with all of the high tech gadgets available to today’s consumer, it can be difficult to figure out which gadgets are of real benefit to us and which ones are nothing more than toys with large price tags. just look at all of the rear view cameras systems we can get for our vehicles. i mean, do you really need to watch “i love lucy” reruns while you’re driving 80 mph on a crowded freeway?
while you may not need satellite tv in your car, there is one type of camera and video system that can really get you out of a jam or tight spot, as it were. it’s called a rear view camera; the most convenient of these are hitch mounted, and they can literally save your life and vehicle. what the rear view hitch mounted camera does is feed live video into the cab digital cameras of your vehicle of your trailer, rv, or anything else you are towing. when you are not towing, the hitch camera can be used as a back up camera. as you can imagine, this system can prove to be invaluable.
another beautiful aspect of this modern day marvel is that the built-in color fashion rear view cameras can rotate 330 degrees to view anywhere that you want it to view. you can face it forward or turn it to view inside the cabin of your car. you can continuously record what happens in front of the car or inside the car. the car can be parked in the driveway and be recording what is going on outside of the car. is your teenage daughter “making out” with her boyfriend while you are asleep at 2 am? is the next door neighbor’s cat destroying your garden? is the six year old boy from next door terrorizing your cat?
there are several different types and styles of hitch cameras. most are priced under $250, but there are some pricey ones on the market. roadmaster has a compact system with a small, 3.5 inch monitor that can quickly be high performance camcorders set up on your dash or console. there is no heavy installation involved with this system, and the price is a little over $180. sky mall has a less expensive trailer camera. the monitor for this system attaches easily to your visor. there are even some systems available that have two cameras: one for the back of your vehicle and one for the front of your trailer.
the installation for each type of camera differs somewhat. some cameras install directly above the license plate which requires a little drilling and cutting. other cameras only take a few bolts and attach directly to your trailer hitch. after you have mounted the camera, it’s only a matter of running the wiring into the cab of the vehicle. with most systems, there is not a spy camera whole lot of installation that is involved with the monitor. the monitor for car accessories is removable and merely sits on or attaches temporarily to a surface near the driver’s seat. remember; knowing what is going on behind you while you are carrying a heavy load can save your life.