Hi all,

Looking for a reversing camera and screen for our 3.5ton Luton work van. Where’s best for good balance of functionality/quality/cost? I assume it has to be wired due to the distance between camera and cab?

Thanks,
Duane.

I just got the cheapest wireless one off eBay and it worked fine for a while in my LWB vivaro (I reckoned wireless would be easier than running a wire that distance). It did stop working after a while but I was more comfortable with reversing by then so didn’t try to fix. New van has sensors so I don’t need a camera.

I have a cheapo eBay special in my van. Cost ~£30 came with camera, LCD screen and decent length wiring. Picture quality is good and just as well as the one in the expensive BMW 535 hire car I used. It has static warning lines unlike the BMW one which moves as you turn the steering wheel but does the jobs fine. It has IR LEDs built into the camera so also works in bad/dim lighting too.

Cant find the exact link to mine but this one looks like it has the same camera as mine, bigger screen and is wireless to range of 50m, would think it should do the job fine?

I am intrigued as to what a camera does that is safer/less likely to bump?

I got mine from here: Reversing Cameras UK

As far as I can remember I went with these:

Screen: http://www.reversingcamerasuk.com/5-inch-suction-mount-monitor.html
http://www.reversingcamerasuk.com/ccd-pal-bracket-camera-with-rca-connectors.html

It’s been great. Excellent day and night time vision. Always impressed with how bright the image looks even at dusk. It’s wired into the reversing light so comes on automaticall. You will prob need to get an extension cable for a van.

Give them a call. It’s what they do so they can advise. Mines been in for at least 5 years, maybe more as I can’t remember and has never been a problem.

Would rather pay a bit extra than have to replace. Same reason I don’t buy Britpart parts.

I am intrigued as to what a camera does that is safer/less likely to bump?

Is there a single thread here that doesn’t get a sanctimonious and unhelpful answer within minutes?

Anything that makes reversing something you can’t see out of the back of slightly safer for £30 is probably worth it.

I assumed they must have meant safer than another camera. I did hit a bollard dead centre in my first van when trying a quick three-point turn in a stressful situation. Could have been a baby robin’s face. Would have preferred if it had been, actually, cos it would have been more likely to get out the way than the bollard. That was what prompted me to finally get round to fitting the camera.

I got a cheap kit off eBay and the screen stopped working after a few months. They refused to replace it so I just bought another kit, £19 and if it’s breaks again I’m going to get a better screen.

In terms of the need for a camera, I am now confident with the camera to squeeze into parking space I wouldn’t attempt without it.

I’ve only got a SWB Vivaro so it only takes the same space up as a large car, but knowing how far back you can go is really helpful.

matt_outandabout – Member
I am intrigued as to what a camera does that is safer/less likely to bump?

Not sure what you mean. Can you clarify?

Flaperon – Member

Is there a single thread here that doesn’t get a sanctimonious and unhelpful answer within minutes?

Apologies if you thought I was being rude. Not intended.

As someone who ran a fleet of minibuses with a variety of trailers, run on rural roads and tight spaces, and taught (often young) drivers to use them up to and through a PCV test every year, I have some experience here.

In my experience most bumps were down to all sorts of factors, rarely reversing into something through not seeing directly behind. Most reversing bashes were the sides of vehicles.

We had control measures like our yard and harbours had clear markings and bays, with ‘bump stops’ for rear wheels. The regular car parks had agreed turning spaces. A few sites *had* to have a banksman. We never reversed into a passing place – you go back past it and drive in forwards. We had rear wheelarch markings for the distance to back of van for drivers assistance. We taught drivers to be able to reverse properly and skilfully. We stayed on top of ‘enthusiastic’ driving very firmly.

As I think about it, in 5 years across 17 vehicles and 40 odd drivers, I cannot think of an incident that a camera would have prevented. Most incidents were either other vehicles/objects hitting us or drivers not doing as trained – and a camera wouldn’t stop that.

In having a screen I think I may be more focussed on that and miss the ‘front swing’ or some such similar. As ever, each control measure brings a new risk.

edit: a typical set up for us.

If I’m trying to reverse park something large, a reversing camera to know how much space you have behind you is very helpful

I drove a massive Peugeot something, the really big van. The camera/screen meant I knew exactly what was behind me and where it was, and how far back I could reverse

It’s just a nice, useful bit of modern tech (that’s really not that advanced!)

Very handy for reversing onto a tow hitch single handed.
Nice for parking too.
Brigade are who most of the truckers use for the FORS kits.
Possibly on the expensive side compared to Ebay.

If I’m trying to reverse park something large, a reversing camera to know how much space you have behind you is very helpful

We did this with a bit of tape on the wheelarch.

Tape works but you have to know how to use it. Camera just works. There is nothing wrong with your method but as you say it requires training. As noted above the camera works well while you are not used to the vehicle

there was a wired ebay camera and monitor in my van when i got it, camera failed, replaced it for £12. Bought another camera at the same time and wired it up into same monitor as a rear-view camera, probably benefit more from it than from the parking camera

Fair point.

As stated, I still not seeing how a camera will (significantly) prevent poor driving or the damage I saw…

I will get off my sanctimonious and unhelpful horse and back out.

We did this with a bit of tape on the wheelarch.

What if it’s narrower than the back of the van? Like a post or motorcycle

What if it’s narrower than the back of the van?

Why would a trained member of staff reverse into a space they had not checked by driving by or getting out and looking at?

I will get off my sanctimonious and unhelpful horse and back out.

Great, now I feel guilty… 😉

I once reversed a Luton van over the bonnet of a car which had driven right up behind me on a Devon road that frequently required reversing to a passing space. The car behind tucked itself in so tightly that it wasn’t visible in the mirrors and didn’t sound the horn until my van was sitting on his bonnet.

Camera would have stopped that. Mind you, so would reversing sensors but in a van they’re not desperately helpful as cars tend to have stereo cueing.

BTW, if you get a camera make sure you get one that lets you mirror the image on the display or you’ll get a pounding headache flipping it in your head.

Rear vision on a van is limited, yet important, shirley?

Cameras improve rear vision, shirley?

That’s good, shirley?

It’s places like supermarket carparks that worry me the most, with pedestrians wandering around randomly. Yes you can try to plan ahead and minimise reversing but things don’t always work out like you’d hoped. I am sure you are right that most accidents are caused by errors other than reversing into things, but I’m also sure that a camera can help with some of those situations.

Someone reversed their van straight at me on a bike not so long ago. (on a main road, in a traffic queue). Only came back a foot or so but it was quite alarming enough!

Great, now I feel guilty…

Success 😈 😆

There are two different groups of people in this world.those who have got and use reversing cameras in big vehicles and surfmatt.

Yes it can be done without and by sticking bits of tape here and there….. But the ability to stick it within an inch of a wall each and every time without having to get out and check at all is priceless. Also helps with keeping an eye on the overhang swing when pulling out of. A space how ever that little transit won’t have an issue it’s hardly got an overhang 🙂

And the number one tip top reason for a reversing camera is…. When hooking up the trailer you can position the ball directly under the hitch accurately every time and only need to lower it instead of trying to pull it into place.

As for minimising reversing ……. Why ? If it needs doing it needs doing…. A camera makes it both easier and safer. What’s not to like. You’ll only miss front swing if your not driving properly…. You still have to look around it’s no different to looking in your mirror…

Saves me having to carry an inflatable banksman when I find my self in tight forestry carparks on my own…..

Mines the 30 quid eBay special wired one. . I added 2 28watt led reversing lights so that I can see everything behind me as it’s not great in low lights

Should add that unlike most I have use on cars mines is fitted to the roof and looks directly downwards from 2.7m Which I find much more useful than looking directly backwards from a low vantage such as a number plate surround

How does tape on the wheel arch help?

I have one on mine, but also run it on a switch so I can use as a rear view mirror occasionally, useful for seeing what the motorbike trailer is up to on drives as I can’t see it at all behind the Boxer.

jairaj – Member
How does tape on the wheel arch help?

The idea is: put a line of bright tape of some kind on the ground.

With a helper/friend spotting for hazards, reverse the van up to the line. Get your spotter to tell you exactly when the bumper (or tow hook, if that projects out further) is level with line itself.

Driver then uses mirrors to look left and right, down the side of the van. There will be a point where the line on the ground intersects with the van. Using your helper, put a marker of bright tape on this part of the van, normally on the wheel arch somewhere. Thats showing you where the van’s farthest point is.

Note that if the vehicle has regular drivers of differing height, you might need to do this for them all, using different colours of bright tape.

FWIW, I have a cheap reversing camera installed in my Trafic tailgate thats operated in the same way as blazin’s does, and its very handy. Since installing it, I’ve never looked back if you know what I mean 😉

With regards to the tape thing. Am I understanding right, there has to be tape on the ground for this to work? So, no good for general driving, just yards and lock ups, with permanent tape on the ground?

Mines on a switch too.

When you have a big rear overhang you use it alot when moving forwards as well as backwards

No you only need tape on ground for initial markings. It’s kinda like the thing that your driving instructor did for your paralel park – so you knew when to turn via various stickers and pillars on the car. Works fine if you only drive that vehicle …….

To houndlegs:

Not quite. The original ‘tape on the ground’ thing is to let you work out where the vanishing point of the back of the van is, with respect to a driver in the drivers seat. You dont need tape on the ground from that point.

When the tape marker is then applied to the side of the van, by looking down the side of your van you can estimate how close the back of the van is to objects, or the back of a space, or something else.

Cameras are loads better than sensors…isn’t the statistic that vehicles with sensors have more reversing bumps than those with nothing as they create a false sense of security?

A high level camera is better in a van, it allows you to see things like overhanging branches at head height, work out when the sensors are going nuts due to another vehicle alongside rather than an obstacle behind, and if you find yourself turning in the road or reversing out onto a road, they show quite a bit of oncoming traffic from either side.

I’ve wired mine so I can turn it on permanently or via reverse gear, in heavy traffic/car parks it can be useful to keep it on as a rear view mirror to spot those pesky moped riders that hide behind you in your blind spot.

The only real downside is sometimes in the dark the screen can be too bright and start to blind you, even when it dims.

I have a wired one on the back of my van, and a wireless transceiver on the second input for a camera inside a horse trailer. It works fine once I put one unit in the high level brake light housing (outside the van) and the trailer one inside the fibreglass roof, but its not perfect. In a van its not hard to run a wired version, just tape the phono connectors to avoid them coming unplugged.

Every now and then I notice interference from another camera, and get a random view from the back of a delivery van, so presumably every now and then, they get a random view of two horses bickering and stealing each others hay 🙂

I’ve got out a van before a reverse to check its clear at the rear, but you can’t account for an idiot nipping right up behind in the the time it takes to get back in the cab. I bought a camera that day.

Its also very good as a rear view mirror. I also operated in Parks and places where there were loads of pedestrians and people being banksmen are often not very good at keeping in your eyeline.

I find Long vans are easier to reverse than short ex BT Box vans. Van mirrors are still awesome.

Hmm not sure I fully understand the tape thing 😳 gonna try it out tomorrow, see if it makes more sense in practice, will report back.

Houndlegs, just reverse up to a wall, then jump in and out moving the tape on the rear wheel arch until looking in your mirror shows the tape touching the foot of the wall.

Works really well, this is how you pass an HGV test. Can’t remember but you have to stop with 300mm or so of the ‘dock’. On a long HGV the mark would be much further forward, sometimes you notice curtainsiders with coloured tape wrapped round one of the curtain straps.