Mirrors for towing???

[timbott]

I have just got back today from my Caravan's maiden voyage, in my ownership anyway, and although I did a mirror lash up to get me by, they did shake around rather a lot and were pretty useless at any thing other than low speed.

Can anyone recommend any type of mirrors for towing with a series Landy. I am looking for a pair that fit rigidly to the doors, and not strap on to the normal door mirrors 'cos I don't have any permanently fitted.

Of course ease of removal is also important to me as towing mirrors and greenlaning expeditions don't mix too well:hahaha:

cheers, Tim

[Michelle]

Have you considered bonnet mounted ones?

They are designed similar to the ones that used to mount on the door and be held down by a bungee rope

I have a set of these and find them very stable. However I always had terrible trouble adjusting the offside one, I think it's because I was towing things twice the height of my little old crown (haven't used them on the landy yet)

http://www.aroundoz.com/images/august_2001/newbie/mirror_1.jpg

[Newsreader]

Tim,
I used to have Sherpa mirrors on mine which were rubbish, even when not towing. I put genuine series ones on and they were worse. Then I fitted a set of Defender mirrors - they fitted fine to the door hinges on mine anyway - and they are very good.

They have two 'positions', closer in to the vehicle for normal driving, and wider out for towing (thanks Lighting90 for pointing that out to me:p ) and they give good visibility with the horse box anyway... don't know if they would be wide enough out for your caravan though.

Alternatively, do what most of em up the A90 seem to, with no special mirrors:

1. pull out while chatting and pointing out the lovely scenery
2. have a look in the rear view to check no-ones demolished the van
3. signal because you accidentally hit the indicator stalk pouring another coffee from the flask:goofylook

[Otter]

I bought a set of extra clip on mirrors for the 90. After one use decided that the standard Defender mirrors were more than up to the job.

[Spacemutt]

Luton bodied LDV's have standard Land Rover mirrors with longer arms. Good if you can find a scrapped one.

[timbott]

Originally posted by Bernie Hayden
Then I fitted a set of Defender mirrors - they fitted fine to the door hinges on mine anyway - and they are very good.

The only prob I have with this is that the bolts that fasten my top door hinges to the bulkhead have sort of become part of the bulkhead over the years and major surgery would be required to sort it out:Cross:

Or do they attach to the door end of the hinge? In which case no prob.

cheers, Tim

[paul thomas]

Hi
The mirrors on mine do the same as a defender, and have two positions.Not sure what they are off of but look like landie items.Work well when towing my caravan. Nd they door fix to the door side of the hinge.
Cheers Paul
I will have a look in daylight to try and find out what they are.

[timbott]

Originally posted by paul thomas
Hi
The mirrors on mine do the same as a defender, and have two positions.Not sure what they are off of but look like landie items.Work well when towing my caravan. Nd they door fix to the door side of the hinge.
Cheers Paul
I will have a look in daylight to try and find out what they are.

Thanks for that Paul. I will go to my local source of bits on the way home from work tomorrow and have a look at their parts books.

cheers, Tim

[Newsreader]

Originally posted by timbott
The only prob I have with this is that the bolts that fasten my top door hinges to the bulkhead have sort of become part of the bulkhead over the years and major surgery would be required to sort it out:Cross:

Or do they attach to the door end of the hinge? In which case no prob.

cheers, Tim
Tim, same as mine! The mirrors attach to the door end of the hinge. They have a plate which you fit behind the hinge plate. Mine needed a lot of force to undo the screws, with my favourite tool the impact driver. IIRC they go into a captive nut on the other side, so once you've freed the screw it's simple.

I *believe* my mirrors are 'Britax' but they are definitely the Defender type and do a very good job.

HTH!
:)

[OldFart]

Tim .......its not even a captive nut, its a just a metal tab that the door screws screw into, a good impact screw driver with some heat applied beforehand should shift em.
Once out i'd replace the metal tab and put new screws in. If you dont have the hinges to take the Defender mirror (which screws onto the hinge from the inside) they are easily obtainable from
Mastora (www.mastora.com)
I'm off to Newcastle just now but will post piccys later :)

[timbott]

Originally posted by OldFart

I'm off to Newcastle just now but will post piccys later :)

Pics would be appreciated at I'm getting very confused as to which end of the door hinges we are talking about:goofylook

As for the hinge screws into the bulkhead, I tried the impact driver and heat a couple of years ago when Landy was still under renovation and they ain't goin' nowhere:Cross: The screwhead was just getting damaged so I gave up before I snapped the screw into the bulkhead. I think I will just leave well alone until forced to do something about it. If the mirrors have to be attached to the bulkhead hinge bolts, as opposed to the door hinge bolts, I think I may have to improvise and bolt directly to the door top somehow.

cheers, Tim

[OldFart]

Me again :D


Righty Oh.....just took these piccys, fortunately Lucy's drivers door aint fitted yet, Tim ...you dont need to take the screws out that go into the bulkhead...but you will need to undo the ones that screw into the door as its inside that part of the hinge that the mirror base is secured from......

[OldFart]

Here's the bulkhead and maybe you can just make out the metal tabs that the screws go into that amazingly take the weight of the door .....
I believe you can drill the holes in the hinge for the mirror base plate if they're not already there....

[Fettler]

O/F what mirrors do you use on your disco?

i used the rubber strap ones last year, but had one smashed so after a new set for this season.

cheers

Dean

[OldFart]

Originally posted by Fettler
O/F what mirrors do you use on your disco?



Had these for a few years now, no probs except in exceptionaly high wind...

[Fettler]

Thanks O/F

What service.....pics and all

Cheers
:band:

[timbott]

Thanks for them piccies O/F, I hadn't thought about doing it that way but seems sensible now I've seen it. I will have to drill holes in the hinges to do it that way but that should be no prob as I can whistle the door nuts and bolts apart no prob but the bulkhead ones ain't going to budge.

cheers, Tim

[DEANO3528]

My mate had the Def mirrors on his 2a. When he was towing, rather thanputting extra mirrors on, he used to push them out at the top so they were on a diagonal. No probs seeing behind then.

[timbott]

Originally posted by timbott
I will have to drill holes in the hinges to do it that way

No I won't!!! I had a look at my hinges on my way out to work this morning and the holes are already there:yay:

cheers, Tim

[si_guru]

Just an idea.

If you have Defender style mirrors you could fit the mirrors from a Rapier - which I think have longer arms.

SG

[Bull_Bar_Cowboy]

Lurking mode off … and posting mode on :bigwave:

A Defender is (I believe) 5 inches wider then a series ….. when pulling our Elddis Mistral pikey wagon, even with my defender, and mirrors on their widest setting, the rear view was marginal to say the least. OK whilst in the UK, but bluddy dangerous on French & German motorways :Cross:

The answer for me was to use the nearside mirror arm off of a wolf … LR make them longer coz the wolf spare wheel is up on the side. Cant remember the part number , but they were easy to source.

The 85% rule is excellent for the beginner & towing with a normal car, however, with the trailer (insert Caravan) properly loaded, and the stabiliser set up correctly, the 85% can go to 100% and still be very safe in the hands of a competent experienced driver :angel2: but how many times have you guys seen,

1) Nose high towing …. .. a recipe for unpredictable instability :Cross:

2) Obviously grossly overloaded caravan …….. a recipe for lateral instability when near HGV’s & crosswinds:Countdown

3) When instability occurs … the driver bangs on the brakes ! ……… then the caravan overtakes the towing vehicle:icecube:


Ian


V8EFI 90 TruckCab
03 MINI Cooper S

[Spacemutt]

Originally posted by Bull_Bar_Cowboy

The answer for me was to use the nearside mirror arm off of a wolf …

Which is the same as fitted to Luton bodied LDV vans. ;)

[Bull_Bar_Cowboy]

:hahaha: ...... that's why they were easy to source then.


On a different note,

We are Caravan Club Members, and even today it still has that sort of G&T air about it. When we pull onto a club site with 90 truckCab (V8, lifted, winch, southdown, snorkel, solid plate guards, spotlights, etc) you can literally see all the caravan curtains twitching with peeps thinking, "by golly, I hope THAT isn’t going to pitch anywhere near me" !! :buck:


Ian


V8EFI 90 TruckCab
03 MINI Cooper S

[DEANO3528]

Hyacinth Bucket....sorry Bouquet, is alive and well and living in a caravan......


O/F
Those mirrors look the same as the ones I bought at Billing a couple of years back for about 7 quid. Work well enough and better than std RR ones.