Community Forums

Chriswar · 05-28-2020, 03:38 PM

Does anyone have a camera at the middle brake light that is aimed into the pickup bed? Does it help with centering the camper while loading?

Thinking of adding to my pickup, if it would help.
Thanks,
Chris

cashmore · 05-28-2020, 06:52 PM

I have one but I never switch to it to look at it. I find it too much to try and fumble with getting to it, by the time I hit the image on the screen I could have already been hooked to the 5er.

dix39 · 05-30-2020, 10:02 AM

Over the 40 or so years we had TCs I just backed in, it didn't seem that difficult. I always had the camper on a level spot to load and unload. I would sometimes have to do a little "jockying" to get lined up, but it always worked out all right with no damage except a few scratches to the inner wheel wells.

I'm not sure the cameras were around in the late 70s when we had our first TC, it they were I wasn't aware of them.

Best of luck with whatever you do.

Steve

Electrojake · 06-01-2020, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chriswar

Does anyone have a camera at the middle brake light that is aimed into the pickup bed?

Thinking of adding to my pickup, if it would help.

What truck, what camper?
Just curious.
Thanks

Chriswar · 06-02-2020, 04:45 PM

Truck is a Chevy 1 ton dually crew cab 8’ bed. Truck Camper is Arctic Fox 990. Without a spotter it is difficult to load. Not impossible but difficult. Thinking a camera above bed may help.

Brad Wilf · 06-02-2020, 06:51 PM

When I had my Lance tc, I had one finger width between rear box and camper sides... pretty tight. What I found helped me was marking center on the truck bed and center of the bottom face on the camper, just follow it in, granted I had to tilt steering wheel up, open back window, crank the neck around, stick the tongue out to the left... but it did help.

rarebear.nm · 06-02-2020, 07:01 PM

I have a 4 fold bed cover. When folded up for hitching I can not see over it to see the hitch. When I'm moving camp frequently I can backup and hit the pin straight on the first try normally. I do get out and check the pin height and left/right. Sometimes if I have a harder hitch to make, at an angle or incline I'll use a Rear View Safety portable hitch camera/monitor. Makes it easy then, still need to check the pin height.

When the bed cover is not on hitching is very easy.

I glued a small steel plate to the top stack of the bed cover and put the camera there, it has a magnetic base.

Electrojake · 06-03-2020, 04:26 PM

Greetings Chriswar,
I have a 2016 RAM 3500 with the bed camera. Here is my 2 cents worth on that. . .

1.) I felt I could do a far better job centering the camper on the truck by looking out the rear window of the truck as I back than I could ever do by looking forward at the video screen on the dash while I was backing up.
(My camper boot completely covers my bed camera anyway so no great loss)

2.) IMHO a 'spotter' is just one more thing I have to look out for so I just rather work alone with all spectators in the clear.
And yes, I'm in & out of the truck quite a few times checking things.

Happy camping!
-Jake-