Rear View Camera Installation (wired)

[WhatExit?]

Anyone installed a wired Rear View Camera?

I'm going to install a Ford Aux Camera (with TPMS) system that will work with my factory display (which is why I'm going with wired). If you've installed a wired rear view camera I'd appreciate any input/tips you can provide.

I can run the wire under the trailer (unless there's a better, not too difficult route for it). My primary question is: How can I get the wire into the storage cabinet above the rear window? If I can get the wire/cable there I can drill a hole through the back wall of the 5'er and mount the camera bracket up high, below the existing wireless thingy that the factory installed.

The camera location I'm thinking of is just above the "T" in "MONTANA" in this pic...

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

[PhilC]

I installed it on my 3791 it was a little challenging to route the wiring harness. I went partially underneath and thru storage area. The Ford harness was about two feet short and I had add to it. Camera works only in reverse and every time you switch in and out you have to go and hit the aux button on the radio to turn it on. It’s a bit of a PIA when you are jockeying into a campsite or whatever. Adding NAVTV to your truck radio will allow the rear camera to be kept on while driving and shifting in and out of reverse.

Phil

[WhatExit?]

Originally Posted by PhilC

I installed it on my 3791 it was a little challenging to route the wiring harness. I went partially underneath and thru storage area. The Ford harness was about two feet short and I had add to it. Camera works only in reverse and every time you switch in and out you have to go and hit the aux button on the radio to turn it on. It’s a bit of a PIA when you are jockeying into a campsite or whatever. Adding NAVTV to your truck radio will allow the rear camera to be kept on while driving and shifting in and out of reverse.

Phil

Hi Phil, thanks for your post/info. How did you run the wire/cable to the camera - did you go up the ladder? Where and how did you mount the camera? It's the last 10 feet that I'm most concerned with. That's why I was hoping to somehow get the cable inside the coach and up into the over-rear-window storage compartment and pop back out to the camera.

I've installed NavTV F-50 so I'll be able to watch the cameras and it also remembers the last view so I don't have to keep hitting the on-screen button.

Thanks again

[PhilC]

If you look up my floor plan I have a raised living room in the rear so I ran underneath the trailer until I could get into rear storage area then up thru the cabinets on the rear wall of trailer. I drilled thru the trailer to exit right where the furrion camera mount is and mounted the camera in the same spot I modified the plastic from the furrion mount to fit over the Ford camera.
Also in the front you can fish an electrical snake thru the front of the generator compartment and come right out the pin box along with the seven way plug.

[WhatExit?]

Originally Posted by PhilC

If you look up my floor plan I have a raised living room in the rear so I ran underneath the trailer until I could get into rear storage area then up thru the cabinets on the rear wall of trailer. I drilled thru the trailer to exit right where the furrion camera mount is and mounted the camera in the same spot I modified the plastic from the furrion mount to fit over the Ford camera.
Also in the front you can fish an electrical snake thru the front of the generator compartment and come right out the pin box along with the seven way plug.

Thanks Phil! This is helpful for sure

[Carl n Susan]

I have worked on 2 installations, albeit on molded rear panels not the flat back you have. But I bet they are the same under the skin. Remove the rear clearance lights and brake light (we used the left one both times). You can then run a fish wire across the top at the marker lights and then down the back along side the rear window. It should come out at the coroplast where you can then run it along the frame or in the area above the coroplast.

[GregN]

I have a 2006, which I installed a rear and side cameras on. Mine is mounted on the rear cap just below the center clearance light. Several attempts to get the wire snake, behind the cap and down the inside of the cap to the corner, no luck.

My kitchen is in the rear, there are cabinets above the sink. So, this is how I got the wire to run where I needed it to go. Mounted the camera on the cap. Drill the hole for the wire. On the inside of the RV, inside the cabinet above the sink, I cut a small square access hole. I was able to get the wire from the camera. Then on the side of cabinet where I wanted the wire to run down under the cap, I cut another access hole.

After cutting that hole, I found out there was part of the frame that was blocking me from running the wire the original way.I attached a string to the wire snake and started it down the access hole. I had help at this time to let me know when to snake made it through.

Tied up the camera cable to the string and pulled it down through the cap. From there the cable is tucked up under the trailer to the front compartment.
My camera is powered through the camera cable. Which is connected to the two side cameras in the front compartment. From there a pigtail to the truck, wired to the duplexed behind the back seat.

Yes, I have holes in my cabinet, but you can not see them. I just put the piece I cut out, back up with some duck tape.

My cameras have a 3 foot cable that is connected to them with a screw on connection. That gets connected to the extension cable the runs to the front compartment. The extra cable from the camera is just rolled up and sits in the cabinet above the sink.

Now running the cable, the way you want to, another thought. How long is the cable coming off your camera?

I left the camera to cable extension connection up in the cabinet. Glad I did as the original camera had a malfunction and had to be replaced. Easy fix with the connection being in the cabinet. Just had to pull the old camera off, run the cable in and hook it back up.

Can the original camera be removed? If so just put the new one there. If you can not get a wire down under the cap, run it inside the cabinet, to the side and out the bottom of the cabinet. Down the corner and out the bottom. You could cover it with some channel cover for cable, something like this https://www.amazon.com/One-Cord-Chan...ler-Management

Hopefully this helps you.

[dieselguy]

Similar to other replies I've had a wired rear camera on my last two Montana's. Took out the center marker light, the top right marker light, and the brake light. You have to have a patience but you can get a wire between all three and then drop enough of the underbelly to use a fish tape to get it from the rear cap forward. I also ended up terminating it on the pin box along with the existing breakaway cable. If you just can't get it from the center running light over to the marker light just drill through the back wall of your cabinets above the rear window if you have them in simply run the wire inside those cabinets.

[WhatExit?]

Originally Posted by Carl n Susan

I have worked on 2 installations, albeit on molded rear panels not the flat back you have. But I bet they are the same under the skin. Remove the rear clearance lights and brake light (we used the left one both times). You can then run a fish wire across the top at the marker lights and then down the back along side the rear window. It should come out at the coroplast where you can then run it along the frame or in the area above the coroplast.

Thanks! But what is the "coroplast?"

If I understand it you're saying I can run a fish wire across the top from the center clearance light to the corner top marker light and then down to the brake light. And from there I run it down to the underside of the coach through/out at the coroplast (I assume that's the "stuff" that's the under-trailer liner?).

Originally Posted by GregN

I have a 2006, which I installed a rear and side cameras on. Mine is mounted on the rear cap just below the center clearance light. Several attempts to get the wire snake, behind the cap and down the inside of the cap to the corner, no luck.

My kitchen is in the rear, there are cabinets above the sink. So, this is how I got the wire to run where I needed it to go. Mounted the camera on the cap. Drill the hole for the wire. On the inside of the RV, inside the cabinet above the sink, I cut a small square access hole. I was able to get the wire from the camera. Then on the side of cabinet where I wanted the wire to run down under the cap, I cut another access hole.

After cutting that hole, I found out there was part of the frame that was blocking me from running the wire the original way.I attached a string to the wire snake and started it down the access hole. I had help at this time to let me know when to snake made it through.

Tied up the camera cable to the string and pulled it down through the cap. From there the cable is tucked up under the trailer to the front compartment.
My camera is powered through the camera cable. Which is connected to the two side cameras in the front compartment. From there a pigtail to the truck, wired to the duplexed behind the back seat.

Yes, I have holes in my cabinet, but you can not see them. I just put the piece I cut out, back up with some duck tape.

My cameras have a 3 foot cable that is connected to them with a screw on connection. That gets connected to the extension cable the runs to the front compartment. The extra cable from the camera is just rolled up and sits in the cabinet above the sink.

Now running the cable, the way you want to, another thought. How long is the cable coming off your camera?

I left the camera to cable extension connection up in the cabinet. Glad I did as the original camera had a malfunction and had to be replaced. Easy fix with the connection being in the cabinet. Just had to pull the old camera off, run the cable in and hook it back up.

Can the original camera be removed? If so just put the new one there. If you can not get a wire down under the cap, run it inside the cabinet, to the side and out the bottom of the cabinet. Down the corner and out the bottom. You could cover it with some channel cover for cable, something like this https://www.amazon.com/One-Cord-Chan...ler-Management

Hopefully this helps you.

Thanks! The Ford factory Aux Camera has a plug in the plastic camera housing so I can remove/replace it there.

Originally Posted by dieselguy

Similar to other replies I've had a wired rear camera on my last two Montana's. Took out the center marker light, the top right marker light, and the brake light. You have to have a patience but you can get a wire between all three and then drop enough of the underbelly to use a fish tape to get it from the rear cap forward. I also ended up terminating it on the pin box along with the existing breakaway cable. If you just can't get it from the center running light over to the marker light just drill through the back wall of your cabinets above the rear window if you have them in simply run the wire inside those cabinets.

Thanks! Sounds like I'll be spending some hours "fishing" in my 5th wheel trying to go from one light to another.

If I start with the center top marker light how will I get the camera cable from the camera mounting location up to the center market light? I assume I can drill in from the center top marker light into the cabinet (above the rear window) and then drill another hole from the planned camera mounting location into the cabinet and I can run the camera cable that way?

[dieselguy]

If the cabinets mount low enough to cover it... just drill a hole behind where you'll mount the camera thru the cabinet back. Inside the cabinet, run the cable inside the cabinets all the way over to the outer marker light and drill another hole behind the marker light into the cabinet. No use in making more work dealing with the center marker light.

On my 3150, I just drilled a 1/2" hole in the skin where I wanted the camera cable. I just fed the wire inside the rear wall up about a foot to the center marker light as there was no cross brace behind the skin. I was able to fish the wire from there over to the outer marker light, but running the cable inside the cabinet would have been easier in hindsight.

[Carl n Susan]

Originally Posted by WhatExit?

Thanks! But what is the "coroplast?"

Yup, coroplast is the black plastic material covering the bottom of the RV.

[WhatExit?]

Here's what I understand is the suggested path/route for the rearview camera wiring. Comments/suggestions?

[dieselguy]

Looks OK to me. Either totally inside the rear cap or part inside the rear overhead cabinets. I've heard tell of just attaching it to the rear ladder, but I almost bet you'd hear "dueling banjos" from the sound track of "Deliverance" mysteriously playing in the background.

[WhatExit?]

Originally Posted by dieselguy

Looks OK to me. Either totally inside the rear cap or part inside the rear overhead cabinets. I've heard tell of just attaching it to the rear ladder, but I almost bet you'd hear "dueling banjos" from the sound track of "Deliverance" mysteriously playing in the background.

I heard some whispers about zip tying the cable to the ladder. And something about mounting an "arm" to the ladder to get the camera into the center of the 5th wheel. And yup, I heard them banjos too...



Doing things right isn't always easy but it makes my OCD more manageable

[PhilC]

Exactly how I ran mine but inside the rear cabinets you won’t be able to fish it down thru that rear wall.

[WhatExit?]

Originally Posted by PhilC

Exactly how I ran mine but inside the rear cabinets you won’t be able to fish it down thru that rear wall.

So my question for the day is this - if you mounted your camera in the same general area shown by the star in my picture (above), how did you run the wire from the camera to inside the wall?

I need to run the wire from the camera on the route shown in yellow. How to get the wire from the camera up to the center marker light (inside the wall)?

I was thinking I'd drill a hole from the camera mounting location into the cabinet and then back out (actually drill a hole inside the center top marker light) and fish it over to the top corner marker light and then down.

[PhilC]

Here’s the way I route the wires . They are run thru the inside of cabinets then thru valance over tv and I drilled thru to the outside right where the furrion mount is on the outside. No wires are visible on the inside of trailer all concealed in the cabinets

[WhatExit?]

Sounds ideal but I have no idea how you ran the cable the length of the unit.

Any chance you’ll provide more details on how you did it? Thanks

[BuckandTeresa]

Yes, I did both on my new F250 truck in 2019.

I researched the Ford camera system and realized it would require drilling and fishing cables, something I have avoided since I personally rewired an entire three story Victorian home from the original 1910-installed wiring. The alternative was to have an unsightly cable wired somewhere on the outside of my brand-new trailer, also undesireable for me. It also was probable that the Ford cable was too short for my 3310 trailer, which is about 37 beeline feet from the camera wiring point to the socket on the rear of the truck.

I chose the wireless camera set from Furrion for ease of install, and gave up the in-dash display for a separate 7-inch display that came with the kit. If you can do simple things like remove phillips screws and twist wires together you can do the Furrion wireless transmitter camera wiring yourself. No sweat.

I bought the Ford TPMS system from the dealer. I wired the TPMS connection cable socket kit under the rear of the truck near the license plate (everything was there, but it took me some "cipherin' " to figure out how to replace the existing socket with the Ford TPMS/camera socket. The cable is about 25' long, and includes both the camera cable and the TPMS power cable. You will want to roll up the extra to secure it-- I was driving down the road and stopped to check something and saw the extra cable being dragged on the pavement. Gorilla Tape fixed that. The power cable that plugs into this socket on one end is hard-wired into the metal junction box at the trailer fifth wheel hitch pin area. I had Discount Tire put in my TPMS sensors that came from Ford into the wheels. For some reason, my dealer would sell the kit to me but would not touch my trailer. Discount Tire did a good job. I can't remember why, but shortly after they were installed one TPMS stopped working, and my Ford dealer accessories manager was kind enough to order me a whole new TPMS kit and give me whatever I needed. It has worked great for the last three seasons.

As far as the Furrion screen for the camera, I couldn't see very well due to ambient light when I tried to mount it on the dash. Another thing I noticed is the screen display is very view-angle dependent and is too dark unless you set it well below eye level. I made a block of two pieces of patio Trex, shaped them to fit the console opening on the driver's side, about five by five inches, glued them together, then screwed the suction mounting cup into the Trex. The block is pretty heavy, so the screen won't tip over. The custom shape to the console opening also stabilizes it. Now, the display isn't blocking my dash view, and the screen is very bright when looking down on it for a quick glance. Works well for me! Also, the microphone in the camera lets me hear my wife's instructions as I'm backing up. You can select the volume level or turn it off on the road by the touch-screen display.

The cameras are fish-eye type lenses, which work well for close objects, but slightly further away, like 50 yards, vehicles get so small they practically disappear. I bought the big kit with both side cameras as well. This was a mistake. I almost never use the side cameras, as the multi-camera view is useless (pictures too small). I almost always use it in full-screen rear camera view.

Another minor point-- if you select "AUTO" mode on your headlights switch, the camera is not powered. You must turn the switch to either "parking lights on" or "headlights on" so the mounting light fixture in back is powered.

I didn't fish any wires. Just replace the center light in back with the identically shaped Furrion camera. No hard-wired camera connection required between the camera and the truck.

[bcrvman]

Originally Posted by WhatExit?

Anyone installed a wired Rear View Camera?

I'm going to install a Ford Aux Camera (with TPMS) system that will work with my factory display (which is why I'm going with wired). If you've installed a wired rear view camera I'd appreciate any input/tips you can provide.

I can run the wire under the trailer (unless there's a better, not too difficult route for it). My primary question is: How can I get the wire into the storage cabinet above the rear window? If I can get the wire/cable there I can drill a hole through the back wall of the 5'er and mount the camera bracket up high, below the existing wireless thingy that the factory installed.

The camera location I'm thinking of is just above the "T" in "MONTANA" in this pic...

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

Either use the power in the factory camera or the lights above the factory camera, no need to go any further.