How to choose a phone mount that survives a work day

Work out what you are clamping to

On an open-station tractor or a mower, you are almost certainly clamping to the roll bar, so you need the tube measurements. On a machine with a cab, there is no exposed roll bar at all, and you are looking at a panel mount, a seat rail mount, or a suction mount on the glass.

This is the first fork in the road and it rules out about half the market either way.

Vibration is the real problem

Diesel engines and steel tracks shake at frequencies that damage the image stabilisation hardware in a phone camera. It does not happen in a day. It happens over a season, and then the camera never focuses properly again.

A mount with a rigid metal clamp all the way to the phone passes that vibration straight through. Look for a mount with a rubber isolator, a damped ball joint, or a soft cradle. If a mount makes no mention of vibration at all, assume it has no isolation.

Keep it out of the head zone

On an open station, anything hard clamped near head height is something you can hit. Mount low and forward where you can still see it, rather than up on the roll bar beside your face.

Heat

A phone in direct sun on a black dash will shut itself down. If the only good spot is in the sun, plan on some shade, or accept that the phone will stop working on the hottest afternoons.