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05-15-2011, 05:16 PM
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#1
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Established Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Visalia
Posts: 14
M.O.C. #11272
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How does the hitch mirror work?
We just got our first Montana, a 2006 2980RL, and we love it. I have never had a hitch mirror before, and I don't seem to be able to see anything of importance in it. I am just seeing down on the top of the Montana's hitch, but not forward enough to see the hitch coupling. I'm baffled... is there something I'm not doing to make it work right? Thanks for the help.
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05-15-2011, 06:16 PM
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#2
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Land O Lakes
Posts: 932
M.O.C. #9053
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I use mine all the time, and it is a big help. I have a crew cab, so eye balling the hitch from the drivers seat would be impossible otherwise. There is no special thing to do. I just watch as I slowly back into position. The mirror lets me see the jaws area of my hitch just before it hits the pin box. It helps keep me moving straight into position. Would not be without it!
__________________
Walt and Carol Ashley, with fond memories of Bailey the Chesapeake! Land O Lakes, FL
2009 Big Sky 365REQ 10th Anniversary Edition
2008 Ford F350 King Ranch Super Duty
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05-15-2011, 06:18 PM
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#3
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Montana Master
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Leona
Posts: 6,382
M.O.C. #2059
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I don't use the hitch mirror. Can't see anything. Just look out the back window and see the hitch clearly to hook up. I can see the king pin right into the hitch. That mirror is useless to me.
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05-15-2011, 07:52 PM
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#4
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Montana Master
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Murrieta
Posts: 5,816
M.O.C. #9257
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I do what Stiles does and just look back. I don't have a mirror which is why I look back. My problem is that I have a flip back truck cover that flips from the back of the bed and stacks near the bed in two foot sections a couple of inches thick and next to the crew's cab. Because of this stacking I can't see directly back to the pin unless I raise myself from the actual seat and look over the stack of covers, then I can see the pin and hitch.
This works for me, long bed, crew cab, and no mirror. I suppose it might look precarious to others who see me in the driver's seat in such an elevated position, but it works for me. DW will move the pin of the rig up or down so it nestles correctly during the hitch up.
I'm guessing a mirror might help me if things lined up correctly and I'd have to get used to looking at it from a downward angle (the mirror).
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05-16-2011, 12:30 AM
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#5
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Montana Master
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Okeechobee
Posts: 2,150
M.O.C. #11206
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Hi
I don’t look back I use the side mirrors to keep the TV lined up straight. My wife adjusts the trailer up and down so the pin box just touches the hitch when I back under it. The few times I have remembered the hitch mirror was after the hookup and I can see how it could help but old habits are hard to break.
Phil P
__________________
2009 Montana 3665RE
2009 Duramax 3500 DRW quad cab
personal web page https:// www.sallyscoffees.com
If you get a page not available then remove the "s" after HTTP
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05-16-2011, 12:59 AM
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#6
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Montana Master
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Brownsburg
Posts: 1,186
M.O.C. #5634
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Not much use to me. By the time I get close enough to see the jaws I have already committed to whether I am lined up or not. I usually use the mirror to make sure my hat is on straight before I hookk up
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05-16-2011, 02:18 AM
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#7
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Montana Master
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Tampa
Posts: 532
M.O.C. #10378
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I was having trouble using the mirror at first, but made a small modification that now allows me to clearly see the alignment just prior to hitching. I bought some 1 1/2" wide white reflective tape. I put a stripe down the center of the pin box, then placed a stripe on center below the jaws of the hitch, and again a stripe down the front of the hitch facing the trucks rear window.
Day or night with the cargo light on, this does two things. When I first begin to hitch, a few feet away from coupling, I adjust and look in the trucks rear view mirror to line up the tape stripe on the front of the hitch (the stripe facing the truck window) with the pin box stripe. As I get closer to coupling the mirror on the Monty lets me see the stripe below the jaws of the hitch. I just keep the tape stripes in parallel on top of one another, like a range marker for you boaters out there, until I connect.
It really is simple to do and to use as I am solo most of the time when I hitch up. This has saved me jumping in and out of the truck countless times until I'm hitched.
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05-16-2011, 03:19 AM
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#8
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Montana Master
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Concord
Posts: 575
M.O.C. #3543
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Hitching up is a team effort for us (we do not have a mirror on our older model). DW backs the truck under the Monty as I give directions and control the height of the pin box. We hith up, plug in the electrical cord, check the running lights, and perform the pull test in one, step by step process. This works well for us.
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05-16-2011, 05:08 AM
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#9
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Montana Master
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Paola
Posts: 5,739
M.O.C. #4961
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nosticks, that is a good idea. I will have to do that on my unit.
__________________
Dennis & Linda Ward
Paola, Kansas
Montana 3735MK Legacy Edition
1200 watts of Solar
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05-16-2011, 05:18 AM
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#10
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: BEND
Posts: 350
M.O.C. #11243
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I learn such unique things on this site - I just went out and bought some reflective tape! Thank you for the idea!
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05-16-2011, 11:02 AM
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#11
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Montana Master
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Anytown
Posts: 609
M.O.C. #10966
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The mirror on mine is next to useless because of the angles needed to hitch up.
I like the idea of reflective tape to help line up...with the MegaCab, I am a loooong way from the back window and can't see most of my hitch from the drivers seat! The tape may help...
__________________
2011 Montana 3580RL with a Reese 20k GooseBox w/offset B&W ball, Sailuns, RoadMaster shocks, Splendide stacked washer/dryer, some other stuff...
2015 Ram 3500 DRW Laramie Megacab, Aisin w/3.73s, 255/80 17 Toyos A/T III, rear auto level, 40 gal. fuel/tool combo box, some Banks mods...
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05-16-2011, 11:08 AM
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#12
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: K.C.
Posts: 11,731
M.O.C. #5980
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The neighborhood birds seem to like it, they peck it for hours and leave a nasty mess for me to clean up. I have never even looked at when hooking up. Wish it wasn't there. I have paper taped over it now, so the birds leave it alone.
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05-16-2011, 12:27 PM
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#13
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Montana Master
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Texico
Posts: 1,917
M.O.C. #6150
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I use mine to see how bad the gash in my head is after I bang it into the pin box. Other than that, it is of no use to me. I use the side mirrors for getting the truck centered with the trailer and just before the pin box contacts the hitch, I get out and raise or lower the trailer. The reflective tape is a good idea, but I would forget it was there. Too many years doing it the hard way I guess .
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05-16-2011, 12:43 PM
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#14
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Montana Master
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Kelowna
Posts: 1,475
M.O.C. #6237
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I don't use it. There is an indent on the front of my hitch that I line with the hitch pin using the rear view mirror.
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05-16-2011, 04:45 PM
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#15
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Seasoned Camper
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Libby
Posts: 98
M.O.C. #9080
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I use it because like Art I have a cover that I leave on when I am not packing the genny. I have put a piece of contrasting vinal tape at the center-point of the tailgate and another at the center-point of the truck bed. By the time I have centered on those two points I am pretty much lined up with the jaws and good to go.
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05-17-2011, 03:52 AM
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#16
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Montana Master
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Virginia Beach
Posts: 707
M.O.C. #6958
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I use it but I had to train myself. The easiest way was to stop turning around and use my rear view mirror to look at the mirror on the trailer. It gives you that extra height of eye instead of lifting yourself off the seat. I often hitch alone and it makes it a much quicker evolution.
__________________
Bill and Lisa Rearick
2023 Grand Design Reflection 367BHS
2020 GMC SIERRA 2500 Denali, 8 ft bed, SRW, Duramax Diesel w/10 speed Alison Transmission.
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05-17-2011, 03:58 AM
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#17
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Montana Master
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Land O Lakes
Posts: 2,783
M.O.C. #10246
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by stiles watson
I don't use the hitch mirror. Can't see anything. Just look out the back window and see the hitch clearly to hook up. I can see the king pin right into the hitch. That mirror is useless to me.
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Same here....
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05-17-2011, 07:23 AM
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#18
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Montana Master
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: sioux falls
Posts: 1,835
M.O.C. #2121
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We use ours to attract birds. They like to sit on the kingpin and peck at themselves in the mirror. Otherwise I line the kingpin up in the center of the back window, back up and hitch up. We have a level guage on the 5th wheel that we can set to the correct height when we unhook so that we can reset at that height when we're ready to hook up.
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05-17-2011, 04:18 PM
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#19
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Montana Master
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Shelburne
Posts: 688
M.O.C. #8693
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I think that the mirror is situated for the stock pinbox, not the extended pinbox of the Mor-Ryde hitch, so it just shows the top of our Mor-Ryde pinbox. I've been using the one-eye line-up in the rear-view mirror to eliminate the parallax error of two eyes. We have the simple remote and I use that to tweak the height of the pin before entering the slot.
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05-17-2011, 04:38 PM
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#20
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: South
Posts: 2,499
M.O.C. #5140
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I don't use it either. While we have a low profile tool box in our bed, we also added another tool box in front of the hitch that sits a bit above the line of sight for the king pin to hitch. So, I do what I always did by backing up to the king pin, then I get out and make sure that I am aligned right, then look at how much distance I need to traverse to get to where I like to have the king pin hit the hitch. I estimate the distance and look at the ground estimating the distance traveled and then check again. Okay, some times it takes me three times to get it right, but what the hey? No problemo! As for the mirror, the birds like to preen in front of it!
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