ulling a trailer or fifth wheel presents inherent challenges that all owners deal with, from watching traffic on the roadways to maneuvering in an RV park. When on the road, drivers must be on the lookout for other vehicles that seem to come out of nowhere in adjacent lanes when passing. Then there’s backing up, especially on the blind side — and let’s not forget obstacles that are out of sight when parking in back-in RV sites, especially if there are a lot of trees or shrubs blocking the view. The ongoing joke about yelling at your co-pilot becomes all too real in difficult situations.
Backup cameras mitigate much of the stress, but what about the sides? Fortunately, backup camera systems can be upgraded with side view cameras — and even better, manufacturers are pre-wiring their trailers and fifth wheels for plug-and-play camera installations, as was the case on my fifth wheel purchased last year. Furrion, a Lippert division (lippert.com), markets camera kits designed specifically for this purpose (although several companies offering backup camera systems can provide adapters for trailers pre-fitted for Furrion components).
The Furrion Vision S RV 3-Camera System with Sharkfin Camera—7” Monitor ($1,100) was a perfect choice for this project since the fifth wheel was pre-wired from the factory. It comes with a high-resolution monitor, a rear camera and two side cameras with attached clearance lights plus all the brackets and wiring needed for the installation. The monitor can be set to show multiple images at the same time; the rear camera has a 120-degree angle while the side cameras are set at 65 degrees.
A nice metal specialty bracket with a ball and socket also was provided with the kit for mounting the monitor. It allows the monitor to be placed on the dash and adjusts in several directions. There’s also a suction cup mount that came with the kit for “sticking” the monitor on the windshield or somewhere on the dash (smooth surface required). Since the cameras were bundled with the monitor, they were already paired to receive the wireless signals.
Installing the Vision S components was truly do-it-yourself friendly. On the rear of the fifth wheel was a plastic placeholder for the camera and the clearance lights on the sides have plastic extensions that were removed when the cameras were mounted. Both side clearance lights and the rear camera location were prewired. If the RV is not prewired for this system, camera power will need to be tapped into the system. If that’s the case, it may be necessary to purchase additional wire and connectors from a local source.
A ladder was needed to reach the top location for the rear camera. Since the fifth wheel was prewired, the only work involved removing the placeholder plate above the clearance light, plugging in the wire cable and mounting the camera — a 30-minute job at most. The side cameras and clearance lights were even easier; after removing one screw, the false plate was pulled away leaving a set of brass connectors. The new clearance light and camera were then slid into place as the spring-loaded brass pins automatically found their way into the connector. It took maybe 10 minutes to do both sides. Again, of course, plan on spending more time if the trailer is not prewired. Even so, it probably won’t take more than a couple of hours to complete the entire job if wiring is required.
After the cameras were installed, the monitor was attached to the bracket for placing on the dash and plugged into a 12-volt DC source. The system is activated when the parking (clearance) lights on the trailer are turned on. The rear camera came on first and even though the scene in the back was shady and dark, the picture was still clear enough to locate any obstructions. It’s possible to adjust the view to preference; for example, the camera can be focused to show part of the RV and areas behind, or to see deeper into the campsite.
Touching the screen will pop up icons for the side cameras and the door camera, if so equipped. This makes it very simple to switch cameras and/or provide a split view on the monitor. My only complaint with the system is the inability to adjust the viewing angle on the side cameras. They are factory set to provide a view away from the sides and too far into the adjacent lanes. It all works great as designed, but a better compromise would be to show the area closer to the sides of the trailer, which would provide better vision of passing vehicles and maneuvering into campsites with tighter access.
Although the images on the screen come up quickly, I may wire the system to be activated at all times (while driving) to allow for monitoring of traffic behind the RV and to watch over my bicycles mounted to a rack out back.
The safety afforded by a backup and side-view camera system is well worth the money. Once you get accustomed to having “eyes behind you,” you’ll wonder how you ever did without such a support system — and your co-pilot will thank you.
