wrangler

2007-11-29T19:23:00.001-07:00

Today Jeff installed a True Track in the front and a Track Lock in the rear of a 2005 Jeep TJ. The customer said he does not do any major 4 wheeling, but has problems slipping on a few trails going up to the high lakes in this area. He wanted to go the less expensive way but be suitable for him. This jeep is also a daily driver and living here you do not want to have lockers in that do not disengage. This can be dangerous on slick roads. Jeff suggested the Track Lock and True Track and that was what the customer wanted. Both the True Track and the Track Lock came from Randy's Ring and Pinion.

Finding out what gears you have in your Jeep

2007-11-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

I get this question asked a lot when someone is lifting the jeep and putting bigger tires on and need to change gears. HOW DO I FIND OUT WHAT GEARS I HAVE? Well I'm going to share this with you. On the pumpkin you should have a plate. This should tell you what gears you have. If not then on the ring gear you will have two numbers. You will have a larger number on the left and a smaller number on the right. The larger number is the quantity of teeth on the ring gear and the smaller number is the quantity of teeth on the Pinion. If this is not readable then you will have to look at th e ring gear and pinion and count. Once you have these two numbers you will divide the ring gear by the pinion and that will let you know what g ears you have. Example: in this 2005 stock TJ. The ring gear is 43 and pinion is 14. Divide the 43 by 14 and you have 307 gears.

Tomken Specials on Jeep Bumpers, Winch Plates, and Rock Bars

2007-11-28T00:57:00.000-07:00

I wanted to let you know that we have put some items that are over stocked at the time on sale. They will be on sale while supplies last. It is a mix of items. Bumpers, winch plates, rock bars and some other items.

1991 XJ Cherokee One of the Early Tomken Builds

2007-11-14T21:11:00.000-07:00

I thought I might back up and share some of the past builds. This is one of the first Jeep builds for Tomken. This 1991 XJ Cherokee belonged to the original owners of Tomken Machine, Tom and Deanna McMullen. It started with the fuel Inj Dodge 360 V-8 and 518 auto over drive tans. Then the 9" Ford rear end, 4:56 gears, Detroit Locker in the rear, and ARB Air Locker in the front. Next was the Trailmaster Lift Kit with Eibach springs. As we all know with lifting comes the Unitrax Driveshaft. As I mentioned this was in the early year of Tomken Machine and one of the first builds.

In 1995 Tom and Deanna were killed in an airplane crash. Very good friends of Tom and Deanna's became the new owners of this jeep. They have been great about having us keep it up to date with newest Tomken parts.

In 2001 Jeff designed the XJ 8" long arm kit and it was put on to replace the Trailmaster. Later on Front and Rear bumpers, both with receivers and a swing out tire carrier was added. It's a true Tomken machine. We have had the opportunity to have this with us at several shows this year and want to thank the owners for this.

The New Tomken Swing Out Tire Carrier

2007-11-07T00:59:00.000-07:00

We like to get feed back from our customers and use it to better our product. Tomken Swing Out Tire Carrier first stated out with the Pin style closer with ½” bolt in swivel end.

Next came the Screw on Knob style closer. It was a tighter fit, but the knob was a problem as for laying it down and misplacing it or if not put on tight it would work its way loose.

Last but not least is the Cam Over Latch closer and we upgraded the ½” bolt and brass bushing to ¾” that can be greased. NO MORE RATTLE!
We have this on the back of our YJ with Gerry Can (full of gas), Hi-Lift, 35” tire and usually an ice chest and small grill in the Rocky Rack for two summers and it is great. So yes we do listen to what you say

Project MJ Commanche Jeep Truck

2007-11-05T21:07:00.001-07:00

Last spring my father-in-law decided to give up his 1989 MJ Comanche Jeep Truck. It was like seeing the little boy come out in my husband. He had always wanted it and to fix it up. My step son was here for the summer and Dave waited for him to help with the lift kit. That was a great father son project. (Picture: Bryan and MJ before lifted)

They put on Tomken’s 8” long arm kit for the front and did a spring over in the rear. With putting this much lift the rear drive shaft had to be longer. Then he stole the 35” tires off my 76 blazer. Which I can’t complain since he sold his GMC with 6” lift to buy me the Grand Cherokee. Now the story behind WHY 8” of lift. When we first finished the grand and they sat face to face in front of the house at the time the MJ had 4" lift and the grand towered over the MJ he could not handle it. That was when he decided to go the 8”. Which I admit it dose look good.

Next one of our Tomken front bumpers for the the 84-96 XJ Cherokee went on. My father-in-law already had this on the MJ when he passed it on. Dave wanted to give it a face lift though. All of our front XJ bumpers will fit the MJ’s. Also the grill guard. Much need around here with all the deer.

Now the rear of the MJ is different from the XJ, so they had to design a new rear. This bumper is made of 2x6 heavy steel. It comes with or without d-ring mounts.

Last but not least and very important comes the 2 x 4 rock bars. These bars mount to the frame rails and pinch well.

This turned out to be a great project and needless to say my hubbies pride and joy

New JK Parts

2007-11-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

In March a lady called and asked if we had any bumpers for the new JK. I explained to her that we have not had a JK available to use for proto typing. She said let me see what I can do, my husband needs a vacation. A few days later she called back and asked if we were ready for him to come. I believe he arrived on a Thursday at our shop. He spent the week in Buena Vista checking out our little town from Thursday until Monday or Tuesday. Dave and Jeff worked all weekend on front and rear bumpers, swing out tire carrier, gerry can / hi-lift mounts, and rocky rack. What a weekend. We were very thankful for the use of this New JK Jeep.

The front bumper is made of 1/4 and 3/16 steel contoured to a perfect fit. It is winch ready for most winches ( 4 1/2 x 10 bolt pattern). Comes with 3/4" D-ring/Tow Bar Mounts, great for recovery or for towing. Comes with or without brush guard .

We have two diffrent style rear bumpers. One is made of 2 x 6 heavy structural tubing contoured for perfect fit

The other is made of 3/16 steel and 2 x 6 heavy structural tubing. Both haveIntegrated frame plate brackets.

If not using the Swing Out Tire Carrier you will still need the spare tire relocator with the stock tier. You can also use this with the stock bumper and a larger tier. Moves tire out 2 ½” and up 1 ½”

Swing Out Tire Carrier bolts on to Tomken protect bumper. Camover latch closer. Swivel end 3/4" bolt and bushings with grease fitting. Can hold up to 37.

You can choose from Dual Gerry Can Mounting or Single Gerry Can and Hi L-ft Jack Mounting. Both attach to the Tomken Swing Out Tire Carrier

Like I said we are very thankful for customers and the Jeeps they lend to us.

1996 Grand Cherokee

2007-11-02T19:49:00.000-06:00

Well I guess I will start with what has gone on this year. In March I purchase a 1996 ZJ Grand Cherokee, my husband sold his Chevy truck that was lifted 6”, what a sweetie and I sold the mini van for the Grand. First we put the rear bumper and swing-out tire carrier and 2 x 4 rock bars. Next we wanted to do a new Winch bumper. The guys did a great job. Nice clean fit and easy install. Then the lift. We have a 4.25 that we put on plus a spacer in front and rear. This caused some drive line mod, but that was OK because I wanted to run at least 33's. I'm very happy with it. It's my daily driver and is great on the highway. I drove all the way to Moab pulling a trailer with all of our show display and had no problems. Dave was having problems keeping up with me. One thing I have learned is when going off road at all DISCONNECT front sway bar. Yes the rear bumper is sought. This summer we filled a trailer full of wood ( 1 cord ) and pulled it down the mountain. It did all kinds of twisting and turning with the load on it and no problems. Dave laughs at me because know I fill I have a way to haul anything I want with my Jeep.