Rear View Camera for T@B and Tow Vehicle - Completed!

AldebaranJill

Can you drill holes in camera bracket to match license plate? Or use some secondary mounting that you could attach cam to that would have holes that aligned with plate?

Last night was my first day of real day and night towing with the camera - honestly it makes towing 10X less stressful to be able to have a clear rear view in day or night. It is making a huge difference in this trip.

Nomad

Kind of curious why a clear view behind while traveling relieves stress. Afraid someone is sneaking up on ya? If someone is coming up fast, wouldn't it create more stress?

TabberJohn

LauraRey said:
I just really don't want to drill through the shell.  I may end up doing it, but I'm still looking for options.

Don't you need three holes (bracket plus cable)?
If you are going to drill anywhere I suggest you consider above the license plate lip area as noted here: http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/comment/53947/#Comment_53947
That section is just the outer shell (one layer) with easy access to 12v wiring and floor of the T@B.

So you nixed the QuickVu Digital option? That looked like the ultimate no-drill, no interference solution to me.
Even if it wouldn't fit on the license plate you could use 3M Dual Lock tape to mount the camera above the lip.

AldebaranJill

PXLated said:

Kind of curious why a clear view behind while traveling relieves stress. Afraid someone is sneaking up on ya? If someone is coming up fast, wouldn't it create more stress?

Rear view allows me to see far behind me, which side mirrors cannot. It enables me to change lanes more safely, know when someone is behind me who might want to pass me, and allows me to judge distance of car behind me - all safety related. I presume there is a reason why they install rear view mirrors in cars. Same reason applies here. 

wizard1880

PXL, it could be that your Jeep mirrors extend out far enough to see behind.  When I tow with my Jetta, I know exactly what Jill's talking about--all you can see in your mirrors is the camper--and nothing else.  When I tow with the Q7 I can see around perfectly, even a car that's just feet from the T@Bs rear bumper.

JerryandVicki

Jill, I think that your camera arrangement is a great safety feature, especially for a woman traveling alone and overnighting off grid.  How nice to be able to scan behind the trailer at night while parked in, say, a Walmart.   It goes without saying that it becomes a necessity for lane changes if one's mirrors are not on a wide enough base. 

AldebaranJill

JerryandVicki said:

Jill, I think that your camera arrangement is a great safety feature, especially for a woman traveling alone and overnighting off grid.  How nice to be able to scan behind the trailer at night while parked in, say, a Walmart.   It goes without saying that it becomes a necessity for lane changes if one's mirrors are not on a wide enough base. 

Thanks Vicki - I couldn't agree more. As you already know, this modification is what motivated me to add LED strips to the back of my trailer to increase my visibility at night, because I could see cars coming up too quickly behind me. And with Jerry's confirmation, also upgraded my tail lights to the newer brighter LED ones. Both of these safety related mods were as a direct result of being able to see behind me while I was driving and thereby getting a good sense of how close cars got to me before they attempted to pass. When I am traveling alone, every single modification that's safety related, makes my trip more relaxing.