How wide do mirrors need to be for a TT?
Hello, newbie here. I am about to buy a trailer 750 miles away so I need to get my ducks in a row before leaving. I am looking at an Arctic Fox 22G which is a 8.5' wide trailer excluding the awning...
Forum Discussion
JaxDad wrote:GDS-3950BH wrote:propchef wrote:JaxDad wrote:
It's not likely to come up, but mirrors that don't comply with the law (or common sense even) might just attract unwanted attention, such LEO, your insurance co. or a lawyer, in case anything ever went wrong, or someone was having a bad day.
Also, bear in mind, mirrors are an 'equipment' requirement and as such are NOT covered by reciprocity, you must comply with each state you drive in.
Mirrors used for rear viewing are specifically "safety equipment" and not just "assist equipment" like a back-up camera. As such, any safety equipment (headlights fall under this as well) comes under federal jurisdiction and the DOT and they won't differ from state to state. It's interesting to note that a passenger side-view mirror is not required unless the inside rearview mirror is obscured or blocked. https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/tp-111-v01-final_tag.pdf
The move among manufacturers now is to switch to a camera system for all rear viewing and eliminate mirrors completely.
"Also, bear in mind, mirrors are an 'equipment' requirement and as such are NOT covered by reciprocity, you must comply with each state you drive in."
Oh ****, now when you cross state lines you need to pull out a rulebook and may need to swap out your mirrors for a different type of design. Who enforces this? The reflection Police?
Propchef, you’re only partly correct. Mirrors are a Federal DOT item, however, the trailer, and being able to see around it or not is a State matter.
GDS, it’s not complicated, you just have to do what the rest of the world does, use your brain and plan ahead.
Air brakes on a larger coach is another issue, being legal at home doesn’t mean you are when you cross into another jurisdiction. A friend found that out the hard way.
From what I have seen lately based on new TT owners who ran out and bought travel trailers due to being scared to fly to Disney or go on a cruise because of Covid, they just tow with the stock mirrors no matter what they are. It really does not matter illegal or not when you also are into the habit of running red lights and towing 30' TTs with mid size SUVs at 85mph in 50mph work zones lined with jersey barriers lol.
