“Damn this is sick...” - ShortCut Trailer Mount

ShortCut Trailer Mount

Words, Photos, and Idea by Riversmith Ambassador John Isola

As an avid angler and a self proclaimed gear-head I am always on the lookout for the latest and greatest when it comes to gear. So… what was the motivation for mounting a River Quiver ShortCut 4-Banger under my trailer deck?

Well, it all started last spring down in Idaho on our annual head hunting/escape from runoff trip.

Myself and three of my buddies (one of which was unplanned) decided to run shuttles before the float, as most do. Fast-forward to post float… and we found ourselves with four people, eight rods, a full roof-mounted River Quiver 4-Banger… and a 4Runner full of camping gear. So naturally, we did what any sane group of friends would do and ran the rods through the car while also stacking people on top of each other in an attempt to walk away from this diabolical shuttle without any broken rods. 

Long story short… this is when the trailer-mounted vault idea came to mind. 

Below, I’ve included a Step-by-Step Guide to Mounting the Riversmith ShortCut on a Trailer:

• Step 1, Drilling a Pilot Hole: The first step is to determine the optimal location for the Rod Vault on the trailer deck. You definitely want to mock it up so you don’t end up mounting it, then figuring out your vault door wont open or something of that nature. Once you have selected the zone, use a drill bit to create a pilot hole for some machine screws. Make these holes the same size or slightly larger than the screws themselves.

• Step 2, Boring Out a Larger Hole: To ensure your screw heads are flush with the trailer deck, use a 1-inch wide drill bit to bore out a larger hole around the original pilot hole. With this larger hole you’ll be able to drop in a 1-inch washer, which will help distribute the weight of the vault and prevent the screws from pulling through.

• Step 3, Aligning the Rod Vault: With the help of a friend, hold the Rod Vault up to the bottom of the trailer deck. Ensure that the Rod Vault is positioned correctly and drop your screws through the deck all the way down through the holes of the the T-track Low-Pro mounting kit. 

• Step 4, Securing the Rod Vault: Once the alignment looks good, attach a washer, lock washer, and nut to each machine screw

• Step 5, Final Touches: Tighten everything down and make sure you can’t move the vault by hand. Finally, take a step back and say to yourself… “Damn this is sick.”

In all seriousness though, The Riversmith River Quiver has undoubtedly transformed the way I approach fishing trips. I do believe this trailer mount option will become more popular as it truly does give you double the rod space on the shuttle side of things. If you’re thinking about doing something similar with your rig and have questions, feel free to hit up the RiverSmith team, or shoot me an Instagram DM directly!