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Tow Mirrors/Camper size

Discussion in 'Towing & Hauling' started by BGoodiE, Jan 29, 2021.

  1. Jan 29, 2021 at 7:32 AM
    #1
    BGoodiE

    BGoodiE [OP] New Member

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    NONE! Lasted about a month, Firestone bags, Decked system, ARE CX HD, WeatherTech mats/rainguards, TRD RSB...
    Is it true, and safe, that if you get a 7foot wide travel trailer like the sweet Micro Minnie Winnie's I'm looking at, that you don't have to get tow mirrors? And it would be legal and safe to use the regular style mirrors factory to a '19 Tunnie? I'm trying to put the horse before the cart.
     
  2. Jan 29, 2021 at 7:45 AM
    #2
    frichco228

    frichco228 Valued Member

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    Tow mirrors do help. But in normal driving, my experience- tow mirrors can have some blind spots. Another option is the clip on towing mirrors- easy, cheap and take them off when you are not towing. But if you are towing a lot, adding tow mirrors would be a good idea.
     
    johnnyv5 and BGoodiE[OP] like this.
  3. Jan 29, 2021 at 7:58 AM
    #3
    AZBoatHauler

    AZBoatHauler SSEM#140/ASCM#3/2ndGenNaysayer/BAF140

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    I think you’d be fine. I still use my regular side mirrors and I’ve towed my 8.5’ boat for thousands of miles and a 26’ travel trailer. It’s not the best view but I can certainly see the back of the trailer and beyond which is good enough for me.

    FWIW, I just don’t like the shape/look of the Toyota tow mirrors and I’d lose BSM changing over. All aftermarket mirrors retaining the BSM I’ve looked into have reviews saying the mirror vibrates driving down the road which kind of makes it pointless.
     
    BGoodiE[OP] likes this.
  4. Jan 29, 2021 at 8:06 AM
    #4
    Johnders2586

    Johnders2586 New Member

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    I am going to go a bit against the grain here an say I felt tow mirrors really helped. My TT is only 24 '. I did the clip ons but they vibrated so bad an the mirror so small it was pointless other then seeing if there was a blur there resembling a car ... I swapped over to the OEM style my buddy had laying around an really liked the much wider view area.. can you get by? Sure but IMO it makes things much safer and easier if you have that extra visibility. My buddy went with the "GM" style an says there are a big improvement over the OEM. I will admit the OEM style(knockoffs) did vibrate more then the factory. I will also admit that the visibility is different then the stock mirrors. A lot of guys complain . I feel that maybe they don't have them adjusted properly or it's preference.. It took me a while to get used to the wide angle on the bottom. When your so used to seeing it one way it takes a while to adjust an relearn.. But felt much more comfortable with the bigger mirrors then without .
     
    Last edited: Jan 29, 2021
    Black Wolf and BGoodiE[OP] like this.
  5. Jan 29, 2021 at 12:47 PM
    #5
    Cpl_Punishment

    Cpl_Punishment Young men never die.

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    I guess it depends on where you are but I'm not aware of any laws requiring towing mirrors. I'd like to put some on my truck just partially for the look, as I only intend to tow a few times a year.
     
    Black Wolf likes this.
  6. Jan 31, 2021 at 6:39 AM
    #6
    runCMD

    runCMD BAMF Nerd

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    I towed my Micro Minnie with regular but have to say upgrading to tow mirrors helped a ton.
     
  7. Jan 31, 2021 at 7:55 AM
    #7
    ezdog

    ezdog New Member

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    This is just one of those things that you need to try and see for yourself in the end,no one else can judge for you if they help or not.

    I have towed a lot both ways and with several different trailers and all I can say for sure is that it just depends on the rig and driver.

    You said it yourself,horse before the cart!

    Get the rig together and try it and see if it works or not unless there are other reasons to change that are not obvious here.
     
    BGoodiE[OP] and Cpl_Punishment like this.
  8. Feb 1, 2021 at 8:05 PM
    #8
    cforman61

    cforman61 Pupper

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    Check your state regulations. Some states have specific requirements about how much and how far back you can view when towing. We have a backup camera on our trailer that stays on when towing so I can easily view the road behind my trailer as well as seeing if there is a vehicle next to my trailer when changing lanes.
     
    BGoodiE[OP] likes this.

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