What is the best mirror setup for a 19ft?

[biffdotorg]

That's awesome. What do you do when trailering?

That big air mirror is a non issue when trailering. 70mph is not going to move it for sure. It's solid.

Keep in mind, your original question was the "best" mirror. That sort of left you open to a ton of options that may not be in your price range. I was blown away by the number of decent mirrors under $150. But also the number of mirrors over $400! Yup, stupid expensive. So many will ask, "best mirror for my budget of $x.xx

 

[gallobg]

Have a link to that mirror by any chance? I want to copy your setup

Here's a close up picture of the extension tube in the middle. Its about 6-7" long and 18-20mm in diameter (the Big Air parts were originally manufactured to metric). My machinist was using available stock on hand, so I gave him leeway there and didn't measure exactly when I got the part back. The one end has female M12x1.75 and the other is male M12x1.75. Material is aluminum to match the rest of the parts. Fits like a glove and so far is solid. Hopefully over time it'll be fine.

 

[2kwik4u]

Here's a close up picture of the extension tube in the middle. Its about 6-7" long and 18-20mm in diameter (the Big Air parts were originally manufactured to metric). My machinist was using available stock on hand, so I gave him leeway there and didn't measure exactly when I got the part back. The one end has female M12x1.75 and the other is male M12x1.75. Material is aluminum to match the rest of the parts. Fits like a glove and so far is solid. Hopefully over time it'll be fine.

Man, that looks great. I'm off to google.

 

[jgourlie]

came in the mail today, I like the adjustable side mirrors. We will see how it works on the water

 

[HangOutdoors]

Is it usable on the left side for the driver?

 

[jgourlie]

Is it usable on the left side for the driver?

I hope so. I haven’t tried it yet. I am 6’4 so that’s about the only place it will go so it’s not in my way.
I have a great view of my garage wall from the drivers seat.

 

[gallobg]

Quick update on my Big Air mirror extension. Still love the mirror and it does everything I want, except it does hang a bit low when we are anchored in the cove and sometimes I’ll hit my head on it. The solution is to pivot it upwards and out of the way.

The angle of the mirror is adjustable via a 10mm bolt with a hex wrench. It was getting annoying to dig out the wrench every time I wanted to pivot the mirror upwards. I went looking for a suitable knob with 10mm x 1.5 pitch threads.

Here are the two I found that both work. They are both stainless steel, because I couldn’t find any in aluminum to match the metal of the mirror. Hopefully over time they won’t corrode due to dissimilar metals.

In any event, the new knob works great and makes it a cinch to adjust the angle of the mirror on the fly, or even remove it. I will say that I can’t get it quite as tight as when I used the original hex wrench bolt, but it’s tight enough to be solid while boating.

I did have to cut off the excess thread length of the knob to match the original bolt, but only took a minute with a Dremel.

Here’s the knobs I used. Two versions, one with 7 point grip and one knurled. Both work fine.

McMaster-Carr
303 Stainless Steel Knurled Knob
with M10 x 1.5mm Thread 76mm Long Stud

McMaster-Carr
303 Stainless Steel Seven Arm Knob
with M10 x 1.5mm Thread 30mm Long Stud

 

[2kwik4u]

@gallobg That's a great mod. I love it.

Have you trailered with the mirror in place at all? If so, how did it go?

Any issues with the mirror keeping adjustment at speed on the water? Our boat won't do much over 40mph, but we often will get a 10-15mph headwind at the same time, so we can see windspeeds of 55-60mph on the water at times, although it's rare. Does the mirror hold adjustment once placed?

 

[gallobg]

@gallobg That's a great mod. I love it.

Have you trailered with the mirror in place at all? If so, how did it go?

Any issues with the mirror keeping adjustment at speed on the water? Our boat won't do much over 40mph, but we often will get a 10-15mph headwind at the same time, so we can see windspeeds of 55-60mph on the water at times, although it's rare. Does the mirror hold adjustment once placed?

Yes, the mirror has held its position when on the water. I have had it at speed on the boat (40mph) and the attachment arm was solid. The mirror itself is on a tight ball joint so you can reach up and adjust the view angle on the fly for different driver heights. We do this all the time and it works great.

No, I haven't trailered with it at speed. If it was around town, I think it would be fine. But for an extended highway trip, I would probably remove it for peace of mind. With the new knob it takes only seconds to pull down. I have occasionally stashed it the helm locker with the mirror glass-down inside an extra life jacket to protect it.

With the original bolt and hex nut, I think it would be fine at any speed. It was super rock solid. With the hand knob I lose a little mechanical advantage but it seems solid enough for on the water use. The bolt came with a lock washer that helps.

 

[2kwik4u]

@gallobg Thanks for the info. Appreciate the response!

 

[YamaNoob]

Thanks for the advice. So the extension tube you put in is threaded on both ends? So what was the issue originally? Did you have to look up too high?

 

[gallobg]

Thanks for the advice. So the extension tube you put in is threaded on both ends? So what was the issue originally? Did you have to look up too high?

The tower on my 2019 AR195 is too far back so the stock Big Air mirror was positioned too high over my head. I’d have to tilt my head far up to see it, and felt I was taking my eyes away from the front view too long. I couldn’t just take a quick glance for my comfort level.

The mirror arm is threaded onto the tower mount, so I had the extension tube made to fit between. The extension rod is about 6-8 inches long with M12-1.75 threads, male one side and female other. Material is aluminum to match the mirror hardware.

Now I feel the mirror is perfectly positioned for easy quick glances backwards while towing.

 

[YamaNoob]

Ok...do you have a pic of your view from the drivers seat with the extension piece? I am contemplating your setup vs one of those windshield mounted models.

 

[gallobg]

Ok...do you have a pic of your view from the drivers seat with the extension piece? I am contemplating your setup vs one of those windshield mounted models.

Here’s one pic I have. I feel it’s a good view. It’s very easy to adjust the angle of the mirror for different drivers.

I had one of the windshield mounted ones and traded out for the Big Air. I sit on the chair bolster when towing to see better, and didn’t like how the windshield one got in my way. I put it on the passenger side for awhile and it was ok but I felt it got in the way when putting the cover on at the end of the day.

 

[kgower]

Quick update on my Big Air mirror extension. Still love the mirror and it does everything I want, except it does hang a bit low when we are anchored in the cove and sometimes I’ll hit my head on it. The solution is to pivot it upwards and out of the way.

The angle of the mirror is adjustable via a 10mm bolt with a hex wrench. It was getting annoying to dig out the wrench every time I wanted to pivot the mirror upwards. I went looking for a suitable knob with 10mm x 1.5 pitch threads.

Here are the two I found that both work. They are both stainless steel, because I couldn’t find any in aluminum to match the metal of the mirror. Hopefully over time they won’t corrode due to dissimilar metals.

In any event, the new knob works great and makes it a cinch to adjust the angle of the mirror on the fly, or even remove it. I will say that I can’t get it quite as tight as when I used the original hex wrench bolt, but it’s tight enough to be solid while boating.

I did have to cut off the excess thread length of the knob to match the original bolt, but only took a minute with a Dremel.

Here’s the knobs I used. Two versions, one with 7 point grip and one knurled. Both work fine.

McMaster-Carr
303 Stainless Steel Knurled Knob
with M10 x 1.5mm Thread 76mm Long Stud

McMaster-Carr
303 Stainless Steel Seven Arm Knob
with M10 x 1.5mm Thread 30mm Long Stud

Will have to keep both those options in mind.

 

[SantaFeTrailer]

I am using the Krypt tower mounted mirror. I was able to adjust it so I could see over it while standing and under it while sitting. Seems to work pretty well, but coming from no mirror at all it was a great add on.

 

[YamaNoob]

Any pics of it installed? Does it move around during chop or riding where you have to adjust it?

Thx

 

[SantaFeTrailer]

I haven't had it on too long, but it seems reasonably solid (bear in mind this is coming from a motorcyclist, and we tend to accept shaky mirrors as a fact of life!). I'll try to snag a pic.

 

[kgower]

Quick update on my Big Air mirror extension. Still love the mirror and it does everything I want, except it does hang a bit low when we are anchored in the cove and sometimes I’ll hit my head on it. The solution is to pivot it upwards and out of the way.

The angle of the mirror is adjustable via a 10mm bolt with a hex wrench. It was getting annoying to dig out the wrench every time I wanted to pivot the mirror upwards. I went looking for a suitable knob with 10mm x 1.5 pitch threads.

Here are the two I found that both work. They are both stainless steel, because I couldn’t find any in aluminum to match the metal of the mirror. Hopefully over time they won’t corrode due to dissimilar metals.

In any event, the new knob works great and makes it a cinch to adjust the angle of the mirror on the fly, or even remove it. I will say that I can’t get it quite as tight as when I used the original hex wrench bolt, but it’s tight enough to be solid while boating.

I did have to cut off the excess thread length of the knob to match the original bolt, but only took a minute with a Dremel.

Here’s the knobs I used. Two versions, one with 7 point grip and one knurled. Both work fine.

McMaster-Carr
303 Stainless Steel Knurled Knob
with M10 x 1.5mm Thread 76mm Long Stud

McMaster-Carr
303 Stainless Steel Seven Arm Knob
with M10 x 1.5mm Thread 30mm Long Stud

Received the knobs yesterday, did you cut them down to length? What tool did you use? Would a Dremel work?

 

[gallobg]

Received the knobs yesterday, did you cut them down to length? What tool did you use? Would a Dremel work?

Yes I used a Dremel cut-off wheel to cut them down. Remember that the knob still needs to use the lock washer from the original mirror bolt, so include that thickness in your measurements.

I also suggest that you go one at a time and see how it fits. The first one I did was a little short, it still works fine but could have been probably 1/4" longer for a few more threads engagement. Still working great this year.