Back Up Camera - Montana Owners Club

jwedell · 01-25-2010, 10:59 PM

Will be ordering a 3615 and would like the back up camera. If anyone has it do you like it and is it worth the money. Thanks

NCFischers · 01-25-2010, 11:45 PM

Nice floor plan, John. You need to make some rallys and show it off. Sorry, I don't have any info on the backup camera.
Jim

adelmoll · 01-26-2010, 12:30 AM

We use ours all the time and like it but... If money is tight, we could easely live without it. We like it more for seeing behind us while traveling down the road than we do backing up.

Helen (using Bill's words)

Bill-N-Donna · 01-26-2010, 12:51 AM

We used to have one on a M/H we had prior to owning the Monty. It was worth its weight in gold then. However, I don’t feel the need for it as bad as I did then. I believe it would be a great asset but with a good set of mirrors you could probably do well. I also think it would be more useful when traveling on the road for viewing directly behind you. The one I had would show traffic in the lanes on either side. It was helpful for blind spots. I also had the side cameras but that IMO wasn’t that helpful. If I had more than one camera I think I would want to mount one on the roof for viewing low bridges when needed. I think the down side might be that when backing and at an angle it might become somewhat confusing when the trailer is jack-knifed.

Mudchief · 01-26-2010, 01:53 AM

I have one and will never pull without one again. When you want to change lanes in heavy traffic you just look at the monitor and you know when it is safe. It takes the guess work out of it.

Ray Audet · 01-26-2010, 01:57 AM

We have the wireless back up camera and use it all of the time. As Adelmoll said, it is very handy while travelling down the road.
I especially like it when passing another vehicle. When the vehicle is out of the camera range, I know that I can start getting back in the right lane.
If you do get it...2 suggestions.
First, run a bead of silicone around the transmitter. Water tends to get in there-I had to replace 2 of them.
Second, check the connection at the monitor end. On ours, the cord that plugs into the 12 volt supply was just hanging under a little bit of stress and eventually the wires separated from the connector. I just added a cable support to one of the screws of the monitor.
Good luck.

richfaa · 01-26-2010, 02:30 AM

Have one..would not leave home without it. Great rear view mirror.

Art-n-Marge · 01-26-2010, 07:49 AM

I have one on the TV. The biggest problem with it is when it doesn't seem to show quite as much as you'd like to see. I wish they had much larger aspects without distorting the view (objects are closer than they appear). Look at it as an ADDITIONAL tool of vision, and it will help, but a second one might even be better to increase the field of view. The best news is that they are lot cheaper than they used to be.

jwedell · 01-26-2010, 09:45 AM

Thanks for all the replies they were a big help. John

Bruce Lenhardt · 01-26-2010, 10:39 AM

I agree with others when they say they won't leave home without it. We like ours very much and use it to help with changing lanes in heavy traffic. You can easily see when you have cleared a vehicle.

exav8tr · 01-26-2010, 11:12 AM

Well, I gotta chime in here. I do not have a back-up camera, nor do I plan on buying one. I feel these are "nice to have items, but not worth the cost". I know, those of you that have them really like them and some don't know how they got along without one. I have travelled for three years, in and around many busy areas, I5 in CA, I10 across the west, I95 up the East coast and a lot of places in between. I do not feel I have put myself at risk (other than the normal risk of being on the road with some crazies), nor have I put anyone else at risk. The key to lane changing is to plan ahead. When my GPS says 2 miles to go for a turnoff, I start moving over for the exit. In the small towns I have been known to take my half out of the middle in making a right turn. Usually signalling and slowing down lets folks behind know what I am planning and they get out of the way. Not sure I would want to drive with my head looking at a camera rather than in my mirrors. If I was in Europe, Well, I'm not......Thank God for that one. This, of course, is just my opinion and it works for me......I think Art hit on it good, but two screens, not for me......When I learned to fly, my instructor always said, "You will not see traffic with your head in the cockpit". I agree with him completely.......I like to see the entire length of my rig, not just behind it.....

rames14 · 01-27-2010, 12:20 AM

We got ours this year after many successful miles without one. We like it for a couple of reasons. First, you can see 360 degrees with no blind spots between your vision, properly adjusted mirrors and the camera. Second, I just bought a very expensive bike that will be on my trailer bike rack. I can monitor it while I am in transit. It isn't as helpful backing up as I thought it might be, but never had much trouble with that anyway. We like it, but if money had been tight could have done without it. Assuming the same financial conditions next time, we would buy it again.

Johnnyg · 01-27-2010, 01:00 AM

We had rear view cameras on the Motor Home and found it very useful.
We ordered the 3665RE with the wireless unit and it seems to work well although we've only pulled the trailer 100 miles so far.
Also, I believe your limited to just one camera where as some of the wired units have the choice of multiple cameras.

Delaine and Lindy · 01-27-2010, 02:43 AM

We have a back-up camera and it was a option. Its hard wired and you can add cameras to each side of the Truck. Its called Zone Defense and company is in Saint Petersburg Florida. We have been very pleased with how it works. The screen is very clear and in color, it also has Audio and of course its remote control. The rear camera automatically come on when you put the Truck into reverse and has a button on the dash that can turn the camera on while rolling. You can monitor people talking while you backing into a site. And you know when DW get lost behind the trailer you can see her. We also monitor the Chevy HHR when we are towing it. I recomend a rear view camera. GBY.....

www.ZONEDEFENSERV.COM

eastridges · 01-27-2010, 04:14 AM

I have a backup camera and have to tell you I haven't used it. Probably because when I installed it the instructions had me wire it to the back up lights. When we pull in I never think of it and want to get in and set up. That being said some of the posts mentioned using it for changing lanes. I think that is a great idea and can see using it more now and not forgetting it. Thanks for the insight.

rames14 · 01-27-2010, 02:22 PM

Bill, we ordered ours as an option on the trailer. It's nice to be able see the vehicles behind transfer into the mirrors and then into your field of vision. We have found it to be more useful driving than backing up.

richfaa · 01-27-2010, 02:31 PM

We never considered using our backup cam as a backup cam. The only thing useful about using it for backing up is that you can see the person directing the backup directly in back of the camper. We use it as a rear view mirror. I think most folks do. It is a great safety device as a rear view mirror as it eliminate all blind spots. The camera and the TPMS are the two safety devices I will not leave home without.

ray fischer · 01-27-2010, 03:50 PM

How well do the wireless ones work if you're adding aftermarket? I'd like to get one, but not if I have to run wires everywhere. I also am more interested in it for safety while driving and seeing behind to change lanes etc. And I can guess making sure I don't run over DW while backing into sites. Also, best price on a decent wireless if recommended?

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