convex towing mirrors for the ford superduty.....

[2airishuman]

hi all those reflecting on what's behind ya......

the 1999-2006 ford f-250s can be factory equipped with perhaps the best thought out mirrors...
-big flat section top...
-1/2 round convex lower.....
-extendable arms....

so pretty well thought out for towing.....
the nissan have a scaled down, very similar style.....
and the 07 ge'ems finally have a sleek 2 arm style, but the area is too small...

anyway, cosmotini suggested some convex add ons for the fords in this thread.....
http://www.airforums.com/forum...highlight=2air

they looked great,
so i decided to try a pair....
more is good right?

yesterday i installed them....

here is my show and tell.....

cheers
2air'

[2airishuman]

shipped priority, packed well....the source is in cosmotini's post......

all the bits.....
box, brackets, mirrors, hardware, instructions....

and the usual set of warning labels/disclaimers.......

[2airishuman]

after reading the instructions.....
several times,
i promptly folded them and
stuffed then in a pocket......

15 minute job tops.......

the first instruction is to loosen the 3 screws on the back of the convex mirror housing.....

i did this; then realized the screws weren't stainless.......
an hour later, i'm back from the local h/w store with replacements.....

i loosened and removed one, no problem.

so i took out all 3......not a wise move......

now all the pivot parts have fallen away
inside the mirror housing
which is sealed
like a watch case full of loose gears.....
and the watch case doesn't open....

now what do i do?.....

[2airishuman]

ok so 2 hours later.......
3.5 hours total,
for those keepin' score.....

i've reassembled the insides...
like a ship in a bottle.....
a black bottle.....
see those shiny stainless screws
i don't recommend this improvement....

the key piece to this mirror set,
is the bracket that is molded to fit the ford arms....perfectly.....

[2airishuman]

so 15 minutes later the mirrors are attached to the brackets,
and mounted on the ford arms.....

the fit is exact...
really they look factory
and mounted close to the truck,
do not interfer with the arm extension
also they can be slide outward on the arms
if so desired...

looks good yes?

[2airishuman]

so how's the view?
reward......

photos taken from drivers seat
eye level
mirrors adjusted for driving,
not towing

still the round convex addition
really improves the field of view
larger area than the small 1/2 lowers...
nice a clear
image not too small

note my pooch,
and the neigbors
who strolled by
with perfect timing....

i like it......

[2airishuman]

so for anyone who'd like to improve on the already great ford mirrors

i recommend these.......'c betr' 5 inch convex add'ons.....

www.c-betr.com

from a distance they aren't noticeable and up close they look stock...

nice solid mounting hardware......now with stainless screws....

i'll take a towing shot or 2 soon....

the end

2air'

oh and the led light bar is a great way to add more brake/turn/marker lights....

plug and play....
click on the pic for a close up
really bright at nite
this pic in high noon

15 minute install tops

sort of.......

[Coastalview]

Those added mirrors look great. They make good use of the mirror arms. On my older 97 model, the mirrors are just plain crap. No wonder folks back then were side swiping everything! Jeff

[slowmover]

Can you aim any of these spot mirrors at the tires? I always mounted xtra mirrors on my assigned tractor. But the ones I could aim towards to the drive axles were a "big deal" in a number of situations, to be certain of WHERE the tires were and HOW they looked in doing it. The overheads (trailer or truck roof clearance) weren't so vital.

Nice product, like to have them on mine.

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by REDNAX

Can you aim any of these spot mirrors at the tires?...

hi red,

YES u can!

while not obvious from the install pix,

i usually have them directed so that i can see the drive wheels/tires and 2-3 lanes out on either side...

additionally the main (large upper) mirror can be moved with the toggle switch to see the tires.

any time i suspect a tire might have an issue and randomly when traffic is clear,

i point direct them toward the tires and mud flaps for a view...

matter of fact the s/d mirrors extend far enough to the sides, that i can see the TRAILER TIRES on curves

and all the side marker lights on the straights...

originally i'd considered mounting 2 rear view cameras in front of the trailer axles to monitor the tires.

but that itch was scratched after towing a bit.

the c'betr product doesn't yet fit 2008 trucks, but they've got other styles too...

C-Betr Blind Spot Towing Mirrors

cheers
2air'

[denellen]

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

so how's the view?
reward......

note my pooch,

......

HI MAX. Good boy!

[rtaylor537]

Just bought a new 2008 F 250. The mirrors a wonderful. Now if I could have the same clear forward view.
I have a pair of Makeesh (sp) by Hensley mirrors that I no longer need so if you want a deal send me a message.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

hi red,

YES u can!

while not obvious from the install pix,

i usually have them directed so that i can see the drive wheels/tires and 2-3 lanes out on either side...

additionally the main (large upper) mirror can be moved with the toggle switch to see the tires.

any time i suspect a tire might have an issue and randomly when traffic is clear,

i point direct them toward the tires and mud flaps for a view...

matter of fact the s/d mirrors extend far enough to the sides, that i can see the TRAILER TIRES on curves

and all the side marker lights on the straights...

originally i'd considered mounting 2 rear view cameras in front of the trailer axles to monitor the tires.

but that itch was scratched after towing a bit.

the c'betr product doesn't yet fit 2008 trucks, but they've got other styles too...

C-Betr Blind Spot Towing Mirrors

cheers
2air'

Thanks for the experience. Yeah, I'm pretty good at the trailer "waggle" to check tires, 'cause nothing beats good mirrors to check the rig.

My stock Dodge tow mirrors are okay -- but not as good as I am used to -- am thinking of moving to an after-market brand that has two-arm attachment, and I wondered about these mirrors you showcased as I might be able to make them work (or fabricate something on my own).

I had these mirror glass replacements on my last truck:

Blind Spot Mirror Specialists - Safety Mirrors Online.com

and they are superb, they truly eliminate any blind spots (turning one's head is now a hazard once they're installed). But I haven't used them with a trailer as long as this one.

I may try the glass overlay with the CIPA towing mirrors, but some experimentation will be in order. In the meantime, I appreciate your experience with the add-on mirrors for spot work. I'll find some arrangement that is satisfactory for solo AND towing, long-term.

[slowmover]

Wanted to revive this thread for those looking at the use of spot mirrors.

I've ordered a pair of CIPA extendable (power + heated) towing mirrors with the 10" glass to replace the DODGE factory Towing mirrors I installed after I bought the truck in May 2007. Was never pleased with the blind spot of these mirrors, and the narrow FOV when "up" in the trailering position.

First, the DODGE mirrors:




CIPA



Dave, at ROGER WILLIAMS AIRSTREAM, did recommend the upgrade. But I'd just spent $400 on the factory ones. Sort of like buying a Hensley Arrow weeks before the much improved Hensley-design PRO PRIDE came out. C'est la vie . . . .

I've waited until a good price was available on these normally above $400 mirrors and got them from AMAZON for $199.

Have revived this thread as I thought to try the C-Betr convex attachments . . but it looks as though the arm design won't work. I plan to come up with something to use large convex spots (as I do at work) to help with optimal postioning of the "flat" mirrors. Some fabrication will be in the offing.

I'll add a link to BartS recent thread on adding a convex.

Looks as though my plan to use MULTIVEX overlays (as I had on another truck) won't work out. What I found online was that company's supplier no longer has working machinery to make those incredible aspheric overlays. Zero blindspots. I couldn't use them on the DODGE pair as those rotate up or down to use.

The only downside to these new mirrors -- nicknamed elephant ears for their size/shape -- is a decrease in fuel economy. The DODGE T/M's are actually quite "shapely" for a big mirror when in the down position (non-towing). I expect that the addition of the convex pieces will only cement this in place.

To round off this "Ford" thread, those guys with an interest in FE think of their towing mirrors as being the size, weight and approximate size of a baby . . they are big sons'a'guns.

Fuel economy is small stuff that, added together, makes for better numbers. So, along with new MICHELIN LTX M/S2 tires, I expect to "take a hit", probably around 10%. Pickup truck FE is about aero resistance and gearing. Rolling resistance is of importance mainly to 50-mph when aero overtakes it. Yet, the importance of RA tire traction is hard to overstate, especially on a tow vehicle. Better wet surface traction, check.

But all around info is the thing. Mirrors provide us with a picture of the future:

there's always someone overtaking a towing rig.

Better rearward vision, check.


.

[richinny]

has anyone seen/read anything of using a camera and a screen to replace mirrors?

[Sphere Guy]

Yea richinny, I installed a wired rear view camera on the rear of my AS. I can see all that comes up behind me and even hear them.