A service van such as the one that is in the photo has some unique physical characteristics. I suppose they’re all different but the ones I have been inside have a small hood and for reasons I still can’t figure out, the drivers always seem to following the guy in front of them too closely. Maybe they were just messing with me, but I had to ask they make special accommodations to keep me from jumping out of the van.
We’re not talking about a mini van today. We’re talking about a service van. This is a full size van. The ones that plumbers and electricians spend half their day inside. I suppose you could also apply this to any van. I had a friend that owned one. Never knew why although this guy was responsible for the majority of my harrowing van journeys. His van looked like the Scooby Doo van but it was black.
When it comes to mounting a phone, GPS or tablet in a service van, look at the physical characteristics of the vehicle. I found most have a rather narrow dashboard so we’ll forego recommending any dash mounts. A narrow dashboard means the front windshield is rather close to the driver so take that into account when choosing a mount. Nothing that has a suction cup and is too long. The other characteristic is that most vans have higher seats than a car such as a Nissan Sentra.
So how about some recommendations?
The windshield is a logical place to start when looking for a mount for a service van. You need something short like the Arkon MegaGrip Suction Cup Windshield and Dash Mount. The suction mount features a vacuum locked suction assembly attached to a pivoting arm. The phone can swivel into any orientation. The mount also comes with an adhesive disk that you can stick to the dash which transforms this setup into a console mount. The suction assembly can adhere to the adhesive disk just like it would a windshield. Remove the cradle and dual T assembly to turn it into a mount for a Garmin GPS.
If it’s just a mount for a GPS that’s needed then the Arkon Windshield Dash Garmin Nuvi Suction Mount is the one you want. I have recommended this one over the many years it has been available and have used it myself. It’s an excellent mount that comes with a 2-year warranty. It’s more rugged and longer than the Garmin mount you received in the box.
Most service van air vents are square and horizontal. If your service van conforms with the norm, consider the Square Jellyfish Jelly-Grip Car Air Vent Mount. The Square Jellyfish Jelly-Grip mount can be used to hold most smartphones with or without a case. It has a ball and socket so the cradle swivels into any orientation. This mount will work on flat vent slats that are 3/8 to 1 inch deep. The included cradle opens to 3 5/8 inches which is a good size for most phones.
Like the previously discussed windshield mount, the Square Jellyfish Jelly-Grip mount can also be used for a Garmin GPS. Remove the cradle from the Jelly-Grip mount and you have a 17mm ball that fits a Garmin vehicular GPS such as a Garmin Nuvi or Drive. Just snap the Garmin cradle onto the Jelly-Grip mount minus the cradle and your GPS can be mounted to the air vent.
Tablets are always a challenge. Don’t mount a tablet to a windshield as it takes up too much space and will block your view. If your seat bolt is exposed consider the Arkon 22″ Car Seat Bolt Floor Mount for Tablets. This is the extra long model which is what is needed for a service van. The mount has a hook on the bottom that fits under the seat bolt. Installation is quick and easy. Be sure to use a wrench or pliers to tighten the seat bolt. It needs to be completely tight to ensure the weight of the tablet doesn’t compromise the mount and cause it to tilt. The mount itself is made of metal and is flexible so when your tablet isn’t in the mount, it can be bent out of the way so a passenger can sit without a problem.
Maybe a CD Player mount? Most service vans do not have a CD Player. Perhaps a cup holder mount? Most service vans lack this luxury too.
So not too many choices, but the mounts we recommend should do the trick for a service van.