2025
A side mirror mount project for SARIT vehicles, designed to raise and extend magnetic mirrors for better rear visibility without permanent body modification.
![[sarit side mirror v5 installed]](/assets/[sarit-side-mirror-v5-installed].jpg)
Final side mirror mount on the orange SARIT; the design raised the mirror while avoiding permanent changes to the door panel.
Quick Read
- Stock SARIT mirrors sat low on the door and had poor sight lines.
- Designed a raised/extended mount for magnetic tractor mirrors.
- Iterated through five versions.
- Main constraints were thin aluminum door panels, folding/stowage, and print durability.
- A printed detent failure led to a metal insert revision.
- v5 became the version recommended for wider use.
Need
The stock SARIT mirrors were small, fixed, and mounted low on the door panels.
They were useful for seeing the ground behind the vehicle, but less useful for seeing cyclists, pedestrians, or traffic approaching from behind.
The problem was worse for taller drivers and during reverse operation.
Mirror Choice
The mirror was a KEMIMOTO magnetic tractor mirror.
It was not a custom part, which was the point.
- Rubber-coated magnetic base.
- 114 lb holding force.
- Originally for tractors and forklifts.
- Available cheaply on Amazon.
- Same-day replacement possible.
That mattered because mirrors could be stolen or damaged. A mirror that can be replaced immediately is easier to support than a custom part with a long lead time.
Design Constraint
The SARIT door frame is thin-walled aluminum.
Any clamp-on mount had to spread load over a wide area so tightening the mount did not deform the door panel.
Versions
- v1: basic extended arm, PLA proof of concept.
- v2: folding hinge added, but hinge slop made the deployed position feel unstable.
- v3: ball-and-socket detent for deployed and stowed positions.
- v4: metal insert added after the printed socket wore/seized.
- v5: reduced material, cleaner clamp geometry, support-free print orientation.
![[sarit mirror detent failure]](/assets/[sarit-mirror-detent-failure].jpg)
Earlier detent version after field use; the printed socket wore and seized, which pushed the design toward a metal insert.
Outcome
The v5 mount was used on the orange SARIT and recommended to Elvy as a possible production accessory.
What I Would Improve Now
I would test the detent through repeated temperature cycles before field use.
The failure was not obvious in a static fit check. It showed up after real use, which is exactly the kind of thing a small durability test could catch earlier.