Tow Bar and reversing sensors

[Chas]

I'm getting a towbar fitted and have been thinking of fitting reversing sensors. Has anyone fitted both to their bongo?

I'm guessing you have to be careful to avoid the sensors detecting the towhitch. I'm also thinking of adding a step to the towbar which I guess would also need care with sensor location.

Chas

[The Great Pretender]

I'm getting a towbar fitted and have been thinking of fitting reversing sensors. Has anyone fitted both to their bongo?

I'm guessing you have to be careful to avoid the sensors detecting the towhitch. I'm also thinking of adding a step to the towbar which I guess would also need care with sensor location.

Chas

No need when you learn to "read" the parking mirror.

[M 80NGD]

I agree with Great pretender,I've mastered my reversing mirror now,even through ambulance black film!!

[bongopat]

We have got sensors front and back, my old man uses the rear ones to
let him know when he's about to jack knife the caravan. He also leaves
them on at night when stopping in laybys for a short snooze to let him
know if anyone is creeping round the Bongo. He says he feels safer !!.

[apole]

Hi there,

I have both and they work fine. If the trailer starts to jacknife the sensors warn you but otherwise don't go off. The sensors do however go off if you use a towbar mounted bike rack.

The mirror is very useful but I find the sensors good to have as well.

Get sensors that you can turn off if needed.

Andy

[petebee]

hello I didn't like the look of my reversing mirror so fitted a reversing camera centrally on the top of the tailgate

and mounted a rear spotlight on the space left where the mirror was mounted.

I used a sunvisor monitor and set up with a manual switch so I can check what is happening at the towball at any time.

This system works extremely well.

hope this helps.

[Windswept]

Hi Pete

Your arrangement sounds superb - any chance of some pics/advice, should I have a sudden rush of blood to the head on this ?

Cheers,
Paul

PS would it still be workable with two bikes mounted on a high rack (Avenir Vermont)?

[petebee]

hya windswept

my bongo is on loan this weekend but I will post some pictures when it returns.

the camera ,sun visor monitor and spotlight were sourced on Ebay.

drilling into the tailgate was scary [very thin material] The cable was pulled through with the help of a wire coat hanger

and tied to the vehicles own tailgate cable.Threading the cable through was a bit tricky.It twas then routed behind the

panels to the front dashboard and wired to a switch put in place of one of the dummies.

the sun visor monitor cable hides nicely inside the front screen panel.Will post some pictures as soon as possible.

[B*Witched Blingo]

We have towbar and reverse park sensors... Now we have twin peeps.. I use the rear mirror also, but in the dark they are perfect.

[petebee]

hello windswept

here are the pictures showing the reversing camera and spotlight and the image on my sunvisor monitor





Having used this system for a while now I feel uncomfortable reversing other vehicles without it

certainly makes things much safer.

[Andrew n Mary]

Yes installed a Maplin set of sensors, after my brother told me how easy it was.

Blimey it was one of the simplest things I have done and works a treat. The kits last year was around £15, not sure of the present price.

Took me about an hour and a half and I dont know the fist thing about electrics, (my brother checked it over).

It even comes with a drill bit to cut the four holes. I then ran the wires along the back of the bumper, there are some handy holes to run the cable through and use cable ties to fixed them on to. I took the four cables through the rubber seal after taking off the nearside rear lamp cluster.

I then took off the inside grey panel nearest the door on the same side of the van and stuck with double sided tape, the little black box with all the electrikery in to it, found nice spot for that.

You then join one wire from the black box, using a clip supplied, to the cable that supplies the joice the reversing lamp. That was all the wiring needed!

There is also a visual indicator I ran ran the cable forward under the trim around the sliding door to the front and that was it.

It beeps at about a metre out and become more frequent as you get nearer. I got fed up with al the blomin beeping so have removed the normal beeper fuse as per previous posts.

I hope that helps?

A

[g8dhe]

Our Bongo has the original fitted sensors, 3 corners and two rear facing ones.
After fitting a towing bar, primarily for use by a Thule Easybase we knew that the two rear facing sensors would be blocked. So I decided it would be worth extending a pair onto the new number bracket - I couldn't locate any of the old sensors,so I decided to simply extend the wiring from the original positions, with a couple of water proof plug/sockets onto the new rear bracket. The old sensors simply pull out from the holes, then unplugged from the cable loom, moved to the new rear bracket and plugged back into the extended wiring (attached to the Easybase), the other end of the wiring then being plugged back into the original loom. It works well, fairly cheap and easy to change around. The waterproof plugs/sockets I ordered from CPC/Farnell, 5 in a packet so it gives me a spare as well!