Sponsored

Front hitch/plow cam questions

STLDAVE

Well-Known Member
First Name
DAve
Joined
Apr 30, 2020
Threads
0
Messages
45
Reaction score
46
Location
63385
Vehicle(s)
2011 4Runner, Shopping for JT
Occupation
Retired
Two purposes -
I have a front receiver and it's a pain to get the trailer lined up with the ball and not run into the bumper or the winch, etc. (pic below)
and
Now with a snow plow, I need to drive up to the plow and line up the mounting points of the plow with the receivers on the front of the truck (pic below)
I figured hey, love the rear camera! I can back up to my trailer in one shot, get out and connect and I'm done.
The front - I'm in and out at least 3 or 4 times (having no depth perception can be an issue)
The issue I'm running into is - I don't feel like tearing the whole dash apart and spending a full day wiring up an expensive camera for the front that I may use a handful of times a year (more with the plow maybe?? but only 2 or 3 times with the trailer)
WiFi seems to be the big alternative to running cables and tearing the dash apart - but then it takes time to swipe down, turn wifi on on the phone and tell it to connect to a camera, then when done disable wifi on the phone again. What a pain to have to do all that and launch an app each time. May as well get out of the truck and look.
No one does a bluetooth version - likely because of the frame rate and pic quality limitations BT would entail.
I ran across one I really would have likely jumped on - it's wireless at the camera, the camera broadcasts to a unit you plug into your phone's USB port and it simply pops up and works. So you have a tiny device in the cab, plug the phone into it, or rather it into the phone and bingo, you have picture!
The problem? Not currently available. Ugh, that would have been nice. Wireless camera transmits to device connected to phone, no wifi, no fiddling with the phone to connect to the camera. Reviews said it was fast and simply. Quicker than the other wifi versions that actually took time to connect and start transmitting.
Would rather skip the dedicated display sitting on the dash. That's kind of silly for an infrequent use thing and you either leave it there all the time or dig it out of storage and pop it on the dash to use.
So looking for ideas. I bet I've spent a good hour or more on amazon looking around.
Something magnetic as far as camera would be nice - pop it into the bumper, aim it at the hitch or the plow receivers below the bumper and then take it off when not needed. (or mount it and leave it,. what the heck.

Looking for ideas - and has anyone ever really used one of these things?
My Garmin is too old - it's not supported for their cameras and in fact, they dropped support for my old nuvi a while back. So it's not a player. That would have been nice.
Needs to be water resistant or water proof, work in the dark, work in the COLD.
Try this:

Amazon.com: Swift Hitch SH02 Portable Wireless Camera System with 120V AC to 12V DC Adapter : Automotive
Sponsored

 

Gatorized

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2019
Threads
8
Messages
1,876
Reaction score
1,761
Location
ME/NH
Vehicle(s)
ā€˜14 Mazda3, ā€˜20 JTR (Gator), ā€˜25 RAV4 PHEV
There’s a lot to be said for the rear camera on the JT - the zoom feature for alligning the hitch is fantastic. If you could mount that camera on the front bumper and have a switch to pick which one you want to energize, all your problems would be solved!
 
OP
OP
ShadowsPapa

ShadowsPapa

Well-Known Member
First Name
Bill
Joined
Oct 12, 2019
Threads
247
Messages
40,449
Reaction score
53,885
Location
Runnells, Iowa
Vehicle(s)
'25 JTMX, '23 JLU 4xe, '82 SX4, '73 Javelin
Occupation
Retired auto mechanic, frmr gov't ntwrk security admin
Vehicle Showcase
3
There’s a lot to be said for the rear camera on the JT - the zoom feature for alligning the hitch is fantastic. If you could mount that camera on the front bumper and have a switch to pick which one you want to energize, all your problems would be solved!
And ironically, the camera view on the JT is more crisp, clear and the colors more true than on the Grand Cherokee. I've had two of each to compare - 2018 and 2021 GC and 2020 and 2022 JT and in all comparisons, the JT wins.
The Jeep camera even has that center line to keep the trailer hitch in a direct line to the ball.
 
OP
OP
ShadowsPapa

ShadowsPapa

Well-Known Member
First Name
Bill
Joined
Oct 12, 2019
Threads
247
Messages
40,449
Reaction score
53,885
Location
Runnells, Iowa
Vehicle(s)
'25 JTMX, '23 JLU 4xe, '82 SX4, '73 Javelin
Occupation
Retired auto mechanic, frmr gov't ntwrk security admin
Vehicle Showcase
3
LOL - with the beyond good camera the JT has, why in the world would someone need this for - yeah, check this picture out. This is on Amazon.......

I guess it's a cheap fix for when your Gladiator's rear camera breaks and it's out of warranty.
Ironic that of all of the trucks made over the years - they show one of the trucks with the best backup cameras with this system.

Jeep Gladiator Front hitch/plow cam questions 1667151954834
 

Gatorized

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2019
Threads
8
Messages
1,876
Reaction score
1,761
Location
ME/NH
Vehicle(s)
ā€˜14 Mazda3, ā€˜20 JTR (Gator), ā€˜25 RAV4 PHEV
LOL - with the beyond good camera the JT has, why in the world would someone need this for - yeah, check this picture out. This is on Amazon.......

I guess it's a cheap fix for when your Gladiator's rear camera breaks and it's out of warranty.
Ironic that of all of the trucks made over the years - they show one of the trucks with the best backup cameras with this system.

1667151954834.png
Must be the export model - no camera!
 

Sponsored

OP
OP
ShadowsPapa

ShadowsPapa

Well-Known Member
First Name
Bill
Joined
Oct 12, 2019
Threads
247
Messages
40,449
Reaction score
53,885
Location
Runnells, Iowa
Vehicle(s)
'25 JTMX, '23 JLU 4xe, '82 SX4, '73 Javelin
Occupation
Retired auto mechanic, frmr gov't ntwrk security admin
Vehicle Showcase
3
This seems to have been worth posting and asking about.
It's been pointed out there's a solution I hadn't even thought of, a simple and cheap way, worth a try, especially for the price.
The other plus is that I could use it to help me put my little car into a tight spot or line up the receiver on it with something as there's no camera on it on either end.
So I've ordered a pair of those alignment rods with the balls and magnets. For the price, if I don't like it or whatever, very little lost.
Easy to store in the truck or elsewhere when not in use, no batteries, no cables, best of all - no thick instruction book translated from Chinese that I have to figure out.
What the heck, got 'em ordered. They can stay in the truck.

It sort of reminds me of the tennis ball Dad had hanging from a string in the garage in the stall where Mom parked her car............
She was supposed to stop when the tennis ball hit her windshield. I saw no damage to Dad's work benches so it must have worked.
 
OP
OP
ShadowsPapa

ShadowsPapa

Well-Known Member
First Name
Bill
Joined
Oct 12, 2019
Threads
247
Messages
40,449
Reaction score
53,885
Location
Runnells, Iowa
Vehicle(s)
'25 JTMX, '23 JLU 4xe, '82 SX4, '73 Javelin
Occupation
Retired auto mechanic, frmr gov't ntwrk security admin
Vehicle Showcase
3
....the rest of the story........

Solution (as suggested by members) -
Jeep Gladiator Front hitch/plow cam questions 20221206_143135


Result -

Jeep Gladiator Front hitch/plow cam questions 20221206_143204


It was the easiest I've ever pulled up to the snow plow and had it line up.
 

Hootbro

Well-Known Member
First Name
Don
Joined
Apr 13, 2019
Threads
57
Messages
10,188
Reaction score
19,955
Location
Delaware
Vehicle(s)
2025 Gladiator Sport
....the rest of the story........

Solution (as suggested by members) -
20221206_143135.jpg


Result -

20221206_143204.jpg


It was the easiest I've ever pulled up to the snow plow and had it line up.
That is how my Grandfather did it back in the 1980's with his Dodge and hooking up his Bass boat.

Simple but works
 

Sponsored

BearFootSam

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jim
Joined
Oct 12, 2022
Threads
9
Messages
675
Reaction score
952
Location
PNW
Vehicle(s)
22' Gladiator Rubicon
Occupation
Fed
Not what you're looking for but is this out? Mounting a mirror on snow plow that you could see the hitch and plow when lining up to connect? I'd bet you have a few of these around.
Screenshot_20221030_073944.jpg

;) :like:
@ShadowsPapa - This may be a bit much, but, I spent a lot of time behind the wheel of a MAT-V which had these convex mirrors on a stalk. The visibility was so poor these mirrors were a godsend because they made it possible to see the front wheel track and if positioned correctly, the front bumper.

I’d always thought they would be super useful off-road for choosing lines and checking clearance. Something similar, with a magnetic mount perhaps might be the ticket.
Jeep Gladiator Front hitch/plow cam questions 1670389123968
 

IamPro2A

Well-Known Member
First Name
Chris
Joined
Apr 25, 2021
Threads
11
Messages
1,102
Reaction score
1,570
Location
New Hampshire - Live Free Or Die!
Vehicle(s)
'95 YJ, '07 Ram, '25 JTR, '26 JLU (sold '16 JK, '21 JT, '25 JLU)
Occupation
Retired-ish
....the rest of the story........

Solution (as suggested by members) -
20221206_143135.jpg


Result -

20221206_143204.jpg


It was the easiest I've ever pulled up to the snow plow and had it line up.
As an added bonus, you can also use them when your rear backup camera doesn't work right :P (sorry, had to do it!)
Sponsored

 
 







Top