Trailer Eyes and other camera systems?

[boatmanea]

Hello. New owner with a question... Being a very visual person, I very much enjoyed using my bed camera to line up my hitch and 5th wheel for hookup to bring it home. Now, I'm a little nervous about our first trip out and backing the trailer into a space without killing anyone or destroying the trailer. A bit extreme, I know, but I worry about worst case scenarios and how to prevent them.

Does anyone have a camera system on their 5th wheel? Which one? Is it wired or wireless? How many cameras does it have? What other features does it have? What problems did you have or are you having with it? How long have you had it? And most important, if you have a spotter and a headset for communication, do you really need a camera system?

Thanks, all!

-boatmanea

[nbhybrid]

Welcome to the forum

With practice,confidence and patience you don't need a camera OR a spotter. I hate to rely on anybody when I am behind the wheel.

Most campsites unless it is remote will already be cleared to fit any trailer.

I start to back in to get the general area I want the trailer in. Then I get out and walk behind to see what is there. First off remove the picnic table completely out of the way. I see more people come so close to hitting them and it is just silly. Unless it is concrete or permanent move it.

We are always 90 percent of the time backing in beside a pedestal. I then decide where I want my tires to be ,get back in the truck and start backing to that spot. I don't need to worry about anything hitting the trailer because I am maintaining that line and I already confirmed that nothing was there. This is where the confidence needs to kick in. Trees and such don't suddenly appear when backing up.

As long as you keep that line parallel to the pedestal nothing should ever go wrong.

I don't like to rely on other people to suggest where I should go. Better to get out and put the plan in your head.

Good Luck.....practice practice practice


On edit: so I don't get completely flamed, I agree there are some spots that are unreal and will need some help. just had one this year myself....easy to back into but there was a piece of granite about 4x4 and 1.5 feet high that I had to turn into. I had to get the wife to just make sure I got as close as I could but not hit it.

[Mustang65]

I have 2 Wi-Fi cameras that I use, but only while on the road for the blind spot in back of the TT and for hooking up. They are good to over 300'. Do not look at the license plate cameras, as they lack the needed RF transmitting power. Wired in units are a good selection.

As for backing up, DW does a great job guiding me. When I start backing up into the spot, I stop and get out to do a walk around. I look for any low hanging branches, where the table is, where the fire pit is, and any other obstacles.

I then walk over to the Electric pedestal and water pipe, take my arms length from the Electric pedestal (slide out space) and make a grove in the stones to mark where I want my tires to follow. If it is a paved slab, DW will stand back and in line where the TT's tires needs to follow. The DW usually just lets me know how far back to go, as I am usually a couple feet short.

I mostly use the mirrors, but it is a second line of defense having DW jump up and down swinging her arms and yelling, should I miss my mark. We sometimes use our smart phones to talk to each other while backing in.
:-)

Enjoy,
Don

[Seann45]

Here is a link to my mod
http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/sh...ht=back+camera

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by boatmanea

snip......Does anyone have a camera system on their 5th wheel?.....snip

Welcome to JOF

I don't have a 5th wheel, but I agree backing a tall and long 5th wheel into some campsites can be a challenge considering the various obstructions out there (tree limbs, narrow CG streets, etc.),.. and considering many of the State Parks don't have an over abundance of 5th wheel friendly campsites, especially for the longer TV/FW combinations.

Yes, I see many owners of the TV/FW combinations (and TV/TT combos) using the "walkies" without a camera system with great success.

Bob