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Towing Mirror Trailer Width Calculation

Jerome10

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New to towing, and truck shopping. While I'm sure towing mirrors would be beneficial overall, I'm really wondering if they're truly necessary for my situation. Harder to find used trucks equipped with tow mirrors, but also I must have power folding function to fit in my garage.

So my question for the gurus here is: Is my thinking and my math correct on the following?

The enclosed cargo trailer I'm looking at has exterior width of 8' 0" (96"). Likely looking at a overall length of 15' max (I don't know if that includes tongue length)

5th gen ram width appears to be 82.1" without mirrors (6' 10") and with the standard mirrors in their extended position (hard to find exact specs, but saw on forum 96" mirror-to-mirror... may have to measure a truck) the width is 96" (8' 0").

So, if the mirror dimensions I found are correct, the mirrors will be exactly the same width as the trailer I'm looking to pull. So the question comes... do I NEED the towing mirrors?

I realize they don't really extend past the side of the trailer at all. But what about about adjusting the mirror angle outwards? So not looking right down the side of the trailer, but so that you can see more to the sides of the trailer without having the sides of the trailer in view? Seems that would work for changing lanes, but will I have issues backing the trailer? Do the little convex mirrors help me at all?

What if you consider the Blind Spot system that can take the trailer into account? Again, this only helps me for lane changes, right? Does nothing for backing the trailer?

And lastly, does there even exist a rearview TRAILER camera on the ram? So that I can attach a camera to the back of the trailer and have a constant display on the UConnect screen? Or (if Ram offers it) the new interior rearview mirrors where you flip the dimmer lever and it gives you a camera view rather than just a reflection? But it will show me the camera behind the trailer? Or does something like the 360 degree camera package give you the ability to attach a camera to the back of the trailer?

I'd hoped that the standard mirrors would be wide enough but I suspect that with standard mirrors exactly equal to trailer width, they're probably not sufficient? Or possibly sufficient if adjusted properly for lane changes but zero ability to see behind the trailer when backing?

Depending on the answers, I guess I have some more limitation to my truck search. Or maybe there is a way if you have power folding standard mirrors, I could retrofit the power folding towing mirrors?
 

Richard320

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Going through the Ram Body Builder Website, overall width with standard mirrors is 97.7." Trailer mirrors is 102.9."

I'd say you need the trailer mirrors. But before you start worryng about swapping mirrors, you ought to check and see if the truck you want can handle the trailer. There are many threads here where new owners discover to their horror that they have barely half a ton of cargp capacity, and the family uses up almost all of it, leaving an empty bed and a tongue weight of 100 lbs or so, meaning a trailer of 1000 pounds is it. Eight feet wide tells me its a pretty big trailer, maybe even a car carrier. That's going to mean a loaded trailer of 6-8000 lbs. If it's a toy hauler/camp trailer, probably even more.
 

cskindt

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Ram does offer a two-channel digital rear view mirror.
You're able to switch from the 3rd brake light rear view camera to the trailer mounted camera with the buttons on the mirror.

There's a thread about it here somewhere.

Edit



 
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Jerome10

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Going through the Ram Body Builder Website, overall width with standard mirrors is 97.7." Trailer mirrors is 102.9."

I'd say you need the trailer mirrors. But before you start worryng about swapping mirrors, you ought to check and see if the truck you want can handle the trailer. There are many threads here where new owners discover to their horror that they have barely half a ton of cargp capacity, and the family uses up almost all of it, leaving an empty bed and a tongue weight of 100 lbs or so, meaning a trailer of 1000 pounds is it. Eight feet wide tells me its a pretty big trailer, maybe even a car carrier. That's going to mean a loaded trailer of 6-8000 lbs. If it's a toy hauler/camp trailer, probably even more.

Thanks for the head's up. The capacities should be more than sufficient as it will really just be me in the truck, and I'm looking at I think max 5000lbs for the trailer. But keeping my eyes on payload too while truck shopping.

Thanks for the info on the mirror width!
 

Jerome10

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Ram does offer a two-channel digital rear view mirror.
You're able to switch from the 3rd brake light rear view camera to the trailer mounted camera with the buttons on the mirror.

There's a thread about it here somewhere.

Edit



Awesome! Will read through these threads. Really appreciate it!
 

Jerome10

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Follow up to the above.... I realized after making this thread that my understanding of the cargo trailer width is only partially correct.

The trailer width is 96" / 8' 0" wheel-to-wheel. But this is the type of cargo trailer where the wheels are the widest part and extend out past the main cargo box on the trailer with a fender. Above the wheels and fenders is much narrower, likely about 6' wide on the exterior.

Standard mirrors should be more than enough I think to see around a 6' wide trailer. The extra foot on each side for the wheels to stick out really won't matter for seeing behind me or to my sides.

Should make shopping easier!
 

Richard320

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Follow up to the above.... I realized after making this thread that my understanding of the cargo trailer width is only partially correct.

The trailer width is 96" / 8' 0" wheel-to-wheel. But this is the type of cargo trailer where the wheels are the widest part and extend out past the main cargo box on the trailer with a fender. Above the wheels and fenders is much narrower, likely about 6' wide on the exterior.

Standard mirrors should be more than enough I think to see around a 6' wide trailer. The extra foot on each side for the wheels to stick out really won't matter for seeing behind me or to my sides.

Should make shopping easier!
Truck width excluding mirrors is 79.9" So if the cargo box is 80" or less you should be fine
 

JF19Longhorn

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Not sure how much it helps, but the trailer I tow is 24x8 1/2. I can just see down the side of the trailer with the regular mirrors blindspot mirror.

The blindspot monitoring system works pretty well, as long as it's an actual vehicle next to the trailer and not a motorcycle riding right next to the back section of trailer.

I bought the trailer after the truck. I wasn't planning to upgrade to an enclosed, nor one this large, but the deal fell into my lap. My next truck will be a Heavyduty / Superduty with the appropriate mirrors.
 

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