Mounting the DriveSmart 86

I wonder if there is a sticky cup mount available for this new size ball. Sticky cup mounts are amazing, darn near need a chisel to get them off the windshield. And when you take it off and it doesn't seem to be sticky anymore a little water and allowing it to air dry and it's sticky again, just like when it was new.

I prefer windshield mounts, I mount them near the roof where they really don't block any of the view that I need to use.

This is the one I use with my DS61:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IQ57Z4K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b...

The differences in the mount are not just the ball. The ball, the nut, and the attachment to the DS 86 are all just one unit that can't be separated.

The mount system and many other things with DS 86 are new and in a new direction. Maybe third parties will make accessories for the DS 86, but right now, what's in the Garmin box is all that works as a complete system.

What diameter ball does the 86 use? Not 17mm?

All my mounts are from arkon. This came as part of another mount, but is sold separately. Note how it uses the threaded socket which fits the 17mm ball just fine.

https://www.arkon.com/product/RV001WR-iphone-phone-holder.ht...

Maybe you should read my posts on mounting the DS 86.

ARKON makes the sticky cup I referred to above, great product.

I did read your posts, but don't see where you mention the ball diameter.

I'll stick with my 2797

The ball diameter is much larger than 19mm.

This is helpful information.

I reached out to garmin to get some specifics.

Turns out it is indeed no longer a 17mm ball. Rather a 21.83mm rubberized ball. Why the .83mm? Who knows. they could just round it up to 22mm. Still, this is 5mm more than their standard one.

The standard round clip (part that clips into the gps) has a diameter of 1.75", according to Wil01 in the OP, this one is 2.125".

My take away is, none of the standard third party garmin accessories will likely work with this unit as.

All of that is true. Here’ a little bit more.

As it now stands, you are going to be forced to deal with the suction mount on the DS 86. You can use the suction cup for the windshield mount, stick it to the dash, or use a bean bag mount on the dash.

I have searched the entire Amazon listing for GPS mounts that will work with the DS 86. All of them except one that I found imply that the mount will be stuck to the dash permanently, and the GPS will be mounted and unmounted by use of the section cup.

Any of the bean bag mounts, like the Garmin, that have a slot for the base to slide into won’t work because the base of the DS 86 mount is too large.

The Amazon Basic bean bag mount will work on most dashes. It has adhesive on the underside of the mount to keep the mount in place. It costs about $10.00.

The Deco Gear GPS Dashboard Mount will work on almost all dashes. It is not stuck to the dash. It is kept in place by weight and the texture of the bottom. I have used it since 2018 in both a Honda and Motor Home. There has never been a problem with it moving. It costs about $50.00.

I dislike permanently mounted bases because attaching and detaching the GPS from the base is clumsy, at best, and leaves evidence that a GPS is in or has been in the vehicle. It also makes it inefficient to transfer the GPS to other vehicles.

The DS 86 certainly has started a new direction for Garmin GPS units. I wish all good luck as we chart these waters.

Vent mount is my preferred way of attaching to the car. I hope that will be possible when it’s time to replace my current Garmin. Maybe the new large Garmin would be too heavy?

I have a RAM Mount track on my dash. Others may have other RAM Mount systems in their cars.

The B ball size is 1". The A ball size is ≈1/2" (too small). Looking at the ball from Garmin for the 86 it looks to be just over 3/4" (13.75/16" - or maybe round up to 14/16").

Anyway - there's no 3/4" ball to play with. What I've tried and it does seem to work is to unscrew the back locking nut from the ball mount (from what Garmin gives you for the 86), take that locking nut and put it over a B-to-B Adapter (RAM Mount). NOTE: This is NOT going to snap in BUT when you push it back up to the mount where, if it were small enough, it would snap, you can get the threads on it and, while not snapped it, it does lock up pretty nicely.

I've just ordered my B-B adapter from RAM Mount. The Snaplink adapters that they have seems like they'd be perfect but I don't see a way of going from Snaplink to B size (no adapter) without doing something very clunky.

Hope this helps!
Brad

I would bet Ram Mount will eventually offer a mounting option for the DS 86. It will probably be very expensive though.

I would bet Ram Mount will eventually offer a mounting option for the DS 86. It will probably be very expensive though.

Yep. Either they'll offer a connection or someone on eBay will.

The 86 is still very new.

I know this is a little off topic but what size ball does the 7 inch Garmin gps use

Be nice if we could use actual measurements when describing the size of the ball, (13.75/16" - or maybe round up to 14/16")are not generally accepted proper units of measurement (or fractions).

The ball is likely a metric size, in a previous post someone measured it at 21.83mm (0.85944882 inches). If true this means Garmin has gone proprietary (read nuts) and is forcing a new line of holders on it's users.

21.83mm vs 22mm is a .17mm difference, or approx 7 thousandths of an inch ( 0.007"). Negligible IMO. Lets call it 22mm.

Unless they change over a number of other units to use this new larger ball, it's unlikely third party mfg's will see much market in developing new mounts/tools for this. Does ram use 22mm for anything?

I could see someone coming up with an inexpensive "clamshell" that could fit over the standard size ball mounts to increase the diameter to the size needed by the DS 86. With the locking nut mechanism it should hold the two halves in place when the nut is tightened down.

This entire discussion has ignored the fact that the DS 86 can be used in Portrait as well as Landscape mode. The DS 86 mount can’t ignore that fact and must make the unit usable in Portrait mode.

Consider that the DS 65 was the largest Garmin GPS until the X6 series. The height of the DS 65 is 3.9 inches in its landscape only mode. The height of the DS 86 in its portrait mode is 7.6 inches, and any proper mount must accommodate that height regardless of ball diameter.

I don’t know of any current third-party GPS mounts that can support that height and or allow easy rotation between landscape and portrait orientation. If that be so, all this concern about the DS 86 ball not being 17mm is mote because any third-party replacement must be a completely new manufacturing effort and can provide any ball diameter desired.

My use of the DS 86 since late October has proven the Garmin mount is a masterpiece when mounted to the dash. I would not even think of replacing it with something else.

It’s really very simple. If you must have a 17mm ball mount, don’t buy the DS 86.

So is the Drivesmart 7 using the 17 mm or the new size ball...thanks

I don't think there is a DriveSmart 7. If you mean a DriveSmart 76 the answer is it uses a mount with a 17.09mm ball just like the DriveSmart 65.

Gonna make it complicated for those that keep an old unit as a spare. Progress

I keep a DS 61 and DS 65 as spares. They can all use the same munting attachment. Not a problem for me.

Thanks for answering my question.. even the remark ( you knew what i was talking about....right)

Looks like most every GPS uses a 17-17.5mm ball. This is 21mm. want to use a cup holder but have to find one that will hold the gps with fingers not the ball as i cannot find a holder for 21mm ball

the ball and nut do come off. You have to pull the bracket away from the mount to separate it

I called Garmin. they dont have any mount other than the one that comes with it. too hard to see around it on my windshield. I am going to try to find one with fingers vs the ball. It is 7-1/2 x 4-3/4 measurement

Perhaps something like:
https://www.rammount.com/part/RAM-HOL-UN9U

Hi; Will the DS 86 large Suction Mount attach ok with other
models of Drive Smarts? It looks the same in the pictures.

The DS 86 is a completely new design. It is the wave of the future for Garmin Auto GPS units.

All of the attachment hardware is unique to the DS 86 and won't fit anything else. Likewise, nothing else will fit the DS 86.

I have written a lot about this issue in this and other threads. Search for them and you can get the whole story.

Amazon now shows one. Described as "22mm to 17mm Adapter for Garmin DriveSmart 86...." Garmin RV GPS use this size also.

Anyway, it is an adapter that hooks to the 17mm and has a screw tightener. $11.69

https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Garmin-DriveSmart-OTR800-OTR1...

I don't need this but for those who do, thanks for pointing out its existence. Maybe someone can create a FAQ here at POI Factory for easy retrieval down the road...

This may be a solution for a 25mm to 22mm ball adapter.

How about screwing a 22mm female threaded Arkon ball (https://www.arkon.com/product/SP142022MM-camera-bolt-22mm-ad...) into a male threaded Ram Mount B size ball (https://rammount.com/collections/popular-components-b-size/p...)?

I have not tried this, but the threads on both are 1/4" x 20.

I would agree that the ball is nominally 22mm. Someone said it is rubberized so the 0.007 inch could just be compression of the rubber when being measured.

I mounted my DS86 using the Proclip vent mount and ball assy. Proclip seems to have a reasonably wide selection of mounts that plug and play with each other. The ball is specifically made to fit the DS86 and then you mate it with whatever mount works for you and your ride. They have an applet on their web site that does all the figuring for you. Good service and delivery. YMMV.

I have had my DS86 mounted with the Proclip vent mount clip for the 4runner with the Ball assy for the DS86 since the middle of Sept. (this year).
I don’t booney bash, or do any monster mudding; so I can’t comment as to how the mount would stand up to that.
But for everyday use, and the occasional side road/fire trail/logging road; so far the vent mount clip and ball mount have stood up superbly.
No shake, no squeaks/creaks/cracking noises from the vent or clip where it attaches.
I did not use the supplied double sided tape to mount the clip to the vent.
This allows me to slide the clip in the vent to wherever the visibility is the best. (And to easily remove the clip when needed).
The ball portion and fastener is rock solid.
Bonus: with the vent clip mount assy; the DS is not on the dash or windshield, but still within close visibility and easy sight line for aging eyes. Xtra bonus: my owner (wyfe) actually approves of the setup!

I have not had great results with suction mounts and would hesitate to use one. I use a friction mount

These anti slip dash mats:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZXQSKN7?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_prod...

They work very well to hold friction mounts, such as bean bags, in place. They can also be used with suction cup mounts if you lay a piece of smooth plastic or metal on the mat.

The mats adhere to the dash but can easily be removed without any residue left on the dash surface.