Bit of an update on the camera system we installed on our big trailer to give us a good rear view immediately behind, using the standard rear view mirrors on the Discovery.
We have a reasonable rear view already as the Discovery is quite a wide vehicle, but occasionally it would be nice to see directly behind. The trailer is 6.2m long with another 1.6m for the drawbar.
We started this a month or two back and have finally got it all working to our satisfaction.
Cameras are 28mm diameter flush mounting types, fitted with an O-ring behind the rim to seal the hole when the camera was fitted.
We fitted two cameras, in from the edge of the trailer by about 200mm at at the top of the rear panel. This gives a view over the top of most cars and small vans.
The transmitter for the two cameras is a standard 2.4gHz unit which we bought with one of the cameras. Long-term soak testing of both units hasn't thrown up any issues. extension leads running from the rear of the trailer to the front connect up the transmitter to either camera,
The transmitter is switched between cameras by plugs and sockets, one camera is used for European towing, the other for the UK. It is located at the inside of the trailer front, up on a shelf inside the trailer.
The receiver is located in a small plastic box along with the monitor multi-way cables, so all we have is the box with a 12V feed in one end and the monitor feed out the other.
The 7" TFT monitor was a bit of a problem to mount securely, as the fittings that came with it were not up to the job. We bought two mounting kits with 'grab arms' to try and sort the problem out, but we eneded up by Aralditing a modified mounting claw off one of the kits to the metal bracket on the back of the camera.
Once that was done, we then moditied the mounting itself to give us a greater vertical adjustment range to bring the screen upright.
The Cyan line is where we removed plastic to allow the arm more clearance. Just a Stanley knife was used.
With the system installed and running, we were getting 25-30ft coverage with no loss of picture quality. We did experience some picture ripple with the engine running and are looking at some suppression.
We have also just installed a recording video camera at the front, a Mini 0801, which is a very neat little device:
The last picture is an unedited still taken from the in-car camera playback, it is HD video and very clear. The satnav option gives you the moving map on the right hand side, we fitted a 32gb Class 6 card to the camera.
I've been driving a 44tonne Artic with rear view camera for ten years or more now, and reckon its the best thing since they invented reverse gear. However you've done the same thing we did first off, which is to fit the camera flush with the perpendicular rear end of the trailer.
What our people eventually decided was to fit them at about 45 degrees tilted downwards. At first I disagreed, but now I think they're right. It is a great deal more useful for reversing than for just seeing behind you.
What you can't see in your screen is anybody walking across close behind the trailer as you reverse; that was what made the bosses spend the money in the first place, having someone crushed. You don't actually need to know what is fifty yards behind you as you aren't going to hit that yet; you do need to know what is within a few feet of you. As you rightly say, anything farther back should be in your mirrors.
The way ours are lined up, you can see, along the base of the screen in the cab, the rear bumper of the trailer and anything within a radius of about 10 feet. Most importantly when reversing on a curve, you can see BOTH rear corners of the trailer. With it like this we can accurately reverse to within a foot.
Hi Steve, dead right. We found out too, long ago! Now they fit 'em right up high above the screen. I wonder if the one above might fall foul of the same thing if it ever gets pulled by the wheeltappers?
With me normally seated, the top of the monitor is just about level with the front edge of the bonnet in my eyeline.
The Discovery seating is relatively high compared to most cars, and the driver is higher in relation to the top of the dashboard too.
Regarding the rear view, we have the option of tilting them down, but we'll know better once we are on the road. The view shown is a bit misleading as the front of the house slopes down away from the house so the rear view is higher than it would otherwise be.
We took the trailer to Stanford Hall at the weekend for a Land Rover bash.
The cameras worked very well, the only significant issue was having too much sky in the picture which meant that the darker areas were almost black, so an adjustment or a shaped visor is on the cards.
As far as coverage goes, we were very pleased with the view behind, bearing in mind that this is not for reversing but purely as an aid for viewing behind the bulk of the trailer.
Quote: Originally posted by Skoda Bob on 12/5/2014Get some brodit clips and fit everything to the dash not the top of it
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There are a number of ways of doing it, Bob, what we did cost us about £13 and a bit of time and Araldite.
The monitor is only used for those occasions when we are towing the big trailer, otherwise it is all taken out of the car, so no point in spending more than we needed to, the cradle that came with the monitor was neither secure nor rigid enough.
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Topic: Rear View Camera Finished, Conclusions
