Mirrors

[ricknaz]

Hello all,
Just bought a 2021 3500 Laramie DRW to go full time RV living.
6.7 HO, Aisin tranny. Pulls my new 2023 Solitude 382WB no problem.
It has the Max Tow pkg, Towing Tech Group B pkg and the Level A Equipment Group pkg.
Nice truck.
It doesn't have extended mirror's, and am unable to see the rear of my trailer. I am trying to figure a way to either replace the mirrors or get some
attachable extender mirrors.
Has anyone run into this problem?
Thanks for any advice you may have.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

You don't have the tow mirrors? FWIW, mirrors that stick out far enough to see the rear of the trailer are going to be really, really wide. I can't see the rear of mine, and haven't ever been able to. Not a problem.

 

[trailrydr]

Wide angle RV rear camera works best for me ... along with my OEM truck outside mirrors. My teloscopic wide truck mirrors see maybe the side of my RV. But the RV is so long that not sure I still wouldnt use my RV rear cam to ensure I cleared if in question.

 

[ricknaz]

Yeah, I guess I should get a rear RV camera. I am prepped for it but haven't installed one yet.

 

[Calbar]

Hello all,
Just bought a 2021 3500 Laramie DRW to go full time RV living.
6.7 HO, Aisin tranny. Pulls my new 2023 Solitude 382WB no problem.
It has the Max Tow pkg, Towing Tech Group B pkg and the Level A Equipment Group pkg.
Nice truck.
It doesn't have extended mirror's, and am unable to see the rear of my trailer. I am trying to figure a way to either replace the mirrors or get some
attachable extender mirrors.
Has anyone run into this problem?
Thanks for any advice you may have.

I have the tow mirrors and can't see the back of my 378MBS either but it would be worse if you don't have the tow mirrors which seems off to me for the RAM 3500 DRW. I wasn't able to get the power fold mirrors due to the COVID supply chain issues so I had the dealer agree to pay for after market ones. We get these from Boost Auto so you may want to look them up for good quality tow mirrors. I also have the original factory tow mirrors that I might be looking at selling if you would be interested, just don't know what shipping costs would be.

Rob

 

[ricknaz]

I have the foldable mirrors and they measure out to 17" from the door. They also have the cameras on them.
Are these considered tow mirrors?

 

[Hoopy Frood]

If they fold up and have the two piece mirrors, then yes, they are the tow mirrors. What part of the rear of the trailer are you concerned with?

 

[trailrydr]

If they fold up and have the two piece mirrors, then yes, they are the tow mirrors. What part of the rear of the trailer are you concerned with?

Not sure about the OP, but some folks have depth perception issues - cant tell distance of "others" very well when passing or backing up. I know when I started wearing my glasses in my late 50's my depth perception became skewed from the slight magnification of my lenses With a rear camera, it makes it easier to determine when objects are passed or near.

 

[ricknaz]

My first time towing a rig like this and just wasn't sure what I should be able to see in the mirrors.
Unable to see directly behind me which I know the mirrors wouldn't help me see that, so a camera would allow me to see behind me.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

Yes, I agree. Which was why I finally broke down and mounted a camera at the rear of the trailer. It really is handy, and makes knowing when to pull back in a bit easier. But after a while and enough miles and time, you do kind of get a feel for when it is okay to pull back in after passing someone.

 

[trailrydr]

...... you do kind of get a feel for when it is okay to pull back in after passing someone.

LOL.... especially when you abruptly stop from backing or hiting an object!

 

[ajg617]

Rear RV camera well worth it, especially in traffic. After last year, I don't ever want to see the rear of my RV in my tow mirrors again - spring disconnected and trailer not tracking straight.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

Rear RV camera well worth it, especially in traffic. After last year, I don't ever want to see the rear of my RV in my tow mirrors again - spring disconnected and trailer not tracking straight.

Yeah, that would not have been fun.

 

[Tom Traveler]

I have the foldable mirrors and they measure out to 17" from the door. They also have the cameras on them.
Are these considered tow mirrors?

Is it possible that your mirrors have a feature that you are not aware of? On our 2022 DRW, the 17" extension is in the "non-tow" position. Our mirrors roll out, from horizontal to vertical, and extend out to about 24" inches from the door, letting me see all the way down both sides of our 43 ft. 380FL.

As your mirrors also power fold and have the cameras, I would think they should have the roll-out tow-mode feature.

We have the memory seat/mirrors feature. I have set Driver 1 for the non-tow position settings and Driver 2 for the two position settings. After hooking up, I flip the mirrors and hit the 2 button. This doesn't leave a memory setting for my wife, but she doesn't drive that much.

 

[ricknaz]

I thought I went through all the controls for the mirrors and didn't see that option, but I will double check. Thanks

 

[Calbar]

I thought I went through all the controls for the mirrors and didn't see that option, but I will double check. Thanks

The mirror rolling or tilting out is a manual function at least on mine. If you look at this Amazon site this is what your mirrors should do which gives you the extra length for towing. I still don't see all the way to the back of my trailer though. Just been towing for a number of years and know where the other vehicle is in my mirror when it is safe to pull back in.

https://www.amazon.ca/Paragon-Towing-Mirrors-2010-18-Dodge/dp/B07TZ6GPX4/ref=asc_df_B07TZ6GPX4/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=335393254942&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5058626858527924618&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001033&hvtargid=pla-805120433260&psc=1&mcid=cebbe52c54bf31d5ac3e64adb643546d

Rob

 

[traveldawg]

fwiw....
Solitudes are wide body so it is even harder to see down the side; especially the PS which is just about useless. The wider body, even tho only about 6", is much different than the standard size trailers I've had.

Like most folks said: you kind of get use to it. And, like others, my rear view camera on the trailer is my best asset when passing and gauging when it is safe to pull back in. Gone are the days when folks (truckers mostly) would flash their lights to give you and 'all clear'.

 

[ajg617]

I thought I went through all the controls for the mirrors and didn't see that option, but I will double check. Thanks

On our 2020, I have to manually rotate them vertically so that the convex mirror is on the bottom rather than the outside. That gives me 24" vs. 17". Didn't think about setting the Driver 1/2 for the different mirror settings. DW doesn't drive it either. The standard mirrors automatically adjust based upon Driver settings and position of the mirror, but the convex mirror does not so the Driver 1/2 settings make sense.

 

[ricknaz]

Ahh... manually. Just checked them and sure enough they fold out. Great!
Learn something everyday of my life.
Thanks so much for all of your help! Whew!!
Now to invest in a camera. Are they difficult to install?

 

[ajg617]

Ahh... manually. Just checked them and sure enough they fold out. Great!
Learn something everyday of my life.
Thanks so much for all of your help! Whew!!
Now to invest in a camera. Are they difficult to install?

I put a Furrion on it because that's what the mount was made to accept. There are other options - the Furrion image quality isn't the best and some complain about the monitor freezing which has happened to us a couple of times (it's a wireless camera) but it's worked for me . A couple of screws and connect the cable.