Towing Mirrors

Towing Mirrors

Towing mirrors are extremely important and as usual it is a minefield, and yes we have made the usual boo boos! You can of course take a chance on safety and fit nothing to your vehicle as the Chalet and A'van are not that wide. We feel this is a bad idea as the other types do give you more rearwards vision. The law states that you MUST be able to see down the sides of the van, There are four approaches. The most common and cheapest is to attach extension mirrors to your exiting ones. Next there is the external fender type - more expensive but more stable. Then you have a relatively new type called the Enzo Magnetic Mirror. Lastly there is the right across the bonnet type. These are very stable yet you do have to store the gear somewhere when stopped. You really do not need the last two types with a camper as they usually aren't 8 foot wide.

The el-cheapo mirror above is one of several on the market and in our opinion a total waste of money. This one came from Autobarn. This unit was only used for a couple of months yet all screws are "melting" away with rust. Fitting is difficult and it must be adjusted every time. It tends to shake and blur VERY badly. One A'vanner has "super glued" all the joints and claims this eliminates setting up each time. The attachment method is atrocious and could eventually damage your car mirror - remember your car mirror assembly costs $300.00 plus! Cost of this mirror is around $20.00.

The two photos above show the best we could find of the "rubber band" type of strap on mirrors. You still get the shaking and they take longer to fit - cost around $24.00 each. These two are 12 months old and not rotting away like the el-cheapos.

The Ora ones shown above are without doubt the best of the clamp on type money can presently buy, but they are still far from perfect. We currently use this system - made in Italy. Set up is a breeze - hook on the bottom, twist the top, do up two large nuts by hand. They are almost as blur free as your normal mirrors. Removal also takes 30 seconds. We find they tend to stay adjusted if handled gently. They are available singularly or as a pair.

The picture (above left) shows the surface damage being done to the back of the towing vehicle's mirror. You could trick this up when you go to sell without too much effort. This is with only about 35 uses. The top right shows the "suction" caps. One has fallen off and the other has got a crease in it. All they do is keep the straps off your car mirror. The photo on the right shows how the main arm holding the Ora mirror is starting to pit, as it appears just to be mild steel cadmium plated. These mirrors would be just about perfection material wise if stainless steel was used for this part. Everything else is top quality.

Ours are only six months old, so the finishes should not be starting to deteriorate - a bit worrying as they are stored indoors off the vehicle most of the time! The blurb states that they are made from "corrosion resistant materials" - hmmm! The nut inserts are solid brass. The rubber suction caps to stop car mirror damage just don't work as they are just too fiddly and tend to fall off and get lost. They are listed as a spare part. The clamp straps DO mark your car mirror backs, but you could probably clean this up when you go to sell your vehicle.

Apart from the blemishes mentioned above the only problem we have had is deflecting when approached by high speed trucks on narrow roads. This does give you a huge fright the first time it happens as the mirrors bang flat onto the side of your tow vehicle! Oddly enough no mention is made of this on the website or on the packaging - a little bit naughty! Another rather odd thing is the fact that this has NEVER been reported in the popular caravan press. If you enquire further with Ora they advise you that there is an "accessory" available to solve this problem. It consists of an arm with a large magnetic pad with a soft surface to avoid paint damage. The sad part is that this accessory costs $2.00 MORE than a stand-alone mirror making the complete set up very expensive. A'vanners Neil and Bev Louer have fitted them if you would like another opinion. The photos above show the arms fitted on their Camry Vienta. Cost for the mirrors is around $62.00 each from Carac or Camec. You wont find them in auto parts stores. Ads in Caravan World list other sources. At present we recommend them as the best currently available - remember though that they are still not perfect. Ora do have an Australian website at www.oraproducts.com.au Camec also have a unit called Visionplus and there is a rough drawing on their page. These units are made by Wheelmasters and they clamp onto the door and clip under the sill. We haven't come across any on the road yet and there is no info on the net as yet.

The photos above show the nifty Enzo Magnetics also marketed by Ora in Australia. These are much more expensive than the clip on type - expect to pay around $300.00. Extra stability is gained by using a large magnetic pad. This according to the blurb does not mark your paintwork. It is doubtful if you would need to go to these with a Chalet or A'van. The pictures above came from the Ora Australia website - we haven't come across an A'vanner or Chalet owner using them as yet. You can get more info by email from:- info@oraproducts.com.au

Bob Eustace