GVWRLOL
Senior Member
My best 2 so far. $15 charging station wired directly to the solar output and a $20 catch-all for whatever junk I toss up there.
Low Cost Mods
- Thread starter Lighthawk
- Start date
My best 2 so far. $15 charging station wired directly to the solar output and a $20 catch-all for whatever junk I toss up there.
buckland
Senior Member
Site Team
Those cargo nets are very handy.
Sagebrush Reconnoiterer
The Historian
We all spend thousands of dollars on our trucks and campers. And then there's all the toys: cameras, kayaks, bikes, etc. = $$$$$
But what about the other end of the spectrum? How much bang can you get for the least buck?
I'm suggesting we start a thread to share our low cost solutions; say$10$25 or less.
This is meant to be fun, so feel free to show off your rubber band powered, Rube Goldberg special edition mods!
Extra points for speed of install and reuse of something you already own.
Anyone else have something cheap and effective to share?
For a long time I used a 79¢ suction cup hook on the windshield of my vehicles to hold up my basic Garmin eTrex GPS unit. The hook would hook into the D-ring on the back of the case for the tether strap. It worked quite well even on rough off road trails.
Modern vehicle dashboard designs make it difficult to access under and behind the dash for wiring and mounting. So for my CB radio in my '02 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4WD pickup I rigged up a mount that was both cheap and effective.
* Mounting the radio was by "industrial strength" Velcro. It was very tough to remove the radio from the dash and it never fell off. I cut out a rectangle in the dash mat to put the Velcro directly atop the dashboard.
* To wire it up, I simply removed the 12V plug off an old, non-working device and spliced it to the radio's wires, plugging it into one of the 12V outlets.
* Immediately after mounting I found that no matter how hard I cranked down on those knobs on each side of the radio holding to the bracket, the radio would tip forward due to the weight of the microphone cord. I countered this by using rubber wedges. They worked just fine, seldom falling out, even on washboard roads and trails.
Oh, and those clamps on the dash face by the microphone? That was my no cost video camera mount. The clamps held onto a wooden dowel, with a hinge on top. Opening the hinge spanned the gap between the dowel and dash top, giving a good base for the camera to sit upon. Velcro on the hinge and bottom of the camera kept the camera from tipping over. The camera stayed put well enough, but video quality suffered as the camera was looking through a perpetually dirty area of the windshield where the wipers just didn't cover well, sun glare was ever present; so the mount didn't last long.
To carry my D-cell Maglight in my Tacoma I simply used a conduit clamp I had laying around my workshop, screwing it down on one side on the plastic door sill, leaving the other end unattached. The light could not slide forward due to the bulge in the floor at the front seat floor mount, but could be easily maneuvered by pulling it forward and around it, even with the door closed.
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Sagebrush Reconnoiterer
The Historian
My video camera mount in use. Described above. No cost with stuff I had on hand. Photo taken just west of Death Valley on my 2.5 hour commute home near Bishop, CA from work. The mountain above the camera is 11,049' high Telescope Peak.
CPT Davenport
El Pescador
The OG GoPro! Nice!
My video camera mount in use. Described above. No cost with stuff I had on hand. Photo taken just west of Death Valley on my 2.5 hour commute home near Bishop, CA from work. The mountain above the camera is 11,049' high Telescope Peak.
GVWRLOL
Senior Member
Not really a mod so to speak but quite possibly the best $15 I've ever spent.
www.harborfreight.com
While I'm on the topic of propane tanks, do these brackets look anything like what y'all are working with? I had to make my own based on a design I copied from an Internet stock photo.
Propane Level Gauge
Amazing deals on this Propane Level Gauge at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
While I'm on the topic of propane tanks, do these brackets look anything like what y'all are working with? I had to make my own based on a design I copied from an Internet stock photo.
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GVWRLOL
Senior Member
GVWRLOL
Senior Member
Has anyone come up with a way to tell if the truck is level without having to get out of the cab and check bubbles? Up until recently I never gave it much thought, but I guess it turns out that the fridge is much more efficient when it's level. Id like to make that process as easy as possible.
PaulT
Need gumbo
I found a spot on my Tundra console that is level with the camper. I place a round bubble level on the console and use that to park.
If that were not available, I would place the bubble on the camper floor and aim a wireless backup camera looking down on it and position the remote display on the dash where it is easily viewed.
It would be easy to build a mount for the camera, along with a light & battery and place the assembly in an appropriate location in the camper. Turn camera & remote display on and search for level.
If that were not available, I would place the bubble on the camper floor and aim a wireless backup camera looking down on it and position the remote display on the dash where it is easily viewed.
It would be easy to build a mount for the camera, along with a light & battery and place the assembly in an appropriate location in the camper. Turn camera & remote display on and search for level.
GVWRLOL
Senior Member
Is it by chance a 14-21 tundra? Curious about that spot. I use an app on my phone to confirm what the 25 year old bubbles say (almost nailed it this time)
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PaulT
Need gumbo
My Tundra is a 2010 SR5 DC with front buckets. There is a flat plastic panel that covers a compartment for a 8 by 11 or so file folder between the shift lever & the cup holders. That flat panel is where I place the bubble level.
I found it by parking the truck/camper on a level surface then placing the disk level on every apparently level until I found the flat panel that indicated level.
Hope that helps.
I found it by parking the truck/camper on a level surface then placing the disk level on every apparently level until I found the flat panel that indicated level.
Hope that helps.
pvstoy
Senior Member
Stick on.
.
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GVWRLOL
Senior Member
The one I screenshot is awesome. It also has a decibel meter, a lux meter, a compass, a protractor, and an inclinometer.
GVWRLOL
Senior Member
Didn't even think to put one on the door panel, this might be just the ticket. I moved the one for roll so I can see it in my mirror now, but don't have 1 for pitch.
Tom n N
Advanced Member
I also eventually realized what a PITA it was to keep getting out of the truck to check the levels on the outside of the camper (plus, I always seem to not find a good campsite until well after dark, so then I’m also fiddling with a flashlight). At first, I installed one of those “bullseye” levels in the cab, but for some reason could never get the hang of using it easily. Wound up mounting two as shown above (post #533) and couldn’t be happier. One on the dash and one over the door. Additionally, I can see both easily at night with the dome light on, problem solved!
I do have to admit that I screwed up the first time I mounted them though. I parked on my perfectly level garage floor and very carefully mounted both levels in the cab. Wasn’t until the first time camping that I realized the bed in the camper is NOT level when the truck is on level ground. Had to adjust/remount the level over the door…duh! Also, the ones with a little metal ball inside, as pictured above, are MUCH easier to see in low light (or without your reading glasses if you’re old like me) than the ones with just a bubble.
I do have to admit that I screwed up the first time I mounted them though. I parked on my perfectly level garage floor and very carefully mounted both levels in the cab. Wasn’t until the first time camping that I realized the bed in the camper is NOT level when the truck is on level ground. Had to adjust/remount the level over the door…duh! Also, the ones with a little metal ball inside, as pictured above, are MUCH easier to see in low light (or without your reading glasses if you’re old like me) than the ones with just a bubble.
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craig333
Riley's Human
If I start to lean I find the last thing I want to do is look at a gauge.
GVWRLOL
Senior Member
For reference the roll-over angle of a 2018 tundra is 48° (I take that back, it was just over 36°)
Go ahead, ask me how I know.
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craig333
Riley's Human
When I flopped my Jeep it was quick. No time to look and see what the angle was. Maybe I need an inside camera 
GVWRLOL
Senior Member
A dual view (forward and rear facing) dashcam mounted between the seat backs gives an excellent first person view. All my "out the windshield" and interior cab pics are screen grabs from the dashcam.When I flopped my Jeep it was quick. No time to look and see what the angle was. Maybe I need an inside camera
this was my 2nd rollover and by far my worst. I ended up just replacing the truck. Tundras 2 Sedona 2021.
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