Mounting a TK70. Where do you keep yours?

My TK70 is on it's way. I'm very excited. I would like to mount it in my work truck when not in use. I could mount it up front in the cab area; it will be more convenient up there, or I could mount it in the box portion in the rear of the truck. It won't be noticed there and will be less likely for someone to try to steal it. It will also be more "out of the way there." I'm open to both options and ultimately would like to be able to use both options. While I work I'll keep it in the cab next to me, while parked I'll keep it stored in the rear. The cab section is standard for any truck I guess. Rubber floor (no carpet) bench seat Ford F550. The rear has finished walls which are vinyl riveted to sheet metal in random places. I have used sheet metal screws to mount to these walls. What I need are some ideas. I need a "holster" of sorts that would be secure in a moving vehicle. This vehicle takes some bumps and bruises from time to time too. I would like something that won't beat up the light too bad. It's a tool, but I keep my tools clean and pretty when possible. I was considering just a piece of conduit in the rear with an endcap on one end, then I could slide the barrel down into the conduit. The drawback is that you would have to lift it all the way up out of the conduit to use it (vs. a snap in type holder or hanger where the flashlight doesn't have to be lifted 16 inches to remove it). Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated. In the end, I'll take what I can get from you guys and what I can come up with in a trip to Home Depot or 2 and figure it out. Once I get it nailed down I'll give you guys some more shots so you can see what I come up with. How do you store your TK70? I guess most of you don't have this problem as you don't keep it in a vehicle. Below are 2 pictures to give you some perspective. The the lower picture is the rear compartment. This is the forward most wall (which is already pretty loaded). I would be mounting this to the rear most wall so it'd be close to the door. Any thoughts?

Looks like I'm not getting any takers here. No suggestions huh? Bummer. I guess at this point I'm leaning towards a pair of plastic "loops" like they use to hold conduit to studs, then a shelf underneath. I didn't really want to go this route because it looks kinda cheap and, as I said before, I'll have to lift the light all the way up out of the loops. That may be inconvenient and will slow me down a step grabbing and stowing my light. I looked at different things to mount fire extinguishers, etc., but didn't find anything I thought would hold the TK70 securely to the wall. I'm adding a picture of exactly where I want to put it. If you guys have anything at all, let me know. I'd like to mount it directly over the small metal chest of drawers in the center of the bottom of the photo. Basically between the counter space and the door. I hope I come up with something better here.. :sigh:

Does the TK70 fit in the Maglite mounts? Maybe you can find something similar if it doesn't fit.

That's an excellent idea! I still have not mounted it yet. I was thinking I'd shop around this weekend a bit. While I think the majority of it may fit (handle diameter of TK70 is only about 0.33 MM thicker) the head diameter is almost twice as big on the TK70, so if this were "flush mount" to a wall I'd need some type of spacer to hold it out and allow clearance for the head. That is manageable though. I really like this.

I didn't mount mine, but I bought a case for some kind of musical instrument on a large auction site and....****It's perfect!**** I don't have a work truck to mount it on, but the case protects the light and makes it very portable.

HotWire said:

I didn't mount mine, but I bought a case for some kind of musical instrument on a large auction site and....****It's perfect!**** I don't have a work truck to mount it on, but the case protects the light and makes it very portable.

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Yeah I have a spare gun case that my TK 70 fits well in. I like that idea. I will probably keep it stored there from the end of each work night up until the beginning of the next. Thank you!

And as for the Mag mounts, I found several available for very cheap. I will probably order a few sets and toy with them, that way while I'm working I have a place to stick the light between uses. Thanks a ton for the ideas guys! I'm stoked!!

i saw a smaller klein bucket(4 1/2"x 10") with a rope handle on ebay recently. it might give you an option when using your bucket. mine should be here in a few days. i can let you know how it works.

I was going to say to take a look at the mag holders, but it looks like that has already been mentioned. Good luck, let us know what you decide to go with.

biglights said:

I was going to say to take a look at the mag holders, but it looks like that has already been mentioned. Good luck, let us know what you decide to go with.

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Thanks and thanks to everyone! They make little clip mounts for Mags that come 2 to a package. I ordered 4 packages (8 total). I figure it may be best to use 3 clips for each mount because of the weight difference. I'll just make small spacers to hold it out from the wall a bit (to compensate for the larger head diameter of the TK70). I'm thinking a stack of flat washers if I don't come up with a better idea. I'm going to mount a set in the rear where I have the picture, as well as probably a set somewhere up in the cab.

If the TK41 will fit comfortably in these clips, I'm going to create a set-up for that too, front and rear of the truck. I'll snap some shots later this week once the mounts come in and I get them installed. Thanks again CPF!! I really appreciate the solutions!!!!

YAK-28 said:

i saw a smaller klein bucket(4 1/2"x 10") with a rope handle on ebay recently. it might give you an option when using your bucket. mine should be here in a few days. i can let you know how it works.

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I just Googled that, that looks handy!! I might have to order one for my aerial work!! I currently have a "bucket buddy" just large enough to hold an ammo box, the ammo box holds my aerial tools (even when I'm not actually working I keep them there) but I don't have any space for temporary items (flashlight, sharpie and notepad, etc) That thing could hang just about anywhere. Bookmarked, soon to be ordered Thanks again!!

I ordered the mounting clips for the Mag Lite. These are a little tight on the TK 70 and 41 in a good way. They are VERY secure but don't feel like they'll hurt the finish. I ended up mounting them right to the floor of the truck up front between the foot wells for the driver and passenger. This is the elevated space in the floor where the transmission/drive shaft passes beneath the cab. This is perfect. They're always within reach when I need to view the lines as I drive. Usually I get out of the truck with one in hand and won't really need to mount them in the back of the truck. I usually set the light on the desk when I'm back there and take it out when I leave. Next to me while I drive is ideal. I might slightly twist the TK41 mount to make them more even, but other than that I'm done with it. A few drops of condensation fell from my bottled water and landed on/near the light, but thats what IPX ratings are for right?

Thanks again to everyone for your responses, and thanks to blah9. If anyone is looking for a secure way to mount their TK70's I highly recommend these mounts. They're rock solid; the light isn't going anywhere. Here's a picture for you guys. The lighting sucks and the picture isn't the best. I snapped it getting out of my truck tonight; it was dark outside and I was in a bit of a hurry to get inside. Still, here ya go!

i got the klein tool bucket, but it's to small to fit the head of my tk70. it would hold smaller ones.

YAK-28 said:

i got the klein tool bucket, but it's to small to fit the head of my tk70. it would hold smaller ones.

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Yeah as far as something portable, i'm not sure what to suggest off hand. I can tell you these clips are awesome and cheap. As long as you have a good, secure surface to mount them to, these clips are where it's at. If I held the clip in my hand (with the light clipped in), I'm confident I could swing this thing as hard/fast as I could and the light would stay in the clip. If anyone wants to order them I'll put the item/part # below. A simple Google shopping search will yield you tons of results and options.

ASXD026

I'm glad those clips worked for you! Since they fit the TK41 so well I just might have to also get one for my TK45.

You could just build one out of kydex and attach it to where you want it to...

Now this thread has started me wondering what mount would fit my damned SR90 (probably nothing off-the-shelf).

chanjyj said:

Now this thread has started me wondering what mount would fit my damned SR90 (probably nothing off-the-shelf).

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Hmmmm

I can't seem to find the diameter of the battery tube on an SR-90 anywhere. I know while searching I found clips that would hold up to a 45 MM flashlight. If you go google, shopping, d flashlight mount you will get a lot of hits. Tons of them will be the maglite ones, but usually in every page or two there will be another random one IIRC. I think I saw 4 or 5 unique ones, something out there should work!

fiberguy said:

Hmmmm

I can't seem to find the diameter of the battery tube on an SR-90 anywhere. I know while searching I found clips that would hold up to a 45 MM flashlight. If you go google, shopping, d flashlight mount you will get a lot of hits. Tons of them will be the maglite ones, but usually in every page or two there will be another random one IIRC. I think I saw 4 or 5 unique ones, something out there should work!

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Time to go shopping. Someone's not going to like that very much