Caution,objects may be closer

I savay convex mirrors and have added them to vehicles for years when thought to be needed. For the life of me I can not back trailers into close quarters looking at the right hand mirror on trucks now days. Is it because I learned to back before they put the wide view mirrors on or did I forget how to back a trailer? Anyone else had this problem? I wonder if that's why so many cars cut it so close when changing lanes or passing?

I guess it takes a little practice and just getting familiar with the darned things. a few years ago I drove an F750 for a drywall company and it had "west coast" mirrors on it with the little convex mirrors down on the bottom. I never had any problem with it, but last spring I bought a used pickup and both mirrors are wide angle. Heck, I don't like to drive the thing like that, and I haven't tried to back a trailer with it yet. I think I'm gonna change them for some "old fashioned" mirrors.

the convex mirrors are a life saver at times, when read right, other wise they are a p.i.t.a., because like said, people don't realize how close they are to you,, drove 8teens for years, like the big mirror, with convex mounted below or small one in lower corner like stated...now have fender mounted convex on 8teen which, is nice to see dummies who want to be in blind spot next to doors... i laugh at people who mount c-mirrors close to window, then can't see along side of car, need to put out on far end..gezz

Never liked those mirrors. I much preffer a standard mirror with the small, round, convex mirrors down in the lower corners. Same goes for my service truck. I don't know what I'd do if it didn't have regular mirrors for normal viewing and the 8 inch round ones to see my blind spots...

I use both. We had a long nose KW that was built for hauling steel. It had a 240" wheel base. Every time I had to reposition it that old song came to mind, "Give me forty acres and I'll turn this rig around" But we had the standard 9"X 20" West Coast with the two convex mirrors, one at the bottom of the mirror, and a separate slightly larger round one focused more to the side and low so I could see any four wheelers that decided to hide in the blind spot and if you were riding shot gun you could see all the tires on the right side with it. When I had to back into a tight spot, I would make visual land marks and even when at a pretty tight angle I could see and I knew how close I was to those spots. Didnt matter if I was using the convex or the regular mirrors. I had been pulling a 40' for a year or so and dad and I decided to sell it and get two other trailers. We picked up a 45' 4 axle lowboy with a jeep and a 53 foot soft side. Now you want something to drive you nuts, try backing that soft side up when its been opened and the drapes are blowing around. I dont care what kind of mirror you have, you better have a spotter or your going to end up parking on top of something you dont want and will end up paying for anyway. I just honestly think that its what you get used to and how much you are exposed to it. By the way, I hate pulling 35' triplets. Give me trip 53s anytime. More weight more axles and more stable.

My "farm" roots always show through when I back up with my head sticking out the window.

(quoted from post at 22:25:23 01/23/12) the convex mirrors are a life saver at times, when read right, other wise they are a p.i.t.a., because like said, people don't realize how close they are to you,, drove 8teens for years, like the big mirror, with convex mounted below or small one in lower corner like stated...now have fender mounted convex on 8teen which, is nice to see dummies who want to be in blind spot next to doors... i laugh at people who mount c-mirrors close to window, then can't see along side of car, need to put out on far end..gezz

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When I had my dump truck it seemed I spent as much time going backwards as forward. I would constantly go back and forth between the flat mirror and the convex below it. Driving by the flat, checking with the convex. I laugh at people who mount those little convex mirrors on the far outside of their flat mirror. It's always easy to see down the side of their car. It's the view a little out to the side that they need in order to see while turning or to see that running child in time.

I believe that the new cars and trucks going into WVA are required to have the print changed to "objects in mirror are behind you"!

I can't back anymore either ! Those mirrors are part of it. I'm sure getting older and wearing glasses doesn't help any either.

I do like the power adjust feature though !

You can go to a glass shop and they can put a stick on regular mirror over top of that "close object" mirror. My cousin did this on his truck.

I was packin topsoil into a fill site, with a '70 ford 250, that had been converted to a dually dump truck, had west coast mirrors on it, and was approaching a 12" oak tree, on the passenger side. I say approaching, meaning I was driving up and down the hill, easing to the right, 4-6" at a time. Wouldn't you know, that tree held real still, for a while, then just hopped over about 2', and smacked that mirror so hard, it bent the passenger side door, and broke the window, which was up, at the time! Anyway, did I hear a trukin song request???
Gimme...

I sure like the larger mirrors you can get on trucks now. I drove delivery van for a while with no windows so you had to use the mirrors. Had nice big flat ones with the convex below.

Re cutting off when passing, I don't think most of those people use any of the mirrors in the car!

Amen! These convex mirrors we're all stuck with on our modern vehicles just plain suck on trucks of any length and/or pulling trailers. I still prefer the big western mirrors with a convex attached off the bottom.

My pick-up has those darn mirrors on it, I thought my backing skills were deteriorating because of age or vision or lack of use UNTIL I ended up in a 24' rental box truck, could back that thing up easier than the pick up, figured out it's the darn mirrors. The last four truck I ordered for work had the trailer tow mirrors on them... (honking big & flat with a separate convex) okay I admit it I now have Mirror Envy! Its to bad that some companies limit the ability to get the big mirrors, I suspect if too many trucks have them it messes up their fuel economy numbers

I am the complete opposite. I love those slightly convex mirrors on pickups. Much inproved field of vision. The Ford trucks we have at work have flat mirros and I can't see anything in those things. Always readjusting to see for backing or running down the road.

Now on commercial truck the tall design of west coast mirrors with the convex one on the bottom works great... Except backing to your right is a little tough.