New TV and Excited! Few Questions

[Campingfamco]

So we just put in an order for a new TV and are really excited for it!

We’re going to be getting a 22 3500 SRW Sierra Denali with the duramax. While we’re pulling a White Hawk 24MBH and this truck is over kill for it, we’ll be looking at getting a fifth wheel in the future and wanted a truck for that.

So a few questions with the new truck/trailer combo.

1) We have an equalizer 4-point hitch that has been fantastic with the Yukon and the air suspension! I’m guessing the truck is going to much higher than the Yukon and we might need to get a shank that goes even lower. Do you guys recommend a certain way to lower the assembly or is it as simple as buying a shank that just goes lower?

2) We are getting the camera that connects to the truck with 50’ of cable so we can view the back of the trailer. The trailer comes with a furion camera mount, but I believe that is for a wireless system. What is the best way to route the camera cable? Is it best to run it under the trailer along the frame rail or is up and over the way to go? I thought about attaching it to the trailer ladder, but I thought that might look bad compared to a unit mounted to the trailer. Thoughts?

[bap]

Depending on how you have your current shank setup, you may be able to just move the ball head down into a lower hole. I would play with adjusting what you have first before ordering something different unless you can confirm that you need a different shank. There is quite a bit of adjustment built into them.

[67L48]

1) When I went from an F-150 to my F-350, I was able to use the Equal-i-zer's hitch without getting a new one. I had to go to the lowest setting, but it worked. So, I'd start there and see how much you can get out of the standard shank. Otherwise, new shanks are spendy, but you might need one.

Also, my F-350 has a 2.5" hitch and the standard shank was for a 2" hitch. So, you might also have to run to walmart and grab a 2.5 to 2" reducer.

2) For the Ford system, the optional factory RV camera that wires in can not be used in regular motion. It can only be used in < 5MPH maneuvering. I don't know if the GM version is the same or not.

However, for me, 99% of the utility of having a rear camera is when driving. It's basically like having a rear-view mirror. You can see approaching cars, you can see passing cars, and you can see if you have clearance to make lane changes, and so on. I didn't really use it much for parking/backing up my trailer. It was really the drive that these cameras are super useful. So, for me, the Ford implementation is worthless.

Definitely check out how GM has implemented that camera system. If it, like Ford, decided it would be better to protect you from the dangers of being able to see behind you, then I'd take a hard pass and look for a wireless system (Furrion or equivalent).

[sunshine39]

On my 2500 it came with the 2 1/2" to 2" reducer for the hitch.
Also my equalizer was able to be dropped to what I needed without buying anything new.
As far as the camera, if you are getting the GMC trailer model, I ran mine under the frame and used stick on conduit going up the back of the trailer.
The issue I have is the camera is supposed to be mounted close to what the same height of the top of the tail gate in order to get the transparent view to all sync in. In my case that is the middle of a big window plus we have a rack on the back for the rug, extra stairs and chairs that would get in the way so mine is above the window and just a little to high.
All that may have changed now. Check on GMC truck forums as sometimes they come up with work arounds. A number of threads on the camera. Start with the 2020's .Another thing is when hooking up the camera and or trailer, turn off the truck because sometimes if you plug it in with everything running it doesn't pick it up. Almost like rebooting a computer to make everything work.
Enjoy your new truck.
Oh and it still works a really sharp rear view camera for traveling.

[JeremiahM]

Originally Posted by 67L48

1) When I went from an F-150 to my F-350, I was able to use the Equal-i-zer's hitch without getting a new one. I had to go to the lowest setting, but it worked. So, I'd start there and see how much you can get out of the standard shank. Otherwise, new shanks are spendy, but you might need one.

Also, my F-350 has a 2.5" hitch and the standard shank was for a 2" hitch. So, you might also have to run to walmart and grab a 2.5 to 2" reducer.

2) For the Ford system, the optional factory RV camera that wires in can not be used in regular motion. It can only be used in &lt; 5MPH maneuvering. I don't know if the GM version is the same or not.

However, for me, 99% of the utility of having a rear camera is when driving. It's basically like having a rear-view mirror. You can see approaching cars, you can see passing cars, and you can see if you have clearance to make lane changes, and so on. I didn't really use it much for parking/backing up my trailer. It was really the drive that these cameras are super useful. So, for me, the Ford implementation is worthless.

Definitely check out how GM has implemented that camera system. If it, like Ford, decided it would be better to protect you from the dangers of being able to see behind you, then I'd take a hard pass and look for a wireless system (Furrion or equivalent).

You should check.out Forscan, it's a ford based software that works with Fords, Lincoln and the likes. It usually has the options to change things like camera usage, Guage and all kinds of stuff you never knew your truck could even do.

[67L48]

Originally Posted by JeremiahM

You should check.out Forscan, it's a ford based software that works with Fords, Lincoln and the likes. It usually has the options to change things like camera usage, Guage and all kinds of stuff you never knew your truck could even do.

Yep, I’m a user of FORScan. It’s an amazing tool, but it can’t do everything. One thing it can’t do is unlock in-motion cameras. There are a couple of aftermarket devices that do, but I’m not interested in dropping hundreds to do that … and the interfaces seem a bit clunky.