Side Mirrors on Tow Vehicle

B

b&jsrubiconii

Active member
Joined
May 24, 2021
Messages
38
Fluid Motion Model
C-30 CB
Vessel Name
Rubicon II
Hi everyone!

We will be taking possession of our new R29CB this Spring (they start building it tomorrow).

Probably our biggest trepidation is towing it on the open road. While I have considerable experience towing a 30' travel trailer, the width of the R29 has my heart in my throat :shock:

I am concerned that the standard mirrors on my 2016 2500 GMC will not be sufficient in their extended mode to adequately handle vision requirements.

Those of you who tow R29s or R31s: Is this an issue? If so, what solutions or aftermarket products could you suggest?

Thank you in advance for help/suggestions/observations!

Bryan and Julie of Rubicon II
 
I had similar concerns about bringing my R31 home. I purchased some generic towing mirrors just in case, but left them in the box so I could return them if not needed. I found the stock mirrors on my Ram 2500 to be sufficient - the widest part of the boat is quite a bit higher than the area you’ll be watching in your mirrors!
 
StrangerDejaVu:

I never even thought about WHERE the widest part of the boat would be this equation! That certainly answers my mirror question. Thank you!

Now I just have to lock it in my head that my boat's actually wider than what I'm actually seeing!

(I think I'm going to find something to stress about no matter what!! :lol: )

Oh well, slow and steady wins the race.

Thanks again.
 
We went from towing travel trailers and fifth wheels to an R27, to a R31 this past year. Towed for many years, and I had the same concerns. For me, the width is less of a concern than the weight and preparation for any wide load restrictions, that I had not thought of before. When I actually measured the “width” of my extended mirrors on my Super Duty, I found them to be nearly the same or wider than the boat at the lower level. As described by others, the wide points are higher and therefore more difficult to see, but good to remember are still there. Overall, I found the load balanced and easy to tow once you are aquatinted to the load. If you are comfortable with your other tows, you will find the R29 just a slightly different tow, only with permit requirements.
 
TABublitz:

Thank you for these very helpful (and calming) observations. I really appreciate it. The flexibility of being able to tow the boat wherever we want to go ultimately won the day. Your experience confirms our thought process.

Thank you!!
 
I bought these extended mirrors on Amazon for towing our R25 with our 2006 GMC 2500:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B008BC8G7S/ref=pe_386430_193770090_TE_dp_i1
These mirrors will telescope in or out, as well as fold in against the truck. The small lower part is adjustable to aim down at the wheels, or up at the wide parts. I use them for my camper also and love them!
I also added marker flags at the back corners so I can see them in my mirrors and know exactly where my back corners are when backing up. I used some old fiberglass tent poles, fluorescent yellow tennis balls stuck on the end, and a high-vis vest cut up for flags. I slid the poles into the dinghy davits and tied off with bungies, adjust as necessary. Cheap and easy. I think the bright flags also remind others to give you space for lane changes etc.
Sorry, I tried to upload a picture of my setup but keep getting an error: "This page isn’t working. http://www.tugnuts.com is currently unable to handle this request". Maybe I can add the picture later.
 
YuconRon:

Thanks for your post. I hope you'll be able to post a photo of how you put the flags on the rear of the trailer. I would love to see what you came up with.

Thanks again!

Bryan and Julie
 
Bryan:
Sorry; apparently adding pictures to our albums is disabled now while Bruce migrates Tugnuts to the new platform.
Is there some other way I can share a picture here? Perhaps in a PM?
Ron
 
As others have said, the factory mirrors on our F350 dually in their extended position have been quite sufficient for our 10 foot beam boat. The biggest issue I have is tree branches if you are not on a major road. Our residential dead-end street is the biggest challenge. Know your height and watch for bridges if you are not on interstate or other major roads with commercial truck traffic. Any bridge that presents a problem should be marked with signage.

When we had our trailer manufactured for our R29S I requested that they build it with pockets for the red marker flags. For about $120 they added slots, basically U channels welded to the top of the frame (three on each side) that were perfectly sized for the wooden dowel rods that come with the marker flags. One small number eight stainless screw down through the top of the U channel holds the flags and makes them easy to remove before launching if you so desire. I know a commercial big boat hauler that was stopped once in Ohio for not also having red marker flags mounted on the widest part of the load itself rather than just on the trailer. I don't want them flapping on the boat so have not gone that way because my trailer mounted flags stick out plenty far and are very visible. (I carry some that I can mount zip tie to the bow rail if I ever get instructed to have them, but so far it has not been a problem.) I also use two battery operated flashing yellow lights on each back corner of the swim platform and a commercial grade yellow flashing light on the highest part of my truck cap. With such lights, flags and signage I find that almost all the other vehicles on the road give us a much wider pathway then they ever did with our R25SC. Semi-truck mirrors are the only thing that are the right height to be an issue at the widest part of your boat and there are some of those commercial drivers that are so accustomed to tight tolerances with other trucks that you might not get the extra space you desire.

I found Truck and Tow to carry a good selection and be prompt for purchase of the marker flags and Oversize Load signs, but there are other sources. My recommendation is to get the mesh marker flags - they last much longer than the solid ones which can get tattered in one all day windy trip. You should also get the mesh Oversize Load signs. If you put a solid one on the front of your truck you risk heat damage to your transmission, etc. I found a mesh one on the back of the boat mounts very simply to the swim platform rails with zip ties. I installed a significant grill guard on the front of the truck to mount the front signage and the front marker flags (I use the spring loaded ones up front on the truck.)

Because the photo gallery is in its migration stage I can not add photos there, but if send me a Private Message I can text send you additional pictures. There is one in our current gallery that shows the boat loaded for its trip home after delivery.

After the first 100 miles towing the oversize load I got comfortable doing it. Not being able tow after dark is kind of a blessing. Many states prohibit towing on major holiday weekends (Memorial Day, $th of July, Labor Day, etc.) but we avoid those crowded times at the lake anyway.
Todd
 
I recently installed a rear view camera with a remote monitor that can be viewed at the helm or on the dash of my truck when hauling the boat. I mounted the camera above the rear door. I tested it this past week while towing the boat and I was impressed with the image of what was behind and to the sides of me. Here is a link you might like to view. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BN62VV8?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details
 
Thank you Gypsy! I just looked up the camera you use. Looks like a great system.

Appreciate the info!
 
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