Tow mirror solution needed!

[tucsoncarol]

I'm not sure any help is to be had, but what could it hurt to ask (I keep getting the same advise from my brother-in-law over and over and.....)?

Some of you may have noted from my other posts that my hubby is 6'6" tall. I'm 5'6". Even my math allows that to be a full foot difference. The trouble is that with the McKesh mirrors that we have, there is no way to adjust them to serve both of us. When we switch drivers we have to adjust the mirrors A LOT. We find that adjusting them so often makes them impossible to steady sufficiently. They jiggle. They fall out of adjustment. They make me seasick. I give up and leave them adjusted to him.

We are wondering if another type of mirror might be better. What about the sleeve ones that just pull over your regular mirrors like gloves? What about the fully adjustable, re-mortgage you house to afford, after market installed to replace your regular mirrors?

Has anyone found a better solution than buying another set of McKesh mirrors and adjusting one to him and one to me and just changing them out as needed(my brother-in-law's advise)? Wow, typing that in made me realize that his idea really is a good one, maybe I just can't hear it from him. Any other good ideas?

I am sure someone will assist sooner, but if not: we have the same problem with adjustments even though there is not that big a difference in our mutual stature. My "sleeve-type" mirrors will not be here until Friday. I can let you know how those work for two different people late Saturday or Sunday latest hopefully.

tucsoncarol,
You don't mention the type of tow vehicle you have. I can endorse the CIBA "sleeve-type" mirrors. I bought my first set for our 1992 Ford Aerostar Van, which we used to tow our 1998 TM. Then we moved up to a 1997 Ford F-150 and bought a set to fit it. When we bought the 2000 Ford F-150 4x4, we used the same mirrors that we bought for the 97. So, what I am telling you is that we have about 8 years experience with them and continue to be very happy with them.

The strongest point is that you can adjust your regular mirrors to suit the driver (usually power mirrors on today's TV) and leave the "sleeve-type" mirrors set for whomever. If you add convex mirrors to the "sleeve-type" you'll get a panaramic view out of that portion of the mirror set for a wider view that should work for both of you. The downside to the convex add-on is that you will find it difficult to look down the road behind you to see any details, or when backing. However, when backing, I use my stock mirrors, relying on DW to stay within my view as she provides backing direction for me.

Happy travels.

Carol,

I have the McKesh mirrors and struggle with them as well. The toughest thing is that my wife is unable to adjust them due to her hand strength at this time. So I have to get in the drivers seat, look at alignment, run over to the far side, adjust it, go back to the drivers seat and do it over and over until I have an acceptable condition.

The mirrors should be adjusted so you can move them without the bolt coming loose. By that, I mean the bold under the mirror that goes thru the arm should be quite tight. Use a good wrench on it so it can't come loose. Then the screws under the swivel ball at the top of the same bolt (bottom of the mirror) should be just tight enough so the mirror stays in position. You should be able to shift the mirror on the ball without the nut below coming loose. I attached a photo pointing the items described.

If this doesn't solve your problem, get back on the forum with more explanation of your difficulty and we will try again. Although mine jiggle more than the OEM mirrors, I can make out the image in the mirror.

[YWORRYDOG]

You are all treading on dangerous ground. The Mckesh lovers will bash you. I posted way back how we use this: http://www.tow-n-see.com/ The Mckesh are still hanging in the garage. We use these for the same reasons that you don’t like the Mckesh, we can adjust them with the power mirrors. Yes they are a lot smaller, but work for us.

[Bill]

Chuck -

No one will bash anyone. However, as has been discussed, the left and right tow mirrors have to be spread far enough apart, center-to-center, to allow the driver to see down each side of the TM. And preferably the sight lines should converge somewhere behind the trailer, so you have a chance of seeing if there is anything behind you.

The TM is 91" wide. Getting the mirrors spread this far apart is easy if the tow vehicle is wide. But if the tow vehicle is narrow, you have a harder time. Your Silverado is a fairly wide vehicle, so you don't need long mirrors. But a minivan is 8"-10" narrower than your Silverado. Mirrors that extend farther than the Tow-and-See are a must. And to my knowledge, no one has identified a satisfactory long-reach mirror other than the McKesh.

Bill

[fcatwo]

We have only a 6" heigth difference to deal with and setting the McKesh mirrors in the middle so I have to lean forward a bit to see and Fran has to do just the opposite works for us. Should mention that power extension morrors are not available for the Toyota Tundra.

If available for your TV, a pair of the spendy extendable power mirrors would seem to be your best (only?) alternative. This can't be the first time that having so much husband has cost you money :-).

We have the same problem with the McKesh mirrors (see my sig for my opinion).

I have been researching off and on form 9 months. The only thing that looks acceptable is http://www.ttt-mirror.com/ but at around 500 dollars I would really like to see them before I buy them. The closest dealer is 2 hours away.

Since I do nearly all the driving, the adjustability is not YET a big issue. However, the McKesh mirror vibration is unacceptable to me. I expect to be able to read a license plate in the mirror and the vibration prevents that. Maybe I am just too picky. My stock mirrors work very well, but they do not extend out far enough.

We use the CIPA "sleeve" type slide-ons on our Chevy Suburban when towing. They go on in five minutes and work fine at a good price (about $50 - $60). I check the regular mirrors first (including small round convex stick-on), then a quick look at the outer CIPA to see who or what is right behind me.

About a year ago there was a thread started by one of our members who was experimenting with a video camera mounted to show a rear view behind the TM. If he was able to devise a workable camera mount position and video connections, the monitor inside his tow vehicle would require little adjustment for drivers of different heights. I don't recall the name of this thread's author (and am too lazy to search for the thread )

If you're the guilty party and are still out there, would you please give us an update on your installation.