Why hadn't I heard of these?

[Postman]

Got 'em at Harbor Freight for about $10

[floyd]

They are great for beginners. I have seen them handed down several times.
I have come into possession of them several times also, and always found a grateful recipient. They do work pretty good.


Tow vehicles now have backup cameras which sorta obviates those things.

[Mike Magee]

Dunno why you had not heard of them. I have had some for more than ten years. But I hardly use them any more.

[k corbin]

Maybe you have not heard of them because you never read the postings in this forum where people have talked about them? This is far from the first time they have showed up in threads.

[Glenn Baglo]

I've had a comparable set for ten years. Mine have a reflector with an LED inside for hooking up at night instead of a tennis ball. They collapse down to about 8 inches and store in my glove box.

[Carl Pa]

I keep on saying " I got to get a set " I mange to hook up with out, then forget it, till i have to back up again. They do not even cost much. Carl

[Justus C]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

Dunno why you had not heard of them. I have had some for more than ten years. But I hardly use them any more.

Originally Posted by k corbin

Maybe you have not heard of them because you never read the postings in this forum where people have talked about them? This is far from the first time they have showed up in threads.

What a welcoming bunch you two are!

Our little trailer has a tongue weight around 250 pounds. Moves around real easy at the coupler. If I miss with the backup camera, it just scoots into place.

[gordon2]

Looks like they have been around in one form or another since at least 1956...

https://patents.google.com/patent/US2815732

[John in Santa Cruz]

if the ground isn't dead level flat, such that there's even a slight difference in angle between thee trailer and tow vehicle, they don't work so great.

[Donna D.]

The ones I bought bent when I was trying to collapse the rods about the third time I used them. The metal went into the recycle bin, the foam balls into the garbage.

[jerrybob]

Don't need them....after years of experience...my wife knows how to give perfect hand signals when hitchin up.....plus....she's a great cook and fun to talk to.

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

The ones I bought bent when I was trying to collapse the rods about the third time I used them. The metal went into the recycle bin, the foam balls into the garbage.

You don't know your own strength. You just need to lay off the Wheatie beer!

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by Justus C

What a welcoming bunch you two are!
place.

Why hadn't I heard of these?
You know what they say....ask a silly question and you get a silly answer

[Defenestrator]

They're also way less useful/necessary than they used to be. Backup cameras are only mandatory starting 2018, but they've been common long before that.