TV Mount for Toyota Tacoma

Hey, all.

I shared an image in a recent response to another conversation thread and was asked for some additional photos. I figured I would just create my own thread, rather than hijacking the OP of the other thread. We are Navy Football season ticket-holders and attend all of the home games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.

This is version #2 of my tailgating rig for my 2012 Toyota Tacoma. I have the Access Cab model with the 6 ft bed, factory bed liner and rails, and a roll-up TruXedo TruXport tonneau cover. The first version I created a few years ago was a very simple cross bar with an articulating TV mount affixed to it. But, it was a pain to set up, wasn't very stable, and the TV still needed to be assembled to the mount when I arrived.

So, I redesigned a mount that allows a 32" LED TV to be stored flat in a horizontal position while driving to and from the stadium, then rotated upright 90 degrees when I'm ready to set up. This allows fast and easy set up before and after the game. It's also fast and easy to stow the TV when we head into the stadium to watch the game.

Construction is with 1"x4" boards for the horizontal bars, framing around the storage boxes on either side, and the framing around the actual vertical TV mount. The vertical mount includes a wider board (1"x6" I think?) through which holes are drilled to match the VESA pattern on the back of the TV. Three sets of hinges are affixed to the front edge of the vertical mount and locking cabinet lid hinges are affixed to either side.

The storage compartments on either side have hidden self-closing cabinet hinges. I store my 50 ft extension cord that runs to my generator, string lights and hanging lights for under our canopy, remote control for the TV, small portable Bluetooth speakers, and other miscellaneous power cords and chargers. There is a power bar mounted under the back side of the TV compartment and I attached a couple of flagpole holders on the front side, which hold solar-powered spot lights.

The first season, the mount was just bare wood, but before last season, I found some old speaker fabric in my basement that I had left over from another project and had just enough to wrap the whole thing. I actually build a simplified version 3 last year for a old larger 43" Plasma TV that I had in my basement. For that version, I just used some 2"x4"s for the frame and there was no storage compartments. However, I only used it for two games, as I found the plasma TV has a very high glare screen. I was like looking into a mirror. Also, the plasma TV was freaking heavy.

Currently, I'm building version #4 of the TV mount, which will support a 55" TV that I just found on Craislist for $75. The newest version has a slightly different design, but it will still allow the TV to be transported horizontally and then pivoted 90 degrees upright to watch. I'm also going to add some gas struts on that version. When I'm done with it, I'll try to remember to post photos.

I always get compliments from random people walking by when we're tailgating. Hopefully this might inspire someone to build their own even better version. If anyone is interested in building something similar, message me and I'd be happy to share additional construction details and tips.

Happy Tailgating!