My wife and I are having a "strong" debate about what the driver needs to see whilst towing a 'van.
we have rear vision mirror extensions that enable us to see what's behind some distance back ..... She believes we need to be able to see what's BEHIND us .... one or two car lengths back ....
what is the general opinion re this and what is L A W law??
me thinks that the installation of a rear vision camera would probably ease her concerns ... If we go down that track which is better .... wired or wifi ??
-- Edited by Nomad1946 on Monday 21st of July 2014 09:06:33 PM
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[spoiler] May the Road rise up to meet you, May the Sun always shine upon your back, The Wind blow gently upon your face, And the Rain fall gently upon your fields.
Thanks for the post, the law states we all must have mirrors despite the 21st century technology of rear view cameras. (cynical pun)
I gave up with extensions and bit the bullet with a pair of clearview mirrors, makes my Ranger look like a mac truck but are fabulous mirrors (at $800 a set they had better be!!)
I think the law states that you should be able to see 2 car lengths behind the back of the van as well as down both sides of the van.
So much form my meager knowledge, get into google for all those laws, there is a mile of information out there.
Wired is far better than wifi, bit of extra work but well worth it.
Safe travels PhilC
-- Edited by Phil C on Monday 21st of July 2014 09:13:38 PM
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P B Crockart EX RAAF Electrician,
Aircraft Avionics tech. Senior high school teacher.
we have just towed from Melbourne to Newcastle, via Bathurst. While we all need to be mindful of the law, but I would rather focus on what I need to drive safely.
I find what I need changes depending where I am. On the highway, I find the rear vision camera invaluable, it helps me by giving me a single point of reference, I have teh monitor mounted on the mirror, and it is natural and instinctive place to look.
In the city, the game changes. I do not care who or what is behind me, I am far more focused on who is beside me, what they are doing, and how their presence influences what I need to do.
Given that any trip around Australia will involve both types of driving, I believe you need the best of both.
we have just towed from Melbourne to Newcastle, via Bathurst. While we all need to be mindful of the law, but I would rather focus on what I need to drive safely.
I find what I need changes depending where I am. On the highway, I find the rear vision camera invaluable, it helps me by giving me a single point of reference, I have teh monitor mounted on the mirror, and it is natural and instinctive place to look.
In the city, the game changes. I do not care who or what is behind me, I am far more focused on who is beside me, what they are doing, and how their presence influences what I need to do.
Given that any trip around Australia will involve both types of driving, I believe you need the best of both.
Thanks for that .... Thinking the same re "City" driving ... My wife is concerned about who is behind so guessing your thoughts on that are in line with hers ..... What type of rear vision camera do you gave fitted ...
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[spoiler] May the Road rise up to meet you, May the Sun always shine upon your back, The Wind blow gently upon your face, And the Rain fall gently upon your fields.
I have a camera and a mirror screen fitted by the previous owner. I find the mirror screen is very hard to see because of the reflections and so is almost useless. You have to concentrate too hard to see, and am currently buying a monitor screen instead to try.
Hi Nomad1946, two points:
1) the reason why you need to have mirrors is because a reverse camera can fail.
2) as well as being able to see what is behind you, I have my mirrors arranged is such a way that I can see the van wheels and therefore see a tyre going down before it is too late.
Larry
as you dont need an internal rear view mirror while towing, you cant see anything but the van, aim the mirror towards yourself and wear a dark coloured shirt to stop the reflections. i have a cheap set of extension mirrors as well as a wired camera. it lets me see behind the van and the mirrors down the sides.
As Phil C suggested the Clearview mirrors and not only good - they are fantastic..I have used the others and really with split mirrors and enabled extention when towing nothing beats them.
As well as great mirrors I also have a 7" monitor mounted beside the gear selector, which is connected to 3 cameras. 1 on the rear of the tug (Polaris D Camera) high enough to watch the towball connect... 2 on the back of the van (C Cameras) one pointed straight down to check how close and if there is any person or kids behind... and the other looks back to see trucks or cars coming from way way back...just flick a switch to change ...so easy and clear
Mine system is a Polaris Model# CV-10 system which is so easy to install & Cost me less than $700 all up. In the open road or city driving its been invaluable....and the night screen is great. Its just so simple an enables night viewing....There are cheaper but ... you pay for what you get.... I have had this system 3 years now... and never an issue...I have seen the and heard about the rearvision mirror setups and have listened to the owners comments about glare and distraction etc... mine doesnt have those issues.. Also you can even turn it off when your not in tow...the new models come with GPS included...
But like Plendo says and he is right - it does come down to all the different driving situations...and yoru experience... not one thing fits all. I like to be able to glance out and see both sets of van wheels...with the lower mirrors or look up high and see how close a pole etc... yet its great to be able to back up - be spot on with the towball on connection first time... and when backing the van ... place it exactly where and see how close you are to poles/ fences / trees ....right from the drivers seat...(also saves all the arguements too on site.we have all seen...lol ...she says one thing and means another.lol)
So its up to you ....what do you towing with ... whats your actually towing length ....your towing /backing/ driving experience ... and where you want to go. Mine was simple ...yes I have had years of experience but hey no one is an expert...accidents happen ... I just wanted to make it easy..simple ...and accurate...
But my suggestion is shop around and do some reasearch...everyone has there own special needs and ways they do things...
Cheers
KT
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Been to Rome - Now Just Roaming... Still alot to see ...Life is too short ...
We don't have a problem re the mirrors .. We use the existing mirrors focused lower to observe the van's tyres and the lower half of the and it's relationship to (I) bitumen edge & fog lines, and (ii) the lane markings. Our extension mirrors focused so we can observe down both sides of the van and back .....
Chook's "problem" is that she wants to see vehicles that are closer than three or four car lengths back. Our discussions are now centred around rear vision cameras ... is it a want or is it a need ... and if the need is warranted what do we need .. wireless or other. Cost is not really a big deal as we are looking at safety and piece of mind.
deverall11 wrote:
Hi Nomad1946, two points: 1) the reason why you need to have mirrors is because a reverse camera can fail. 2) as well as being able to see what is behind you, I have my mirrors arranged is such a way that I can see the van wheels and therefore see a tyre going down before it is too late. Larry
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[spoiler] May the Road rise up to meet you, May the Sun always shine upon your back, The Wind blow gently upon your face, And the Rain fall gently upon your fields.
I have a wired camera supplied by Safety Dave in Melbourne. I have the screen that clips on to the center mirror, and as Jaahn pointed out reflections can be a problem, just move it around till you find a comfortable position that minimises the reflection of bright objects. I also adjust the brightness up to compensate for the sunglasses I like to wear when driving.
I wish you luck with your selection, and if you can please try as many combinations as you can before you buy.
BTW, I would have Clearview mirrors if they were available for my vehicle, and will have by next years trip.
I agree with Plendo and a few others that its not so much what is behind you but who and what is approahing on each side of the van.
I have fitted S/Dave rear view camera but also 2 side cameras one each side at the front of the van looking back and down each side.
I have found these are priceless for elimiating the blind spot on each side of the van something that my Clearviews cant do. This is especially useful when in high speed freeway traffic or in dual lane city traffic and where traffic filters into your road from the left. When parking or in tight manuvers of the van I also have clear sight of the rear of the van and can see it swing out sidways so can ensure I dont hit anything in that situation.
The additional cost of the 2 side vew cameras was a quarter of the cost of my Clearviews!
I use Clearview mirrors and could not speak highly enough of them .. (On my Dmax and towing a NewAge Van, I'm able to see down to the back corners of the van on both sides) ..
Also, I've set up with (2) rear-vision cameras that use a single monitor through switching as required .. (and it's all hard-wired) ..
1 x camera views the towball and vicinity to view while reversing without the Caravan attached. (easily switched to view any following traffic while travelling forward as well) ..
The 2nd camera is mounted above and at the rear of the Caravan .. It is not located to view vehicles travelling behind me, but specifically for reversing purposes while the caravan is attached.
(I simply don't use the 2nd Camera very much at all though, and find that I could have done just fine without it ..)
-- Edited by Jonathan on Wednesday 23rd of July 2014 06:39:13 PM
Rear view mirrors are great as long as the tug and van are going straight a head. But once you start to turn or drive on roads that curving one way then the next you loose the mirrors line of view to the rear do to the articulation of the van and tug generating a large blind spot as the view either moves out away from looking down the side or moves in giving view looking in toward the van.
The big benefit of side cameras is that you never loose the view downs both sides of the van this is most useful traveling on dual carriage and multi lane roads particularly when passing "on" ramps and the like.
Then there are times when revising, the side cameras provide continuous view down both sides of the van even when turning. I find this particularly useful reversing in off the road on to the driveway.
My Clear Views are the best rearview mirrors and makes me legal but the cameras do the work for me.
