Mirrors for pulling a trailer. (1 Viewer)

[JamesR]

Hello Everyone,
When I built my rear bumper/spare tire carrier for my 60, I didn't do so with pulling a trailer in mind. So I built an off road trailer that I can't see while driving because of the rear tire. (The last time I used the trailer was on the Georgia Traverse.) I'm currently using this type of mirror.
So I'm looking for mirror suggestion allowing my to see my trailer.

 

[gnob]

Consider a backup cam?

 

[JamesR]

Consider a backup cam?

I installed a backup cam several years ago. Thanks for responding. I may have to paint the thing a color other than black. When I'm wearing my sunglasses it's difficult to see. Especially when I overlanding in the woods.

 

[80t0ylc]

Hello Everyone,
When I built my rear bumper/spare tire carrier for my 60, I didn't do so with pulling a trailer in mind. So I built an off road trailer that I can't see while driving because of the rear tire. (The last time I used the trailer was on the Georgia Traverse.) I'm currently using this type of mirror.
So I'm looking for mirror suggestion allowing my to see my trailer.

Those mirrors look perfectly adequate for pulling any trailer that a normal 60 could pull. Since you haven't provided a pic of your trailer hooked up to your rig, I'm guessing that it's because you can't see your trailer in your mirrors because the trailer is too narrow or small, so you're trying to use your interior mirror to see it which is at least partially blocked by your spare tire. Mirrors that stick out further can help until you whack them off road or some short tempered genius walks into them in a parking lot. Just an idea, but you might get more feed back and ideas by also posting in the 60's section. I've also seen owners that have added brackets or modified something on the trailer to make it wide enough to see in the mirrors for ease in backing up, but that would be a last resort.

 

[JamesR]

Keep in mind I didn't think this build through. The trailer is 9ft 10 in from ball hitch to rear bumper. The box is 42 in wide and 58 in long. The location of the spare tire blocks the view of the trailer, as the photo below shows (or doesn't show).
I thought about posting this in the 60 section but since this forum was available I thought I'd start here.
I don't know how to move a post/thread from one forum to anther, I'll copy/paste my first post to that forum. (I hope that's kosher.)

 

[gnob]

Another cheap option may be a couple short dune style flags on the rear corners?

 

[80t0ylc]

Keep in mind I didn't think this build through. The trailer is 9ft 10 in from ball hitch to rear bumper. The box is 42 in wide and 58 in long. The location of the spare tire blocks the view of the trailer, as the photo below shows (or doesn't show).
I thought about posting this in the 60 section but since this forum was available I thought I'd start here.
I don't know how to move a post/thread from one forum to anther, I'll copy/paste my first post to that forum. (I hope that's kosher.)

Wow, that's a short trailer! You can't rely on your interior mirror, even if the spare wasn't blocking your view. Cargo behind the seats could do the same thing. A flag on the rear corner, as @gnob suggests is a start, but won't help much for backing up, because you need to observe the angle of your trailer at all times, to determine how it's going. If you can't see the fenders in your mirrors, maybe lengthing the tongue would help. There's nothing wrong with those mirrors, IMHO. I feel your pain, though, because I've seen the results of towing a trailer that's difficult to backup with. A few years ago there was a full size 4x4 Dodge Ram truck on a R.O.F. (retired ol' farts) group run down the Oregon coast with us from Texas. The owner had picked up the trailer somewhere between here and there. He intended it to be towed with his jeep when he got home. It was so short he couldn't see it in his mirrors and made navigation in reverse a nightmare for him and eventually it delayed the whole group. We all put up with it because it was a temporary issue due to the circumstances. But you're living with your issue every time you tow until it's fixed. I don't see any quick fix. Hopefully someone else has an idea that'll work for you. I think posting in the 60's forum, in addition to this section, is a good idea for you. Good luck!

 

[rhah]

Yup, got to flag that trailer

the short chippers at work have them because the dump trucks make them invisible

They use thick cable so it will bend but pvc will work for what your looking to do

 

[JamesR]

Thanks everyone.
I'd have to add about 14inches to the tongue to see the driver's side back corner of the trailer. I can use the backup camera for backing up. When it's sunny I the camera stays on but in the shade, or at night, seeing the trailer is still a challenge. I like the idea of the flags.