Like the recently announced NuviCam, the Garmin dezlCam LMTHD seems like a great idea. This GPS is made for truckers. It includes custom truck routing for the size and weight of the truck and also gives you guidance to the nearest truck stop. Combining a high quality high definition display GPS with a high resolution camera provides a lot of feature potential. Garmin claims this device will be able to provide you with advanced features which cost thousands of dollars in many car models. The camera paired with the 6″ GPS provides collision avoidance alerts if following too close to the vehicle in front of you.
Most importantly, the device also provides a high definition camera which continually records your drive. The camera is mounted on the back of the GPS so our mount discussion will take this position into account so that you can use the GPS and camera most effectively.
The Garmin dezlCam LMTHD comes with a standard Garmin mount which features a suction cup attached to a stem with a 17mm ball. There is a powered cradle that attaches to the 17mm ball via a socket on the back of the cradle. Like the recently announced 3597LMTHD which we wrote about here, the cradle uses a magnetic attachment to the GPS which appears to be a new direction which we really like. This cradle is necessary to power your dezlCam and can be easily removed from the Garmin stock mount by simply pulling it off. We like magnetic mounts a lot and it’s nice to see Garmin moving in that direction.
The Garmin suction cup mount is nothing to write home about and we like to recommend the Arkon suction mount which has been proven to be very reliable. This is a really nice mount that also features an adhesive dash disk in case you would like to mount the dezlCam on your dash. The placement of the camera on the back means the Arkon mount can be used in either configuration. The windshield or dash will work real nicely with this GPS / camera combination. The dezlCam cradle will fit perfectly onto the 17mm ball at the end of this mount.
We have written about suction cup mounts on the windshield being illegal in some states which can be read here. A great alternative which is easy to transport is the Garmin bean bag mount. We wrote a detailed review on this which can be read here. This mount weighs almost two pounds and features the 17mm ball which is needed to fit the back of the cradle. The mount features a non skid bottom and installation involved placing it on a flat dashboard. The dezlCam is perfectly positioned with unobstructed view for the camera on the back of the GPS.
If the bean bag mount is a bit too heavy for your liking, Garmin offers a lighter weight dash mount. This mount weighs less than 8 ounces. Like the bean bag version, the mount features a 17mm ball that will fit the cradle that came with your dezlCam. It has a non skid bottom as well. The next attached to the 17mm ball can fold down for storage. Both Garmin mounts are well made. I prefer the bean bag as I think it’s a heavier duty mount than the lightweight version.
For trucks and rigs, the Arkon Suction Cup Extension Mount is a nice choice. It extends from 14 – 18 inches, the arm is made if metal and it includes adapters for the latest Garmin and TomTom models. This includes the 17mm ball that is common to the back of all Garmin dezl and Nuvi cradles. Just remove the cradle from the current mount and snap onto this mount.
We concentrated on mounts that will permit use of the camera and GPS concurrently. There are lots of other GPS mounts that will work with a dezlCam and are appropriate if there are no plans to use the camera. You can read about some of them here.