Do I need tow mirrors?

I plan to buy a '21 in the next few months to use as a tow vehicle for a new travel trailer. The travel trailer would be at least 22' but not more than 25' long. Some models that I'm looking at are only 7' wide. What is everyone's opinion about the need for tow mirrors for a trailer of that length and width?

 

Couldn't hurt. I don't think anyone could argue the extra visibility is a plus even for a smaller trailer. Mine is 24" an 8 ft wide. I started with some cheap clip ons to get by. But they vibrated horribly. Was lucky to get some OEM style tow mirrors off a buddy for 20 bucks. It was the best 20 bucks I've spent on the truck. If you plan to tow more then a couple times a year I think it's worth the investment.

 

I have a similar sized trailer and installed towing mirrors. They are great when you are towing, they are terrible the 300 other days a year. I swap mine on and off for my summer towing season and suddenly my world is better.

 

I had tow mirrors on my 07. I don't tow much but I miss the tow mirrors. I plan on putting a set on my 14. Not a fan of the smaller mirrors.

 

Just my experience on vehicles with tow mirrors- they are GREAT for towing. If you are not towing then they have some pretty bad blind spots to the point of being a little sketchy. So just like anything you change from stock- lift, wheels, big tires, tow mirrors- there are trade offs and benefits.

 

Interesting, I find the opposite to be the case for me.

 

My trailer is 20x7.5 wide. I don’t “need” tow mirrors, but i really want to add them for safety

 

Start with a cheap set of these KSource Clip-on Mirrors and see if you like them before going to a more semi-permanent solution of swapping out for tow mirrors. We tow a pontoon boat twice a year, to the lake in the spring and home in the fall. These clip-ons work very well for us.

https://realtruck.com/p/k-source-sn...2021&msclkid=a3a8d57bbd57128c2ec58af1a4f13f90

 

I am considering something similar. Have you had any issues with rub/wear marks on the mirrors where these clip on?

 

My mirror caps are black, and these do go on pretty tight, I start at the top and get them hooked, then spread just a little to get over the bottom and push to clip them on. They certainly aren't going anywhere, and the vibration really isn't too bad. I haven't noticed any scratching or scarring. This is my second summer with them, so I've put em on and off about 5 or so times.

 

I also have a set of these. I put a piece of bicycle inner tube to prevent any marks. Zero issues.

Tow mirrors are much better than the clip ons, especially on the passenger side, but they are 70% as good for 20% of the cost.

 

I couldn't commit to the semi-permanent tow mirrors. Getting in and out of the garage is important to me. It's already tight and I've rubbed at least once with the factory mirrors

 

Power folding upgrade! I did that with my regular mirrors and it’s glorious.

 

I've had lots of experience with tow mirrors, but I don't tow often enough to warrant the permanent swap. I also don't care for them aesthetically on the Tundra.

 

I recently put on some tow mirrors from Boost, and I can tell you I love them. I tow my 26' long, 7' wide Micro Minnie and they made a big difference. Contrary to the lack of visibility comment above, I have the opposite experience; I find I get lots more visibility with them and love just driving around with them. I will concede there is a larger spot blocked in FRONT of you from the size of the mirror, but it's not sketchy or anything once you get used to it. I also upgraded to power folding and that makes tight spots fine. I like the boost mirrors way more than the Tundra ones, and you can upgrade later, so I wouldn't let it hold you back from getting a truck that doesn't have them if you decide you do want them. I installed myself and it wasn't the most difficult thing I've done on the truck at all.

Do you NEED them? No - I towed my 7' wide trailer without them, but the first time towing yesterday with them was a significant improvement.

 

Tow mirrors make your truck faster and they look more manly.

 

I use these CIPA clip on mirrors on my 2017 Limited. Very secure - Amazon has them for less than $60....
https://www.etrailer.com/Towing-Mirrors/Toyota/Tundra/2017/CM11300.html?VehicleID=20174024931

 

Ah. I see. So they're like truck nuts hanging off your hitch?

 

Unless you offroad in areas with heavy trees and the branches get caught in that hole in the arms and then twist and smack back.

Did I mention I swap my mirrors back and forth?

 

I tow my wife's horse trailer a lot while my wife tows our travel trailer. As said above, while towing, I really do like towing mirrors. If I didn't tow a lot I would switch back to the stock mirrors.

I also tow a 21 foot bass boat and honestly, it doesn't really matter for it either way.

 

I am going to be taking my family on a cross country adventure, moving from Alabama to Alaska in a few months. I’ll be towing a uhaul 6x12 double axle enclosed trailer. With a trailer this size, does anyone recommend tow mirrors or should I be fine without them?

 

I towed the exact same (U-Haul?) trailer across the country a couple of years ago when I moved from NJ to AZ with a 2008 4Runner, which is narrower than a Tundra. No problems seeing behind me at all. That trailer at 6 feet is narrow enough.

 

You should be fine with standard mirrors.

 

how much more do the tow mirrors stick out vs stock mirrors?

 

I rented a 5x10, if I recall correctly, and it was so narrow that I couldn't even see it in the mirrors. I suspect you'll probably be ok without for a 6 foot wide trailer.

 

These are what I use but I only pull a a small 5’x8’ trailer. It works. These are simple swap outs/plug-N-play mirrors using the stock mirror mounts.
https://spottermirror.com/p/toyota/2007-2020-tundra-spotter-mirror/
Here is the link if curious and some pics of my truck.

 

Thanks for all the input! We towed a 29’ TT a few months ago, just to get away from everything during the height of unrest/uncertainty due to covid and the election. That was uncomfortable with the standard mirrors, to say the least. I was hyper-sensitive to being able to see while towing, but feel much better about the small size trailer and the comments.

 

MaxYota, thanks for the suggestion. I like the new design with taller convex portion. How hard was it to remove the factory mirror from the housing?

 

It was an easy push/pop up then unplug the old and plug in the new(I believe I put the left wire to the top pin of the new mirror) then a hefty pull down/pop to install. Took about 10 minutes to do both.