Camera and mount for a vehicle trailer

1. A mount for attaching a camera to a support surface of a towed vehicle, the support surface configured for supporting a light housing and having a hole for receiving a fastener for securing the light housing to the support surface, the mount comprising:

a flange comprising—

a light housing hole for receiving the light housing therethrough, and

a fastener hole for receiving the fastener; and

a bracket extending below the flange and configured to engage the camera,

wherein the bracket comprises:

a pair of horizontally spaced protrusions configured to pivotally engage opposite ends of the camera so that when the protrusions engage the camera, the camera is operable to pivot about a horizontal axis; and

an abutment located between the protrusions and extending horizontally and configured to abut the camera when the camera is engaged so that the camera cannot pivot beyond a certain angle.

2. The mount of claim 1 , wherein the flange comprises—

a face plate having a front surface and a back surface opposite the front surface, and

one or more walls extending perpendicularly from the back surface and defining a cavity for accommodating wires extending from the support surface.

3. The mount of claim 2 , wherein the flange comprises a guide wall extending perpendicular from the back surface and in alignment with the fastener hole for guiding the fastener behind the face plate.

4. The mount of claim 2 , further comprising a bottom portion between the flange and the bracket, wherein the bottom portion includes a wire hole for receiving one or more wire from the cavity.

5. The mount of claim 2 , wherein the one or more walls comprise a pair of notches for holding wires extending from the cavity toward the bracket.

6. The mount of claim 1 , wherein the protrusions of the bracket each include a shank hole for receiving a shank of the camera.

7. The mount of claim 1 , wherein the bracket includes a base extending between the protrusions and comprising a hole for receiving a second fastener for securing the bracket to the support surface.

8. The mount of claim 1 , further comprising a side portion adjacently attached to the flange and having a protrusion with an antenna support.

9. A camera device for attaching to a support surface of a towed vehicle, the support surface configured for supporting a light housing and having a hole for receiving a fastener for securing the light housing to the support surface, the camera device comprising:

a flange comprising—

a light housing hole for receiving the light housing therethrough, and

a fastener hole for receiving the fastener;

a bottom portion extending downwardly from the flange;

a bracket attached to the bottom portion and comprising:

a pair of horizontally spaced protrusions; and

an abutment located between the protrusions and extending horizontally; and

a camera having two ends that are pivotally engaged to the pair of horizontally spaced protrusions so that the camera is operable to pivot about a horizontal axis and abut the abutment so that the camera cannot pivot beyond a certain angle.

10. The camera device of claim 9 , wherein the camera includes one or more wire electrically connectable to the light housing, and the flange comprises—

a face plate having a front surface and a back surface opposite the front surface, and

one or more walls extending perpendicularly from the back surface and defining a cavity for housing the one or more wire of the camera.

11. The camera device of claim 9 , wherein—

the pair of protrusions each have a shank hole, and

the camera comprises a pair of shanks, each shank extending into one of the shank holes of the pair of protrusions.

12. The camera device of claim 9 , wherein the bracket is configured to be separated from the bottom portion.

13. A method of securing a mount to a support surface of a towed vehicle, the method comprising:

unsecuring a light housing from the support surface;

threading the light housing and a length of light wires extending from the light housing through a light housing hole of a mount;

positioning the mount against the support surface;

aligning the light housing with the mount so that a hole of the light housing is coaxial with a fastener hole of the mount; and

fastening a fastener through the hole of the light housing and the fastener hole to secure the light housing and mount to the support surface.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising—

removing a face plate of the light assembly from the light housing to provide access to the fastener that secures the light housing to the support surface; and

removing the fastener.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the mount comprises a bracket for pivotally coupling to a camera.

16. The mount of claim 13 , further comprising splicing camera wires to the light wires.