I have a large gooseneck trailer. I am normally alone when I hook up. Does anyone have any suggestions for an inexpensive aftermarket camera to hook up a gooseneck trailer more easily? It can have it’s own monitor, Bluetooth to my phone or to the truck.
I have a Swift Hitch camera that I use to hook up my bumper pull stock trailer. The camera base is magnetized, so you can attach it anywhere on a metal surface. My camera has its own monitor, but Swift Hitch also has models that work with Android or Apple phones. Here’s a link: https://swifthitch.com/
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I was thinking of my Swift Hitch when I read this. My Swift Hitch has been with me about 30 years now. It has a split charging cord so both camera and monitor can be recharged at the same time. And it works in the dark.
I successfully also used it as a trailer monitoring camera for years. Battery life is a bit under 2 hours, so not suitable for long haul.
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I have a mirror that is attached to the gooseneck post. I watch it as I back up. I lay a lunge whip along the bed from ball to tailgate so I start in the right position. Very easy, under $60 https://www.amazon.com/Hook-up-Mirror-Driver-Gooseneck-Trailers/dp/B00ET990WW/ref=asc_df_B00ET990WW/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241915008172&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16963698337890281512&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9012352&hvtargid=pla-571952264817&psc=1&mcid=8a13a94e7a4c3d348a6b3d4ddc232af4&gclid=CjwKCAiA4smsBhAEEiwAO6DEjTBU_i2ddMj5m4Hs0EMKdFokuje8-hAwh7aO_ImlYW858yn6aJk3pBoCtwQQAvD_BwE
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A hack I learned about on FB was to turn on the video camera on my phone or iPad, prop it up on the back seat/against the rear window and zoom in a bit so I could see the ball. It wasn’t perfect but the price was right! 
I now have a truck with a built-in bed cam, which is amazing.
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I just spray pained a line in the liner of the bad of my truck. Works every time.
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I have this iBall wireless magnetic camera I use to help ensure I am lined up from the side. I can line up well enough from front to back because I can hoist myself up a bit to just see the ball though the window, and I’ve done duct tape before to show me where it is. But I really hated having to get in and out of the truck half a dozen times to see if I needed to go forward or back 3 inches, especially since my truck “settles” and shifts slightly.
If your problem is lining up with the hitch you could just get this same thing and put it in the middle instead of to the side.
Iball 5.8GHz Wireless Magnetic Trailer Hitch Rear View Camera https://a.co/d/bJGgEmV
I also use this as a camera inside my trailer, which it says not to do, and it is static-y and cuts out but lets me keep a bit of an eye on my horse.
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I have a homemade version of this:
Cheap, simple, and it works.
If the winds are high, it doesn’t always stay up (well, the one I made, anyway) but my guessing is usually pretty good. My husband just bought a camera on some deal that he found, but we haven’t used it yet.
I like that this is now an option on many new trucks. Very convenient.
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I use something similar to this, and have to hitch my trailer at a pretty steep angle. It works perfectly every time.
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I have a $20 plastic tube that fits on the ball in my truck and falls over when it hits the right spot. It is flawless. I got it from Jeffers, I think. I am pissed that my new $65k truck had no trailer camera!!!
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Yeah, I posted that exact plastic tube. Cheap and functional.
I’m not sure which package you have to get in order to get the in bed camera. I cannot recall. I am specifically talking about Rams because they’re the only trucks I really pay attention to. $65k is on the lower end, price wise, for a Ram 2500. To replace my truck nowadays (same trim level and whatnot) I’d be looking at well over $90k. That’s just insane to me!
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I used to use the lines in the truck bed to line up with my gooseneck trailer hitch, and had fencing parallel to my trailer, the fence posts of which I could employ to gauge how far to back. This would get me close, but often a little off, requiring a couple more tries to nail it. I also tried a few of the usual suggestions (magnetic stick, pool noodle, string, etc.)
Recently, we replaced the standard GN coupler on our trailer with the B & W Defender one, which has a funnel design that feeds the coupler down onto the ball, allowing for a certain amount of inaccuracy. Works for us; also like the way the latch operates:
https://www.bwtrailerhitches.com/product/defender-locking-gooseneck-coupler
Three times last summer I had to hitch up due to area wildfires, preparing for possible emergency evacuation of my horses. I decided I wanted to save the extra time (however brief) it takes to use another device and/or make multiple attempts to line up truck to trailer.
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Mine is a 2024 GMC Sierra 2500 with Allison Transmission, but it is a gas vehicle. Since I only use it to tow or pick up shavings from the feed store, I went with gas this time, hence the $65k price tag.
For that price point on a gas vehicle, I expected seat heaters and a gooseneck camera, especially because it came with a bunch of towing functions and I specifically asked for that. However, I ditched my special order (because I didn’t want to wait 9 months) for this one and I got what I got.
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Just a note. I also have an iBall. When the camera rechargeable battery eventually dies, it is very easy to fix. The camera back comes off by removing 4 screws. The battery is just clipped in place inside, so no soldering skills are needed. A new battery just snaps into place. i ordered my replacement battery from Amazon.
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A hack I learned about on FB was to turn on the video camera on my phone or iPad, prop it up on the back seat/against the rear window and zoom in a bit so I could see the ball.
This is exactly what I do too, Works great!
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Curious if anyone has successfully installed a camera to aid in hitching a gooseneck, but with a toolbox in the bed of the truck? My toolbox is roughly 20 inches deep and sits on the rails of the truck bed. I cannot, even scooching up as high as I can, even see my tailgate. I’ve gotten along for nearly 20 years by just being decent at it. But my boujie side wants a camera to make hook ups happen on the first try every time. I’m just not certain that even a camera mounted by the cargo light would be able to view the ball. I feel like I’m in the minority here, but worth a shot to see if anyone else is in a similar boat.
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Actually, it’s a good question. I’ve thought about a tool box but figured I’d have no shot of seeing the ball. Thanks for asking.
I used tape so it wasn’t permanent, but worked perfectly
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What I used to do was take a bungy cord (with hooks on either end) and put a big flap of duct tape in the middle – then secure each end on the truck bed lined up with the hitch ball so that the tape flap was immediately over the ball. Then I lined up with the tape flap and slowly backed the truck – when the gooseneck hit the tape flap the bungy cord snapped off and voila the gooseneck was right over the ball. Worked almost perfectly every time.
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Maybe one of those magnetic cameras on top of the toolbox? I’ve also seen someone mount it on the side of the toolbox that faces the hitch. So it’s basically just finding a way to mount/install one on the toolbox somewhere, I guess.
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