Laptop Mount for 2002 Xterra

[Ivory Reinert]

Hi,

I am new to Stormtrack and have been reading some of the older posts about this issue and wondered if anyone ever came up with something that worked really well for the 2002 model Xterra?

I am a storm chaser at the University of South Alabama in the Meteorology program and have been chasing for about 3 years now. We have about 6 chase vehicles already equipped with radio, emergency lights, weather stations, and laptops, but I am having a difficult time mounting mine in my new chase vehicle. I would like to find some way to use a no drill version but they seem to only be available for Xterras newer than 2005.

Any suggestions?

[James Dietz]

Go to galls.com and looks for vehicle electronics, or just type "laptop" in the seach bar, that should do it.

[Brett Adair]

Hi,

I am new to Stormtrack and have been reading some of the older posts about this issue and wondered if anyone ever came up with something that worked really well for the 2002 model Xterra?

I am a storm chaser at the University of South Alabama in the Meteorology program and have been chasing for about 3 years now. We have about 6 chase vehicles already equipped with radio, emergency lights, weather stations, and laptops, but I am having a difficult time mounting mine in my new chase vehicle. I would like to find some way to use a no drill version but they seem to only be available for Xterras newer than 2005.

Any suggestions?

Glad to have another South Alabama guy aboard! Would be nice to get a few more up my way in Central Alabama on the bandwagon. Anyway, I think the universal mount from Jotto would work for you.

[Graham Butler]

Go to galls.com and looks for vehicle electronics, or just type "laptop" in the seach bar, that should do it.

Only do this if you want to pay top dollar. There are a metal laptop mounts on ebay which work very well for their cost. Installed photos can be seen on my chase partners site http://wx5tvs.com/content/view/29/55/ I have a Joto desk and am VERY happy with it. I believe I payed $220 for it 6 years ago.

Graham

[Wesley Luginbyhl]

I know Ram Mounts makes laptop mounts for just about every vehicle. I got mine off ebay brand new for like $40 less than retail. I really like my mount for my Jeep. You can move it all around and you can take it in and out real easy, you can just elave the base in there. They normally just bolt onto your car seat's bolts, no drilling. Definitely worth the money.

[Robert Edmonds]

I believe that both the Jotto and Ram mounts don't have a no drills mount for the xterra 2001 or 2002. I've been looking for a mount too, since I recently got a 2001 Xterra. I would do some double checking, to make sure what I said is 100% true, but my internet is really slow right now. I found a mount that I believe will work, but the link is on my other computer, so I will post the link later. However, I too would really like to hear from someone if they have installed a laptop mount into an 2001 or 2002 xterra with no drills.

[Ivory Reinert]

Thank you for your responses. I have looked into the ram mount and it is only available for Xterras from 2005 to the present and it is the one I would really like to use...does anyone know the difference between the Xterra models and if that mount might actually work for the older models? As far as the jotto desk goes I have also heard that it will not work for my specific model, but if anyone knows for sure I will have to look into that. Also, does anyone have any pictures of any laptop mount installed in an Xterra from 2002 to 2004?

Brett:

We actually make it up to central alabama quite frequently when the conditions are right. We have a good connection with the local NWS down here and try to stay in their county warning area during an event, but if anything interesting is going on somewhere else we will generally make the trip.

[Ivory Reinert]

Only do this if you want to pay top dollar. There are a metal laptop mounts on ebay which work very well for their cost. Installed photos can be seen on my chase partners site http://wx5tvs.com/content/view/29/55/ I have a Joto desk and am VERY happy with it. I believe I payed $220 for it 6 years ago.

Graham

I really like the set-up you have there! The only problem with mounting the jotto desk in a 2002 Xterra is that there is no solid, flat area for it to be mounted. Under the carpert there is a lot of flimsy plastic and the floor does not have a flat or angled area large enough for the base to be mounted.

[Jody Radzik]

I paid less than $75 for my laptop mount here:

http://www.autolaptoplinkinc.com/

[Ivory Reinert]

I paid less than $75 for my laptop mount here:

http://www.autolaptoplinkinc.com/

It looks like a decent mount. It appears as thought the entire mount is held in place with one bolt at the base to the seat. Is this correct and if so, is your mount relatively sturdy using just one bolt? Thanks

[John Erwin]

Ivory; if you can find 3 accessible bolts (seat bolts, a bolt under the dash etc) than the RAM Pod III might work for you. I use this unit in my Jeep Grand Cherokee which had it's own installations hassles. Here's a link for info:

http://www.ram-mount.com/nodrillsystems/rampodiii.htm

The pics might look a bit weird but trust me, the installation looks quite professional when installed. You cut and bend those legs to fit your vehicle. Mine has been in for several years now and has provided dependable service (I have the double-ball config).

[Mikey Gribble]

I have a jotto desk that I can't get mounted in my 2007 Xterra, so be careful. The reason I can't get mine mounted is because there is hollow plastic under the floor boards instead of metal, so basically there isn't anything sturdy enough to drill in to and mount the base plate. When I tried to do it, it was like an oil finding expedition. I drilled holes all over the place and could not find a place to get it mounted. I work at a fabrication shop so I'm probably going to have to end up custom making something that attaches to the seat brackets or to something up under the dash. It's been a huge pain though. Other than not being able to get it mounted in my Xterra, I've been very happy with my Jotto desk. It worked great when I had it in my Jeep.

[Ivory Reinert]

Ivory; if you can find 3 accessible bolts (seat bolts, a bolt under the dash etc) than the RAM Pod III might work for you. I use this unit in my Jeep Grand Cherokee which had it's own installations hassles. Here's a link for info:

http://www.ram-mount.com/nodrillsystems/rampodiii.htm

The pics might look a bit weird but trust me, the installation looks quite professional when installed. You cut and bend those legs to fit your vehicle. Mine has been in for several years now and has provided dependable service (I have the double-ball config).

I have looked at the ram mounts several times and have definitely conidered that option. I believe that one of the ram mounts is only available for newer Xterras so I would need to consider the universal one. I will check to see if I can find 3 bolts as you mentioned. Thanks!

[Ivory Reinert]

I have a jotto desk that I can't get mounted in my 2007 Xterra, so be careful. The reason I can't get mine mounted is because there is hollow plastic under the floor boards instead of metal, so basically there isn't anything sturdy enough to drill in to and mount the base plate. When I tried to do it, it was like an oil finding expedition. I drilled holes all over the place and could not find a place to get it mounted. I work at a fabrication shop so I'm probably going to have to end up custom making something that attaches to the seat brackets or to something up under the dash. It's been a huge pain though. Other than not being able to get it mounted in my Xterra, I've been very happy with my Jotto desk. It worked great when I had it in my Jeep.

I definitely found out about the plastic! I mentioned earlier that there is no way to mount any type of base on the floor as there really is no solid surface. You're lucky that you have access to a fabrication shop. I, on the other hand, will have to find some type of mount that will mount to the seatbolts somehow and that also works with my model of vehicle. If you come up with something, I would like to hear what you did. Thanks

[Jody Radzik]

It looks like a decent mount. It appears as thought the entire mount is held in place with one bolt at the base to the seat. Is this correct and if so, is your mount relatively sturdy using just one bolt? Thanks

It's been sturdy enough for the most part. There is a bit of side to side play, mostly due to the flexibility of the seat rail it's mounted to, but with the laptop lightly strapped to the mount's table it's good to go for any of the driving conditions I've encountered so far.

[Ivory Reinert]

It's been sturdy enough for the most part. There is a bit of side to side play, mostly due to the flexibility of the seat rail it's mounted to, but with the laptop lightly strapped to the mount's table it's good to go for any of the driving conditions I've encountered so far.

Did you go with the "Gold Mount" that they offer...or one of their others? I assumed there would be some side to side movement, but we are on pavement most of the time so it wouldn't be too much of a problem. Also I contacted them and they said that I would be using the seat bolt method, however, you are using the seat rail correct...I wonder which would be sturdier?

[Mikey Gribble]

Be careful on trying to mount something to those seat bolts too. I made a steel plate that bolted into the seat mounting bolts. It wasn't secure enough and the jotto desk was swaying a lot, so I took it off. Anyways, after taking those bolts in and out a few times it started to strip out the threads on the tapped hole going down into the floor board. I had to add a bunch of washers to get the bolt to tighten up because I couldn't get the bolt to screw down all the way any more. It was a disaster. I swear I'm just going to take an angle grinder with a cutting wheel and cut a big square out of that plastic on the floor. I just can't come up with any better way to do it and I spent a lot of time looking into it.

[Robert Edmonds]

http://www.laptopproducts.com/product-p/10527.htm

I've been looking at this mount. It looks like it may work but I do have some concerns. One is that it only mounts to one seat bolt, so I'm not sure how stable it is. I also am concerned about shock absorption. Hard hits on a hard drive is not very good. If I get this I may find some way to add some shock "absorbingness" to it.