Ram Mount Feeler

They are available here:

https://www.ballsoutoffroad.com/


They are countersunk on both sides and as such can be mounted either left or right. Hardware is black oxide 18-8 stainless. Backing plates are unanodized.





Next pic borrowed from pg10 and @EDDO :


Pic borrowed from pg13 and @Drtgrl :


Install Instructions:

1: Remove the AC panel by prying it out and then unplug the two electrical connectors.


2. Remove the 4 10mm screws holding the stereo in, unplug all of the connectors and remove the stereo.






For the next step I do not have pictures but this youtube covers it very well:


3. Remove the 2 push pins above the main instrument cluster that hold the instrument cluster in.
4. Pop out the right side of the panel covering the instrument cluster (this needs to be done to facilitate removing the stereo dash panel.)

5. Pull gently on the dash panel that surrounds the stereo and remove it; your dash should now look like this:

6. Take the stereo surround panel, the AC controls, and the 2 brackets and mock everything up on a bench.

7. With the panel, AC contols, and brackets mocked up, mark the 4 mounting hole locations. Do this carefully as there is no going back with the filler drill.



8. Drill the holes using either a 5mm or a #7 drill (.201").

9. Peel the double sided tape off of the backing plate and carefully press into location so that the nuts align with the drilled holes. Make sure the tape holds! This tape is only to hold the backing plates in place until the dash is reassembled. The tape is not load bearing once assembled.
10. Reassemble all of the dash in the reverse order of dissasembly; stereo surround panel , instrument panel, stereo , AC controls.
11. Screw in the brackets using the 4, 10-32 x 1" screws. Get both screws started before you torque one all of the way down so that you do not dislodge the backing plate from the tape (by causing it to spin). Allen size is 1/8" but a 3mm will probably be okay.
12. If there are any questions do not hesitate to ask!




Here's a pic of the saw cut / belt sanded revA.



This one was made with a band saw and a belt sander using my finely tuned eye-crometers. Future units would be CNC milled; I'm a machinist and given the amount of interest, I might be willing to do a short run but eyeballing and hand shaping isn't going to happen for any meaningful amount of these so I tried a little harder and actually emulated the curves that 2nd gens have and here is what I propose to do if the interest is there: (pardon the crappy CAD, it's just to get the point across)

 

In.
Happy to be a tester too. South Bay isn't too far away

 

Need to ask, what are the specific uses for this? Just curious.

 

Just a way to add an unobtrusive 1/4-20 threaded hole for mounting accessories, e.g., phones , gps , and radios.

 

Oh, issumed as much, but thanks for clarifying.Definitely something i'd be interested in.

 

Yup.

Black would be just fine.

 

The only thing I'd be concerned with is lateral play. the three screw design you had seemed like it would help with that. A wider backing plate helps disperse any force created from bumps etc.

I'm also curious how sturdy the plastic is. I feel like a small tablet or large phone might be too much?

 

Input appreciated, thank you.

I should clarify that the 3rd hole in the first pic posted is another 1/4-20 hole for mounting at another angle, not a 3rd securing hole. I hear ya but it's pretty solid. I suppose I can quantify that claim somehow but I think once everything is reassembled, i.e., the enviro controls are back in and the stereo surround is snapped in, that surface doesn't move.

WRT a wider backing plate, I will take mine apart again and see just how much of a backing plate I can actually fit in there; I like that idea a lot. Picking up other points is probably not gonna happen but spreading the load is NEVER a bad idea.

 

Interested to see outcome...

 

I'd be interested. I need a place to mount a cell and I think I like this option. Not sure I'm 100% crazy about the A-pillar mod.

 

I'm in for 2, both sides of my a/c.

Only tweak I can think of at the moment is perhaps adding a second 1/4-20 hole on the lower curved portion of the plate so that the end user has another option for ball placement or adding a second ball for gear-heavy trips. That'd be something to beta-test, though; another hole down there might be too low to mount anything practical or too close to the other ball. I'd be overjoyed to cover shipping to Socal to test those options out, though

 

I have one more comment; purely aesthetic. Could you eliminate the bevel where the ball mount screw in, so it sits flush?

 

I like it. I'd buy one.
I would move the original 1/4-20 up higher and add a second one at the middle of the curve.
Then kind of like the even better then the TECH DECK you could have two devices, 3 & 9 or 12 & 6 o'clock.

 

If you don't change the backing plate I'd be fine. I would just add a couple of fender washers and some Lock -Tite.

 

I'm in

 

This would be my suggestion as well . Moving them seems like it would work perfectly for two if you wanted or just one.

 

Very cool idea. I would be interested in one for my truck. One thing to keep in mind is that that area may change with model year. I see that you have a 2015, and I'm in a 2008. I know there were some styling changes in 2009 and/or 2012. My only suggestion would be to extend the length of the piece and contour it, so you don't have that gap between it and the radio. This would also help with the suggestion for more holes. You could leave the hole that's there and add 1-2 more holes higher up.

If you have a pdf or jpg of the face with the screw holes, I could check it against my truck for you. Just need a couple of marks of known length to verify that it printed to size.

 

This is cool. Could see many uses for it.
Also like the idea of the option for a second mount.

 

Holes moved and added, sitting on a curved surface is less than ideal so I might have to spot the areas with a flat end mill. One thing about adding all the holes at different angles is it adds operations and thus time. If I was really on it, I'd make a jig to hold this to my 4th axis so all 3 could be drilled and tapped at the same time.

Bevels minimized; I like to run a chamfer mill around all of my parts so when they come out they are done and deburred.

Top portion is there, may not be obvious but it tucks all the way up now (unlike the one currently on my truck.)

It took me a while to generate that curve so that it matches mine lol. Measure , sketch , print , cutout , check , and adjust. I must have printed at least a dozen before I got the curves to fit, I sure hope it's basically the same. See if the attached pdf works for ya...

 

WOW!

You are Good!

For you to come up with this in less than a few hours after us pecking at your original design this is awesome!

I'm not sure that the third hole is necessary, Lets see what others think.

Thats a big plane to have 3 things in but that's just me.

It would be saving you the machine time and the fourth axis. JMO

It does give users choices but it's a BALL mount! Does a few degrees make the difference?

I'd prefer the chamfered edges also , just for finish i.e. looks and safety, I don't think it takes anything away from the strength of the mount.

JMHO