Ditch Light Brackets from CBI

[Trail4R]

CBI Off-Road Just dropped a set of ditch light brackets and they're actually different than anything we're used to seeing. The hardware mounting points sit behind the hood instead of directly over the hood. Not sure why no one thought of that until now. lol. This is a huge win. I don't know how many times I've scratched or dented my hood trying to get an open-end wrench off the nut on the super low profile brackets. If you're running ditch light brackets that sit higher up, it's not a big deal, but for the low-profile brackets, you have to be extremely careful when threading the nut on the ditch light bolt. I really like this CBI design because it sits behind the hood instead of directly on top of the hood.

Find it online: https://cbioffroadfab.com/product/toyota-4runner-ditch-light-bracket-2025/

 

[Trail4R]

CBI Off-Road Ditch Light Brackets: 2-Month Review

After running the CBI Off-Road ditch light brackets for a couple of months, I can confidently say these are a killer design when it comes to ditch light mounting I’ve seen in a while. Instead of mounting on top of the hood like most brackets, these tuck behind the hood line. It’s a small change that makes a big difference because you don't risk hitting an open-end wrench on your hood

I’ve always hated how sketchy it feels threading nuts onto ditch light bolts when using super low-profile brackets. One wrong move and you’re scratching paint or denting your hood trying to fish a wrench into that tight gap. With the CBI design, that stress is gone. You’re working behind the hood, not above it... no awkward angles, no risk to your hood, no cussing at your open-end wrench.

Mounting and adjustment are straightforward, and the brackets still allow you to run clean, pretty much any light you want within reason. Although the brackets will accommodate any normal size pod light (KC Flex Era 4, Flex Era 3, Baja Squadon, Diode SS3, etc.), the bracket might not support a huge light, like a Baja LP6 since the bracket does sit farther back than normal ditch light brackets that sit over the hood. The actual brackets provide. It’s a solid design all around for guys running a normal-size or company size pod light. I’m surprised no one thought of this mounting placement sooner.

That said, the actual bracket does angle down a little bit and does not sit level like most ditch light brackets. This has not affected my ability to mount an actual light at all, though. Kind of an interesting feature but I don't hate it.

If you’re tired of wrestling with tight clearances above your hood or worried about damaging your hood during install, this is the bracket to get. CBI nailed it.

 

[ClarkeBar]

@Trail4R I just picked these up. Didn't see any mounting instructions on CBI's site. Are they mounted right to the hood (hinge?) using the existing hardware?

 

[Trail4R]

@Trail4R I just picked these up. Didn't see any mounting instructions on CBI's site. Are they mounted right to the hood (hinge?) using the existing hardware?

They're mounted directly to the hood hinge, yeah.

When installing ditch light brackets, it's extremely important to install one bolt at a time so that one side of your hood doesn't come off the hinge. If that happens, it's a PITA, ask me how I know.

The bracket goes under the hinge, not between the hinge and the hood.

Start with one bolt. I usually start with the outside bolt, farthest from the windshield.

Once the first bolt is through the bracket and somewhat tight (not fully tight), then you can loosen the other bolt and swivel the ditch light bracket in place, line up the hole, and tighten the second bolt down. Now you can fully tighten both bolts down. Repeat on the other side.

You can see a few close-up photos of how the ditch light brackets are mounted on this thread: https://6thgen4runner.com/threads/6th-gen-4runner-hood-stuts-from-red-line-tuning.815/

 

[ClarkeBar]

They're mounted directly to the hood hinge, yeah.

When installing ditch light brackets, it's extremely important to install one bolt at a time so that one side of your hood doesn't come off the hinge. If that happens, it's a PITA, ask me how I know.

The bracket goes under the hinge, not between the hinge and the hood.

Start with one bolt. I usually start with the outside bolt, farthest from the windshield.

Once the first bolt is through the bracket and somewhat tight (not fully tight), then you can loosen the other bolt and swivel the ditch light bracket in place, line up the hole, and tighten the second bolt down. Now you can fully tighten both bolts down. Repeat on the other side.

You can see a few close-up photos of how the ditch light brackets are mounted on this thread: https://6thgen4runner.com/threads/6th-gen-4runner-hood-stuts-from-red-line-tuning.815/

Perfect. That makes sense and sorry to hear it ended up being a PIA for you LOL. I'm just waiting on the Garmin Power Switch kit at this point from Blaze then I get to learn about wiring Thanks!

 

[Trail4R]

@ClarkeBar I found out years ago, installing some ditch light brackets on my 5th Gen. That Garmin Power switch is pretty sweet. Share that setup when you get it all installed.