Ram Mount install for my phone or GPS

[Bob98SR5]

Hi folks,

I haven't done much with the 4Runner including driving it, since I bought the Golf. One thing that Ive struggled with was finding a good phone mount. I had a Kensington that worked really well, but the suction part was not very sun resistant and the clip part broke off on two of them. So I decided to see what I could do with some left over Ram mount parts. Now I did think about this many moons ago, but decided that I didn't want to drill into the console and have this Ram mount appendage sticking out. But I said function over form tonight.

First, gotta say how much I love Ram mount parts. They don't mess around. Good quality stuff and yes, you pay for it out the nose. But everything fits like a glove and they have a lot of unique options for any mount situation. It's almost like grown up Legos. Anyways, here's what I'm trying out now:

For the phone holder, I'm trying this out:
RAM Universal X-Grip® Cell/iPhone Holder with 1" Ball
Product Number: RAM-HOL-UN7BU

For the arm, I'm using this length:
RAM Composite Double Socket Arm for 1" Ball Bases
Product Number: RAP-B-201U

For the base, I bought this B-ball piece with a threaded bolt:
RAM 1" Tough-Ball™ with M6-1 X 6MM Male Threaded Post

Now unlike most applications, most people will buy a ball with some sort of base plate and screw it onto some kind of surface. They typically have a large footprint, so aside from the dash, there's really no other place to mount it. So that's why I bought this ball piece w/ the threaded bolt.

So basically all I did was to remove the radio console, find a suitable place on the front where it might work, and then look at the backside of the console to see where I could successfully drill a hole, thread the bolt through it, and then secure it with a nyloc nut.

Now I'm about to reinstall the radio console in the 4runner (830pm) and will take pics in the daylight. But for now, I'm happy that I've installed a more durable phone mount that won't have issues with sun damage or block my windshield.

One other note on the phone cradle. I have the newer style that I referenced above, but I also used this universal one for my Blackberry back in the days. It's called their Universal device mount or something like that. The nice thing about this is that you can remove and put in your phone with one hand. Basically you insert the phone on the bottom and push down. The bottom part is spring loaded. the arms on the side are adjustable w/ a screw driver. Leave a small amount of room, you don't want it glove tight.

The newer style you have to pinch two prongs which open the arms and then you insert the phone. Both cradles allow you to mount the phone horizontally if you so desire. But I'm waiting for a backing piece for the universal device mount, so i'll be using the newer style.

I'll let you guys know if its worth the radio console appendage look or not!

[Bob98SR5]

Well I said f' it and just installed it. I like it. A lot. Very sturdy as mentioned and doens't really get in the way of the A/C vents or the controls. Infinitely positionable too, so big bonus. I may try swapping in a shorter arm, but I'll try this for a few weeks.

[4x4mike]

Looks good Bob. Does this mean you'll be driving the 4Runner more?

I've always been happy with the Pro Clip stuff. I've got a mount in a similar location to yours. It accepts the device cradles I've purchased for both phones I use and both of my tablets. Since I had so many device cradles things I bought extra mounts. I've got one for the tablet so the kids can watch the same thing without fighting over it. I also have one of the wall of my work bench to entertain me while in the garage.

[paddlenbike]

I miss the Bob98SR5 writeups, nice work!

[Bob98SR5]

Mike: I'll probably drive the 4runner a bit more in the next few weeks as I'll be moving things into storage and up to my temporary home in Walnut Creek in late January. Let's try to meet up on a weekend in January. I really just want to see Swirly Pirate and Kara, not you guys!

So I drove the 4runner this morning to keep the battery charged up and to run a quick errand that required the cargo space. The mount makes the phone a little jittery to read but other than that, no big deal. I'm going to try the shorter arm over the weekend.

[4x4mike]

Moving up to Mom's? Let us know when you make it up and if you need help moving things around. I'll send you an email as I've got more questions.

[Bob98SR5]

Mike,

Yup. Hopefully temporarily. I'm using her place as my home base for my job search but will probably go to NY for a month maybe in Feb or March. We'll see how the job search turns out. I have a lot of weight to lose from the drug treatments, so I'll be focusing on that alot in Jan and Feb. I think I should be fine w/ the move up because I'm shedding all of my furniture and only keeping things like my flat screen TV, computer stuff, clothes. What's gonna be a bitch is the stuff in the garage! Fortunately Lance can use most of it, so lots of it will go in his garage. As for the other stuff, might need to rent storage. We'll see. Lots of things to figure out. But thanks for the offer to help!

Here's a shot of it installed and in day light:

[Seanz0rz]

Bob, if you need any help, let me know. It's the least I could do.

[Bob98SR5]

I got the attachment piece for the universal holder and mounted it and the shorter arm to it. I drove the 4runner today and put all the pieces together. Attached is a pic. Here are my thoughts (pros cons) between the mounts and arms:

Newer X style (Pros)
- Can fit just about any phone without any adjustment. So for example, if you have a iphone and your significant other has a big ass Samsung Galaxy note, then both phones could be easily put in (one at a time, of course) without making any modification to the holder
- Can easily swivel 360 degrees without loosening the holder
- Looks cool

Newer X style (Cons)
- Takes two hands. As anal and picky as that might seem, its an annoyance to me.
- Potential for phone to be knocked out is higher, but i can't think of a scenario where it could be.

Universal mount (pros)
- Sturdy as all hell. You can adjust the side arms with a philips screw driver
- Easy one hand operation. I mounted mine upside down so that the spring loaded part is on the bottom not top for two reasons. 1) I like to push down to put the phone in. The spring loaded action is smooth 2) The top arms would block a button if I mounted it right side up. So I ended up removing a set of those arms (circled in green). The bottom arms are more than sufficient to hold this phone.

Universal mount (cons)
- Can't turn it horizontally without loosening the compression on the rubber balls
- Doesn't look as cool

Some other notes:

- The longer std size arm are a bit too long. I ended up liking the shorter arm
- The more you extend the arm towards you on a horizontal plane, the more jiggle and vibration you experience. Best to mount the arms more vertically. I'm experimenting with different, more vertical angles