I had been trying to decide on a solution to the loss of the backup camera when our Hawk is installed on our RAM 1500 and the tailgate (with camera) is removed. At one point, I considered getting a second tailgate camera and installing that. Then I looked at dashcams and realized that the additional features associated with them would make that a good choice. But there was not a good place to install the rear camera. The license plate accessory mount left the camera in the path of the folded down tailgate, so it would have had to be removed and reinstalled with the camper. Plus, the mount itself was a little stucuturally insufficient and allowed the camera to vibrate a bit. So I decided to look for a different solution. The path I eventually took was to fabricate a custom mount that could mount on the camper itself just below the door. The photo collage shows the essential elements of the process. I machined a housing and made a mounting bracket to hold the camera in place against a cork gasket. A recess was cut into the mounting position and a reenforcement strip of hard maple installed to compensate for the bit of wood lost in the instalation. The result is barely noticeable and entirely out of normal harms way. I will reroute the connector cable the next time the campera comes off the truck.
This is part of the custom build out I am gradually doing that includes an original bed design, an enhanced custom version of a Trelino toilet, complete solar/electrical system for our current needs, a simple step and a few other additions. I try to get at least one thing done before each outing.
This is part of the custom build out I am gradually doing that includes an original bed design, an enhanced custom version of a Trelino toilet, complete solar/electrical system for our current needs, a simple step and a few other additions. I try to get at least one thing done before each outing.
