Reversing mirror

Here is the reversing mirror that I have just fitted to my trailer.

It's a simple wing mirror screwed to a metal bracket. The bracket is bonded onto the aluminium trailer siding using industrial adhesive tape.

Viewed from the driver's seat of the truck, the mirror seems rather small. Therefore I marked the truck hitch bracket with a piece of reflective tape as a guide. However a better method became clear - leave the big red hitch lock on place (it's huge and easy to see even in a small mirror ) and reverse up to within a few inches. Then take the lock off and gently back up the last bit using the red tape as a marker. Meanwhile here is the view (much bigger than the driver sees) of the hitch connected.

Comments

[funder]

Woah your hitch equipment is totally different from ours! How does that even work - you back something INTO a horizontal tunnel on the front of the trailer? What do the parts look like separated?

We have a hitch bolted onto the frame of the tow vehicle, with a socket for a tow ball. The tow ball comes in many different configurations but they universally mount into any hitch. Then the front of the trailer has a coupler. The trailer is jacked up a bit higher than the ball, the truck is backed to where the ball is underneath the coupler, and the trailer is lowered onto the ball. There's a locking mechanism that snaps into place at the base of the ball and holds the coupler in place. Couplings come in several different sizes, but it's quite easy to change out the tow ball mount - I'll take some pics of my setup tomorrow.

[White Horse Pilgrim]

It's a quite standard hitch with a ball on the truck and a socket on the trailer, probably much like you are used to. What you can see is the top of the trailer mechanism, with the the ball engaged and out of sight below - the mirror shows quite an odd angle. I'll take a photo in the light tomorrow to post. We only seem to have one size of ball for domestic use here, though commercial trucks may use something bigger.