Backup camera

Dwight Harley

Dwight Harley

Well-known member
I have always prided myself on being able to back a boat trailer down the ramp quickly and in a straight line. As I have gotten older, the whole twisting my neck to look back over my shoulder contortion is really uncomfortable. I am considering installing a back up camera in my Outback. How is that working for those of you who have them? I am sure that there is a learning curve and I would do some practicing before going to the ramp when there is a line of vehicles waiting to launch. I don't want to be "that guy" who is holding everyone up because he can't back a trailer worth a damn.
 
I have not found the back up camera useful for backing into spaces and trailers, I prefer my side mirrors for those tasks. I don't think I use the center mirror or turn around at all, at least not much. I find the wide angle distortion difficult to estimate true distances. Where I find it very useful is to back up against something, and for aligning the ball to the trailer. Worth it's weight in gold for those tasks. I used to use the tennis balls on a post units to align truck/ball to trailer, now the camera puts me right on the money all by myself!
 
I find the back up camera extremely useful for hooking the trailer up to the truck. I can back up & hook up on the first try 99% of the time with the camera.
But the backup camera is not much use at all for backing the trailer down the ramp or into the driveway. The boat/trailer blocks the view.
 
I worked with short and boat trailers. Got pretty good at it. I use a old system some one taught me. Place your hand on the bottom of the wheel, use the mirrors and do not turn your head. With the hand on the bottom it is hard to over correct. If you turn right the trailer turns right. If you can't see your trailer, put small flags so you can see it.
 
Thanks for the comments and suggestions. I hadn't thought about the boat and trailer obscuring the camera but of course that makes sense. I did see some tutorials on YouTube about using the side mirrors to back a trailer rather than twisting around to look. I should review those again.
 
My old Ford had no cap and no camera, I'd drop the tailgate and nail it in one shot every time. My new stupid fancy ford has a "lid" not a cap and a camera. So even if I put down the tailgate to see, I can't because the lid covers the bed. Furthermore, the instant I hit reverse, the alarm goes off because the camera sees the trailer. I figured as long as I don't see the trailer out of either side, it must be straight, right? Nope, one degree off over a few feet needs a forward/ reverse correction. It really sucks. The only thing I can think of, and suggest is to get those PVC pipe uprights to see above the tailgate.....it is very frustrating
 
My Tundra has the camera. I find that it's pretty dark in the morning even with backup lights and field of vision is poor. I use my side mirrors. I had neck surgery last year and my rotation motion has become very limited with a titanium plate screwed to my neck. It'll come to you with a little practice. The main thing is to start backing slowly while you learn which way to turn the steering wheel. At a dark ramp while I'm by myself I place a battery powered light on each side of the boat to aid in backing up. There are also lighted trailer guides that I've had in the past that work very well.
 
I like the camera for keeping an eye on the trailer going down the road when going down the road, not so much for backing trailers.
 
I love my backup camera for backing down boats. What I do is lift the rear hatch of the jeep and the camera gets up and over the boat so you can see behind it.

I've seen some pretty creative uses of aftermarket back up cameras and just throwing some suggestions out there.

1. Put the back up camera in a mount with a magnet. When you need it, stick it on top of the vehicle. When not in use, remove it.
2. Put the back up camera on the rear of the trailer so you can see where you're going backing down the ramp.
3. Find a wireless aftermarket camera and you can put it anywhere and watch where you are going.

While I have found rear hatch lift works great for the smaller duckboats, it did not work at all when backing down our 20' speedboat. Boat sits too high. Luckily I was at a ramp all by myself and had a few practice runs at it before I finally got the boat in the water. Was a little crooked but it worked and this is what mattered. I may have to look into a wireless back up camera.

Mark
 
Tom Whitehurst said:
My backup camera it kind of useless for backing down a trailer. The mirrors work so much better.
Click to expand...

Been using mirrors since I was 14 years old. No need to cobble up some sort of camera system for backing up a boat. Backup camera does work extremely well when hooking up the trailer coupler.

If you are really desperate, Ford has back up assist, which will allow you to steer your trailer with a knob on the dash. Jeese, wonder when they will have automated boat launching and retrieval. [whistle]

PS, If want to see some driving skills, watch a few semi truck driving contests videos. These guys really know how to position their rig with pinpoint accuracy.
 
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Huntindave, like I said the back-up camera is kind of useless for backing a trailer. It works great for other tasks.
 
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I back up boat trailers for a living (sorta), and I'll reiterate what others have said: Learn to use your mirrors. My dad was a semi truck driver and he taught me to only use my mirrors when backing up. Even if the trailer is narrower than the truck you can still do a good job with the strong (driver's) side if you adjust your mirror. Putting your tailgate down is a good way to bash up your tailgate on a winch post.

Edit: Always turn the BOTTOM of the steering wheel the direction you want the trailer to go.
 
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