Thread: mirrors and cameras

Hi all thanks to all your responses so far another q i was looking at clearview mirrors for towing but they dont make them for the lr yet what type does everyone use and reversing cameras on your caravan what type and how have you got it connected to your d4 thanks Roger

Originally Posted by GeorgeK

I make the following comments.

1. The D4 is a fantastic tow vehicle. in towing the new van now for about 3500 kms the D4 did not miss a beat and did not cause me any concern at all. As the van is 24' external it is quite large and does move a bit when being passed by semi-trailers or B-Doubles. I am not a speedster and I find I get the best fuel economy at about 90-95kph. If the 'anti-sway' system on the D4 engaged I did not notice it!

2. I use the standard LR D4 hitch and it works fine although it does rattle a bit but once the heavy van is hitched it is solid as. As the standard D4 hitch position is quite low I have turned the tongue upside down and that raises the tow ball height to an appropriate level.

3. I don't use weight distribution devices of any kind. The D4 self-levelling suspensions works fine.

4. After much experimentation (and cost!) I use the CAMEC copy version of Aussie Truck Mirrors. They are the ones that clip to the window sill and utilise a strap and pad device to the bottom of the door. These mirrors don't move or suddenly fold into the door when trucks pass in either direction I like them a lot.

5. Consider a stone guard system especially if your Disco is not fitted with rear mud flaps. The D4 does throw a lot of dirt, stones and mud onto the front of the van and perhaps rebounding onto the rear of the vehicle. I use a 'Stonestomper' netting and it works really well. Google it if you want to find out more.

6. Ah the reversing camera question really is painful for me and opens up a can of worms. My van has the Safety Vision Systems (SVS) rear camera fitted with wiring to the drawbar that was installed during the caravan build. The van manufacturer gave me a length of cable with fittings to be fitted to the car. I had my LR dealer fit the said cabling. So far so good. However the cabling is not compatible with the HSE in-car camera system. Indeed I am informed by my dealer after much discussion with LR Aus that the D4 camera system cannot have any other camera system fitted to it!

As the D4 in-car nav system is crap (see separate post) I thought I would combine a new nav system with one that is 'reverse camera ready' So I bought a VMS 500S stand alone nav system. It works a treat but to cut a long story short it too is incompatible with the SVS camera. Bummer!

I am at a loss as to what to do now. What is the most efficient option? Do I get the car and van rewired to be compatible with the VMS nav system or do I have yet another screen fitted to be compatible with the existing car/van wiring? I am thinking on this. It is important to me as I will be starting a round Aus trip from Jan 2011 for a couple of years!

I hope the above is of help to you. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to ask.

Cheers

George

Tomorrow I finish my 6 week jaunt around the north west of WA towing a 24' van that would be close to 3 tonne. For some reason I did not check the tyre pressure in the van before heading off taking the dealer at his word on the pressures being right.

George, if the stability system cuts in, you will know. The tyres were set at 60 psi at least cold (I measured them at over 70psi hot when I let them down) and any little ripple in the road set is swaying all over the place. Once the sway started I sunk the welly to try to pull it staight, however the stability system cuts in applying the appropriate brakes and overriding the throttle. As long as you hold the steering straight it just comes good very quickly. Also the yellow symbol on the dash flashes.

Once I sorted out the tyre pressures, no issues whatsoever. Even SWMBO has commented favourably on the vehicles response to the swaying. Like you I do not use any load distribution or anti-sway devices as per the manual.

With regard to mirrors I found the Aussie Truck Mirrors seemed to put a lot of pressure on the moulding across the bottom of the door, so ended up going down the ORA path. If you go for these I would recommend some electrical tape over the back of your side mirrors to stops scratches from the straps.

Also, the ORA kit includes both long and short straps. A neat little trick is to use the short strap and a zip tie to come from the inner side of the mittor to the vertical strap to stop is slide outwards each time it gets a blast from a passing truck. The shape of the mirror back tapers to the outside so there is nothing to really stop this without the extra strap.

Agree on the stoneguard. I have mudflaps and run the Goodyear MTRs. Our new van has a beautiful tattoo of dents up the front in line with the tyres from the Gibb River Rd and Windjana Gorge Rd. I have seen a few people running Rock Tamers as these bolt onto the towing tongue and are easily removable, however one chap indicated that now his rear bumper is getting the stone chips instead.

Agree with your comments re:SatNav. I already had the VMS Touring 500 from my D3 (I fitted a camera in the same location as on the D4) so have been using this once out of the city. No problem in using the camera to line up for hitching the van, although still rely on SWMBO to get the final small adjustments right.

Not sure why LR did not stick the camera up on the top of the upper tailgate near the brake light looking down onto the towball. The wide field of view would still be fine for checking if anything was behind you.

Cheers