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ACZL's avatar
ACZL
Explorer
Jun 01, 2016

Hook up camera

What's everyones take on some kind of camera or something while hooking up 5er to hitch? I had to lower the truck hitch so now it's low enough I can't see it while trying to align the pin and hitch head up. If there is something I could mount inside the truck behind the rear center seat ( with or w/o headrest) would be great. Doesn't have to be permanent. Kinda stinks getting out to see where things are at considering 5ers are easy to hook up or to have someone guide you.

6 Replies

  • For me, it was installing a toolbox behind the cab. First I tried the iBall camera system (Hitch Cam) with the camera mounted on a metal bracket hung over the edge of the aluminum box. That worked OK most of the time but was easily washed out by sunlight sometimes.

    Then I tried a mirror on the pinbox. Works in almost all light conditions and is simple and cheap. This mirror is from an old Ford truck. I added strips of reflective tape at the end of the pinbox, at the end of the bed, and on the rear hitch rail. Takes a little getting used to, but no more than a camera system.



  • Darn it, I just took an old magnetic car phone antenna from the early 90s to the dump yesterday. That's a great idea Bill.
    My tonneau when folded blocks the view of the hitch just enough.
  • ACZL wrote:
    What's everyones take on some kind of camera or something while hooking up 5er to hitch? I had to lower the truck hitch so now it's low enough I can't see it while trying to align the pin and hitch head up. If there is something I could mount inside the truck behind the rear center seat ( with or w/o headrest) would be great. Doesn't have to be permanent. Kinda stinks getting out to see where things are at considering 5ers are easy to hook up or to have someone guide you.


    I used a smart phone app called IP Cam for a while with a table in the cab and my MiFi as a connection point. I then bought a 4.3 video display and two cameras.

    One is in the grill for parking and the other is in the back of my front bed box.

    Black dot in the center of the box. When the rear camera is powered on the display switches from the front input to the rear input. So one switch turns on the display and front camera and the second switch powers the rear camera. I could have hooked into the backup light circuit and made the switch automagically. I will have to see if I can flip the rear image on the display, as it is reversed.







    Front camera is lower right.