Vermont Photo Hunting Rig

[Cold Iron]

Nice @Cold Iron! Do you find the above the dash screens distracting? I got my phone down, but the Garmin still sits a little high. This is why I'm thinking about adding another "joint" to the Ram arm. Other than climate and audio, the stock system rarely gets touched, so moving the Garmin lower shouldn't be an issue for me.



Some bad news on my Tread - I just exchanged it back at Best Buy. It stopped connecting to satellites yesterday and Garmin confirmed I had a defective unit. Because I was still in the Best Buy return window, it was easier to return it there. A new one is on the way. Hoping for better luck because the unit is incredible!

No not distracting at all, and no blockage of the road. Pictures don't always give an accurate view from the drivers perspective. But I couldn't go any larger screen or it would block the view and with my old eyes larger is more gooder. I am up to 3X in reading glasses now LOL. I hate the OEM screen it sits way too low and I hate having to look that far down away from the road.

I have done multiple joints in RAM arms before and even tried the double joint arms like these

But I always get wobble on them when off road using either 2 arms or the swivel joints. I may or may not have even used channel locks to tighten them up to the breaking point. 2 short arms seem to work better than the swivel joint assembly but you have more limited rotation options. On most roads at speed they are fine though. In the Taco when traveling in SD or Wyoming on the highways where the speed limit is 80 mph they would really shake rattle and roll. But in the GX doing the same speed they don't move because the GX ride is like butter in comparison.

Good luck with the Tread! And please keep this updated on your progress and adventures

 

[Littlehouse]

Nice @Cold Iron! Do you find the above the dash screens distracting? I got my phone down, but the Garmin still sits a little high. This is why I'm thinking about adding another "joint" to the Ram arm. Other than climate and audio, the stock system rarely gets touched, so moving the Garmin lower shouldn't be an issue for me.



Some bad news on my Tread - I just exchanged it back at Best Buy. It stopped connecting to satellites yesterday and Garmin confirmed I had a defective unit. Because I was still in the Best Buy return window, it was easier to return it there. A new one is on the way. Hoping for better luck because the unit is incredible!

I found it distracting, so I mounted my phone lower.

 

[r2m]

I have an embarrassing number of RAM arms and mounts collected over the years but no regrets. I went with the Gamiviti dashboard accessory mount plate that replaces the front speaker panel. It is a solid piece of kit and is the first generation which required drilling and running a 1/4x20 tap which isn't a big deal for me. Transferred my mounts and arms including X grip holders over from my Taco.

The phone charger is the RAM modified JB Weld Tozo wireless hack, and then it died after a couple months. Figured it was time to go back to magnetic mounts so went with Peak Designs.

Tried 2 PD cases for my S23 Ultra phone but neither case fit the phone correctly. Ended up using the universal mount on my otterbox case for the charging mount. But after a couple of weeks it stopped working, it would get extremely hot and shutdown. Switched out cables, etc. no joy. So manually plug in the phone with the cable. Will try again once I upgrade my phone with the new Samsung release this Spring if PD has a case for it. Or maybe start over again... Once I have a final configuration that I am happy with will run the cables up inside the console to the Gamiviti plate which you can use grommets for, in the meantime I'm using a loom for cable management. It is a lot of cable LOL.

The phone in the static mount is for OBD Fusion and stays in the mount all year. The mount has those springs in 4 corners and on washboards and rough roads bounces around like crazy making it impossible to view. At some point will break out the JB Weld and make it a solid mount. I have mixed feelings about Peak Designs but they are the only game in town for android wireless charging and RAM mounts that I know of.

I leave the Garmin wired and in the truck all year in addition to the phone for OBD Fusion. In theory you shouldn't leave power to them below freezing but have abused this Garmin for at least 6 years now down to the twenties below zero. When it gets down to ~zero the display on both will freeze solid and not work but they eventually warm up and start to work again. If had the more expensive units I would bring them in the house at night. Then again I park outside my garage is heated and I don't need a catalyst for road salt and steel to start frame rusting.

I started with the first inReach then when it died went with inReach mini. Last year that took a bath in the Boundary Waters and didn't survive. I switched to Zoleo and like it better over the inReach. And am a big fan of Garmin even the dogs wear Garmin collars for the Alpha and my dashcam is a Garmin. But one reason I avoid too much convergence is vendor lock in.

Nice build and setup!

Glad to see you use the Gamiviti mount!
Tim offered it to me to try out, but I am already set with my current setup, otherwise I would have JUMPED at the chance to try it!
Keep us AND Tim posted on how that works for you. With more encouragement, I'd like to see Tim design more Gamiviti GX products.

 

[Cold Iron]

Glad to see you use the Gamiviti mount!
Tim offered it to me to try out, but I am already set with my current setup, otherwise I would have JUMPED at the chance to try it!
Keep us AND Tim posted on how that works for you. With more encouragement, I'd like to see Tim design more Gamiviti GX products.

Had it since it first came out it is a first Gen. And pimp it and Tim out every chance I get. His engineering and manufacturing is as solid as it gets. Thought it was a bit pricey at first, until I had it in my hands. Now you can have it when you pry it from my cold dead hands LOL. He listens to people and already has changed it to not require drilling on the new ones. A lot to be said for someone in manufacturing that listens to customers.

 

[r2m]

cold dead hands

"...cold iron dead hands"

 

[knuckle47]

@PoindAxster Well, welcome to the forum with most of the finest group of people I have come to write with in many years. When I first read your demands for rust free and living in Vermont..I chuckled. My brand new FJ40 lived with me in North Troy, Jay, and Fletcher in 1974. I had to sell it in 1980 due to the RIDICULOUS amount of rust in the spot welds, rear quarters and sides. Some holes were nearly 2”.

Good luck with your GX460. We travel back to Vt. to visit family frequently…. I’ll wave to any GX460 I find on the road…in case

 

[PoindAxster]

YotaWerx tuning was just done at the Overland Shop in Essex, Vermont. Good guys over there!

Went with the full aggressive tuning at full octane. They say it takes 500 miles before everything settles, but I immediately noticed a difference.

The throttle response is much better! The "dead spot" around 40 MPH, where the car doesn't want to downshift quickly, is gone. Overall, the truck feels like what I would have expected from Lexus out of the gate. I won't say it fully brings the V8 to life, but it has solved a few of my daily-living complaints with the GX460.

Also took advantage of some Black Friday sales to complete the recovery category that may take a while before they're photo-ready in this thread:

• Prinsu Pro rack (5-6 week delivery time)
• 2 Pelican V700 Vaults for the roof
• 4 Maxtrax Xtremes + the Prinsu mounts for them
• The Yankum Winch and Recovery kits + a few little items
• Waiting on SafeJack to launch their special before pulling the trigger on a bottle jack

Been a heavy day for my AMEX

Some of these recovery choices come from double duty needs. Our house is on quite a bit of forested acreage. Sometimes the tractor gets stuck on the trails. And every winter at least 3 vehicles slide off the driveway. Usually UPS trucks. After buying the GX, I closely inspected my old recovery straps and saw some fraying plus mice chewing. It was time to renew and upgrade.

 

[PoindAxster]

Oh yeah, almost forgot… yesterday was undercoating day for the GX. Trying a wax undercoat this time. Did the same on the wife’s Navigator. Used to use NH Oil on the old F350. Hear this wax is the new hotness. And they claim it is a “one and done” job… I have my doubts there.

 

[snowGX460]

Oh yeah, almost forgot… yesterday was undercoating day for the GX. Trying a wax undercoat this time. Did the same on the wife’s Navigator. Used to use NH Oil on the old F350. Hear this wax is the new hotness. And they claim it is a “one and done” job… I have my doubts there.

Waxoyl?

 

[PoindAxster]

Waxoyl?

I don’t know the brand. Many of my friends have had this done in their new vehicles and a few years later they’re rust free. It is what the better dealerships apply.

 

[185]

Report back on high wash off effectiveness.
I went fluid film with graphene, but high washoff areas are bare again.
I touched those areas with surface shield undercoating spray, and that went bare again in those same areas.

I'm going touch up those areas throughout with some rattle can surface shield cause i have those on deck. For my annual i might switch to woolwax or cosmoline (woolwax applicators are easy to find, cosmoline applicator dont exist or dont advertise).

Did you by any chance get NHOU's "boss wax"?

 

[PoindAxster]

Report back on high wash off effectiveness.

Spring rust assessment - check! We will also see if CBI or Metal Tech do a better job with their bumpers.

 

[knuckle47]

Gotta confess something. I never realized these newer Toyotas were this deluxe. I truly know nothing about them but seeing all of this here is quite cool. I am a gadget guy and these things are inspiring. My “regular” rides are Chevy pickup and Suburban. They are both High Country models and are plush and nicely equipped. But I am lovin’ the Lexus

Cool ride. Been out to that breakwater in lake Champlain several times. Family out near Winooski, Enosburg, Swanton, Troy and Montgomery Village….so we tourist occasionally

 

[PoindAxster]

Gotta confess something. I never realized these newer Toyotas were this deluxe. I truly know nothing about them but seeing all of this here is quite cool. I am a gadget guy and these things are inspiring. My “regular” rides are Chevy pickup and Suburban. They are both High Country models and are plush and nicely equipped. But I am lovin’ the Lexus

Cool ride. Been out to that breakwater in lake Champlain several times. Family out near Winooski, Enosburg, Swanton, Troy and Montgomery Village….so we tourist occasionally

They may be packing too much tech into these modern machines. Recall rates are obnoxious. Since COVID, manufacturing issues have been rampant from the OEM to the suppliers. They’re super comfy, but it all comes with a price.

We live on the farming side of Williston and are all over the state as much as possible. Get down to New Jersey from time to time to see family there too.

 

[snowGX460]

I don’t know the brand. Many of my friends have had this done in their new vehicles and a few years later they’re rust free. It is what the better dealerships apply.

Who did the application?

I'm planning on getting undercoating done before winter hits. A friend was suggesting Waxoyl and it can be applied by a number of different vendors.

I'll be up in the Jericho area fairly frequently this winter to snowboard at Stowe or Smuggs. Would love to check out your ride in person.

 

[PoindAxster]

Who did the application?

I'm planning on getting undercoating done before winter hits. A friend was suggesting Waxoyl and it can be applied by a number of different vendors.

I'll be up in the Jericho area fairly frequently this winter to snowboard at Stowe or Smuggs. Would love to check out your ride in person.

Heritage Toyota did mine and my wife’s. They’ve done a few of my friends’ cars too. It was $780 for each car, so be warned on that. Key Chevrolet uses the same stuff and did a few other friends.

Let me know when you’re around. Definitely catch up for a frosty beverage.

 

[Cold Iron]

@PoindAxster Well, welcome to the forum with most of the finest group of people I have come to write with in many years. When I first read your demands for rust free and living in Vermont..I chuckled. My brand new FJ40 lived with me in North Troy, Jay, and Fletcher in 1974. I had to sell it in 1980 due to the RIDICULOUS amount of rust in the spot welds, rear quarters and sides. Some holes were nearly 2”.

Good luck with your GX460. We travel back to Vt. to visit family frequently…. I’ll wave to any GX460 I find on the road…in case

67 Mustang 289 in burnt orange was my first car growing up in the Twin Tiers of NY\Pa. By the mid 70's it literally fell apart from rust. I was running a trapline on a trail when the shocks shot up through the hood because the mounts and panels had rusted out. It was also the point I realized a car likely wasn't going to work for my lifestyle LOL.

77 FJ55 in Wa. State Puget Sound region bought with my first reenlist bonus they don't get the road salt the NE does or at least didn't used to

Got married in 85 and it was the first thing to go the Ex called it the beast and hated it. Last I seen it a Sr. Chief Seabee was driving it to Adak, Alaska. I miss my Iron Pig at times. Was married for 24 years but don't miss her so much.

Oh yeah, almost forgot… yesterday was undercoating day for the GX. Trying a wax undercoat this time. Did the same on the wife’s Navigator. Used to use NH Oil on the old F350. Hear this wax is the new hotness. And they claim it is a “one and done” job… I have my doubts there.

I climbed under my Taco once a year for 10 years and gave it a Fluid Film bath. It worked to some extent but not great in the long term.

My 19 GX spent winters in Texas and first thing I did was check the frame and undercarriage when I first looked at it a year ago. It was pretty much spotless. Enough of the FF for me I went with NH Oil applied by a pro. NH Oil is more an East Coast thing but moving West the guy near me moved here from Erie, Pa. First thing he had me do when I made the appointment was drop the spare.

He got that wand in places I never thought of and changed tips and pressure often.

The oil is still creeping out of the inside of panels. And working UP on the outside of the vehicle. The underside is still coated and has been dripping on the driveway all summer. So I am going with every other year with the coating and will never again do it myself. Cost was $200 and worth it to me. I'm getting too old for that crap

Waxoyl and NH Oil are the top 2 on my list for rust proofing at this point.

 

[knuckle47]

My brother is a Mustang guy…. I laughed like crazy when he told me they called them “RUSTANGS”

 

[PoindAxster]

The compressor was installed today. ARB twin with the hose kit sitting on top of an SDHQ mount. In-Deflate 2 tire system getting tested for leaks in this photo.

Not a fan of the wires and will get in there to clean those up. I think there is one more component to connect to the battery before the clean up begins.

 

[PoindAxster]

Along with the compressor, I hooked up the Midland 575 radio with a hood antenna mount and mic extender. I'm quite pleased with the stealth install of the radio unit! The cabin air filter is still accessible.