Since the beginning of the Nuvi series, Garmin has used the same design for mounting their GPS. A socket and ball mount is included with the GPS when you buy it. The typical Garmin accompaniment with their GPS models is a suction cup mount and a small adhesive disk which is useful for mounting on your dash. A lot of GPS users will eventually want to mount their GPS in a part of the car other than the windshield or dash. Longtime Garmin owners will likely need to replace the suction cup mount with a new one as they can wear over time. There are a variety of mounts available that provide alternative locations for your GPS which you can read about here. All work on the same principle. The ball on the end of the Garmin suction mount measures 17mm and the cradle that is included has a 17mm socket. Alternative mounts have a 17mm ball which will fit the socket on the back of the cradle. This article will teach you how to remove the Garmin Nuvi ball mount from the cradle.
The cradle that Garmin includes is tightly seated on the ball mount. That’s by design. When placing your GPS in the cradle, you want it to remain still. That’s accomplished by using a tight fit onto the ball mount. To remove the cradle, first take the GPS out of the cradle. Grip the remaining cradle with one hand tightly and the mount in your other hand. Pull in opposite directions. It will take some force to do this because as already mentioned, it’s a tight fit on purpose. Do not try to twist the cradle off from the mount as this will compromise the tight fit needed for your new mount.
Installing the cradle onto your new mount is similar but in opposite directions. Again, be sure that your GPS is not in the cradle. Place the cradle in one hand and the new mount on the other hand. Push together. It’s going to require some force because of the design of the mounting system. Insert your GPS into the mount and you’re all set to use your new mount.
The photo attached to this article is an old one. It’s the old Garmin Nuvi 660. Amazingly, here we are almost ten years later and the design is still the same. There are well over 100 models of the Garmin Nuvi that have been manufactured since this GPS first appeared in 2006. Back in 2006, you pretty much used the suction mount or you were out of luck. Today there are a lot of locations to mount your GPS. A lot of motorcycle owners may find our article on motorcycle GPS mounts useful and you can read it here. Questions regarding the types of GPS units that you can use on a motorcycle was answered in another article that you can access here. Lastly, if your old Garmin suction cup mount isn’t sticking any longer, you might be able to save it and we outline how to do this in another article.