What can I do to reduce blind spots when driving my older Class C?

Dear Dave,
I have become reliant on the blind spot sensor on my SUV, and want to know if there is a good way to retrofit my Class C motorhome with a [blind spot monitoring] product. There are a wide variety of products out there. Is there a recommendation of a model and a best place to mount the sensors? Thanks in advance. —Roberto, 2007 Fleetwood Jamboree 26Q on Ford chassis

Dear Roberto,
There are dozens of camera options available to help reduce blind spots when driving, starting with the simple backup camera to the elaborate 4-camera systems that are very expensive.

Looking at the Fleetwood brochure for the 2007 Jamboree and Jamboree GT, your rig came with an LCD backup camera and monitor as a standard feature. It looks as though the monitor is mounted up by where a rearview mirror would normally be.

There are two options for camera signals: hard-wired or wireless. I believe this is a hard-wired system. That means there would be a coax-type cable running from the camera on the back to the monitor. It would be very difficult to add another camera such as a side-mount to this system on your rig and run the coax to the front cab. Wireless seems to be the best option. Also, it would require a second monitor if you want to add anything.

Things to consider

First, you need to get 12-volt power to the camera and a place to mount them. There are a few products that combine a marker light with the camera body, so you remove the current marker light and wire it in. I like the Furrion Vision S models, as I have installed a backup camera on a fifth wheel and the range was outstanding.

Wireless signals can be sketchy when you get into areas that have speed cameras, cell phone towers and other over-the-air interference. That is why many people choose to install hard-wire version to get the best signal. I doubt you will have much issue with a side mount on a shorter Class C unit, though.

I would also suggest looking at a camera that has a turn signal activator. That means the camera only comes on when the turn signal is activated rather than being on all the time.

Looking through the available wireless products, I do not see any that have just the side cameras with a monitor. Most have the backup camera as part of the package, so you buy the backup camera and monitor and then one or two side cameras. The advantage of this is you could replace the current backup camera with the wireless, and replace the monitor so you only have one monitor in the cab.

Furrion offers the Vision S with the monitor, backup camera, and two side cameras on Amazon here. It has great reviews and is easy to install.

Another option would be the Haloview system available on Amazon here.

I’m looking forward to hearing what our readers have done to reduce blind spots.

 You might also enjoy this from Dave 

What is the best backup camera when towing a travel trailer?

Dear Dave,
What is the best backup camera to use when towing my travel trailer? I need to determine how much space I have when I change lanes. —Henry, 16-foot Scamp, Layout 6

Read Dave’s answer.

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Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”

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