I posted a while ago asking about backup/proximity sensors. I will soon have an ARE shell on my 2003 SCrew and I know that visibility in the rear will be a problem.

I would still like to hear from someone about their experience with a particular product. Here is what I have been able to find:

http://www.transponderbypass.com/bat-2w.asp
http://store.yahoo.com/brandsmall/01...opark2000.html
http://www.astecx.com/ross.html
http://store.autotoys.com/cgi-bin/wf...N/Catalog/1248
http://www.backingsafety.com/backupaidkit.htm
http://www.guardianalert.com/800/800home.htm
http://www.12voltdirect.com/manual/BAT-2W.pdf
http://www.tailgauge.com/

These are just links to different product pages. I do not know anything about these products. But I spent hours finding them and thought it might be of interest to others. Prices vary quite a bit from $30 to over $400. I would be willing to pay up to $200 for an effective and attractive system

Tom Hall

 

Tom


I'm using the Sonar Vision unit and it works great. The model with the 25' of cable is more than long enough. My first unit had just 16' or so of cable(Kmart close out $15.00) so I put the head unit under the back seat. I didn't need to see the light display, just listen to the audible signal. This Sonar Vision is almost identical to the first unit but it's available in 25' or 18' lengths. The website is http://www.sonarvision.com/

 

Based only on stuff read on the web, I like this unit the best because I like the display showing the distance in feet and inches.

http://www.backingsafety.com/backupaidkit.htm

But it is expensive. Does yours work at the corners of your rig and responde equally at the corners compared to the center of the rear?

Does your unit display the distance in feet and inches or is it an LED display that indicates distance ranges. I know you put it under the seat in the rear and that you just use the sound, but if you installed it would tell you feet and inches or does it just do ranges?

Thanks for your response! You've been the only response so far. I am wondering how good and how popular these things are.

Tom

 

That looks like a really nice kit, THall. I like the factory look and would probably spend the extra $$ for that one.

 

 

the installation goes and what the performance is like. Did you view the installation video on the web? It was long but well worth while.

Yes, this unit has three sensors which makes sense to me to get even coverage across the back of the truck. The display that mounts in the truck is small, the nicest looking, and displays the distance in feet and inches which is what I want to see.

One question I have is where on the bumper of the F150 will you install the three sensors? If you measure up to 27" from the ground, will the downward slope of the bumper be OK for 27 inches?

The installation point - per their online documentation.

A proper installation will take into consideration two factors:
1. Placement: height and distance either side of bumper center.
2. Angle: accurate detection depends on the correct sensor angle.
The sensor needs 1" clearance space behind the bumper to be fully inserted. Some bumpers have an outside cover or fascia and a metal backing. You may have to drill through both layers to insure you have enough clearance in order to fit sensors..

Step 1: Where to Mount Your Sensors
From the center of the bumper, measure outwards to the location where you plan to mount your sensors.

Ideal Range From Bumper's Center: 12" to 24"Sensors should be mounted NO LOWER THAN 18" from the ground and NO HIGHER THAN 30". That is in ideal conditions.

From bumper center to 12 to 24 inches out doesn't describe how far to the outside the sensors measure. I want my installation to give me about 6-9 inches coverage beyond my bumpers.

The best height to mount the sensors exactly vertical is 24 inches. If you go below or above this preferred height. You can usually use the curve of the bumper to angle the sensor up or down 5 to 10 degrees. Using a grease pencil, mark the final the mounting location for the sensors.

As a recap the mounting location should be 12" - 24" off center and 18" - 30" in height. With preferred height at 24 inches.

You can angle them up or down 5-10 degrees to compensate for mounting heights above or below 24 inches, but only with the under the bumper bracket, . . . you can't modifiy the angle in a steel bumper once you have drilled the hole. I think that I mount them 271/2 or 28 inches high and 24 inches out from center the slope of my bumber will be just about right according to what I can figure out looking at my bumper. My bumper is about 24 inches off the ground at 24 inches from center. I have an 2003 FX4.

The mounting surface angle (relative to straight to the rear) of our bumper is different at every possible mounting point. I think what is needed is to apply power and test mount the sensors using doubleback sticky tape or something and test before drilling.

We could also mount them just underneath the bumper but that takes away from the factory install look.

Please let me know how this works for you in all regards. You are welcome to e-mail me directly at TomHall@Seanet.com if you would like.

Tom Hall

 

 

MikeF150,

Here is a link you'll probably want to see about this unit. It is better than the first link I posted about this unit. It includes a video about the display which shows exactly how it displays. Check it out - I think you'll like what you see.

http://www.stratusgroupsite.com/default.htm

There is also information about the install on this page that conflicts slightly about where to mount the sensors. I am going to call and talk to them about the sensor positions and if the sound is adjustable, and if I mount the sensors at 24 inches left and right of center - how much farther to the sides will it detect.

Tom

 

 

I have a call into Ed Kiley. He is the guy that did the installation video. He is also the one you need to ask about any technical questions.

I called today and the marketing guy told me that their is a four sensor unit. That requires a different receiver and an additional sensor. The additional parts are $50 more.

I asked what my interest in having four sensors would be and they said that since I have a towing package and therefore a hitch that the hitch may get in the way of the center sensor. Also four sensors will provide more even coverage across the back of the truck.

I think I want 84" of coverage. That's about an extra 6-8 inches on each side beyond the bumper itself. It is only my guess that four sensors spaced at about 16 inches should do the trick really well. I will get confirmation from Ed Kiley.

---9------9---------16-----------18--------------16----------9----- 9---
|----{---------*-------------*-------------*-------------*----------}----|
-----{----------70" bumper width not counting fender flares------------}----

--- = the dashes are just spaces in my effort to create a diagram
| = the outside coverage,
{} = the outside edges of the bumpers,
* = the four sensors
The numbers are the spacing in inches


I want to get his take on
The need for four sensors,
My proposed spacing of four sensors
Is the sound volume adjustable,
How sensitive are the sensors to having dirt on them,
Will it give indications on leaves, brush, how about a 1 1/2 wide
metal post like those used for barbed wire fences.
What are the demensions of the display unit.


I will be trying to get to Ed Kiley again tomorrow. He had a water well failure at his house today and evidently thought his need for water superceded my questions about this backup unit. Customer service just isn't what it used to be .

I'm already into this far enough now that $50 extra won't be a decision breaker. At this point I want good performance. I've had about a gut full of cheap tools in my life and a less expensive unit isn't always a bargain.

I will continue to post my findings here as soon as I get them. It may not be until Monday evening now. . . we'll see. I will try Ed again tomorrow. If you are interested his number is 904-509-2550. That is in Florida, I think it is Jacksonville.

And yes, this could be the start of a full F150 Heads Up Display.

Tom

 

 

I got a direct e-mail from another F150 forum guy tonight asking if I had yet gotten and installed the Parking-E Sensor yet. I have not done it yet, but I thought I would post my reply to him here in the forum since my reply to him does have a couple of comments that have not yet been posted here yet.

******************
No, I have not yet done the deed, but I am going to and fairly soon. I am going to get the 4 sensor model and will be buying it from the phone number on the website. The four sensor/receiver model isn't shown on their website!!! You will have to speak to them and specify it. It is a special receiver that has places for plugging in 4 sensors and of course includes the fourth sensor. It would not be as simple as just adding another sensor later. I think 4 sensors will provide the best performance and make the best looking installation. It will also avoid potential problems of the trailer hitch assembly getting in the way like if you want to have a ball in/on the reciever all the time and not have it detected by the sensor. If you did and only had 3 sensors then the middle sensor would be waaay off center and you would not have uniform coverage by the sensors across the back of the truck.

It scares me to backup in many circumstances and I play it very conservatively. Avoiding ONE TINY accident will pay for this device. I think I will just plain enjoy using it too. Yes, I know that the benefit of having it is hard to measure since it is trying to measure the benefit of saving me from something that doesn't happen and I haven't had one in all my years of driving so far, but I've never had this extent limited visibility in the past either.

So, sorry I can't tell you about the installation yet. I have been out to my truck multiple times agonizing over where the sensor holes will go and wondering about the odd angles of the bumper on my 2003 SCrew. There is nothing that is flat or square with the world about that bumper. The 2002 is probably the same rear bumper.

I used a yardstick and placed it on my bumper leaving 8 inches to the left (beyond the chrome part of my bumper), and then got in my truck and used the rearview mirror to see if that is how far beyond my bumper (to the outsides) I wanted the sensors to detect. That looked about right to me. I would not want less than that and I might even push it 9 inches by mounting the sensor 9 inches in from the outside of the bumper instead of 10 inches in. (A little more coverage to the outside)

If you measure about 9 or 10 inches in from the end of your bumper so that you will have about 8 or 9 inches of coverage to the outside of your bumper (18" horizontal coverage on the sensors at 2ft back), the sensor will be angled down a bit. It will also be about 30 inches off the ground too (if I remember correctly sitting here at my computer - I have the FX4 and 17" tires) which I think will be about right too. The two center sensors will be easy. They will be a bit lower but will also tend to point closer to level instead of down. Being a bit lower will be OK since they will be symetrically mounted.

I asked Ed Kiley (904-509-2550 - pleasant and willing to help) if the back of the sensors are flat so I could use double back sticky tape to test my sensor locations and angles before I start drilling holes in my bumper. He said that the back of the sensor IS flat. So that will be my approach when I spring for mine.

When are you going to get yours? Do you know yet? I would be very interested in your sensor locations, how the install went, and how well this works in practice. Please let us know. I will post my information on the site when I do it. I will also include some pictures of my install too.

Hope that helps a bit anyway cuz that is all I have to offer at the moment.


Tom

 

 

Just some thoughts about mounting these bloody sensors . . .

I think we will be OK without making adjustments based on the height of our bumpers. I sure hope so.

The web instructions say that if the bumper is as tall as ours (30 inches) you may have to angle the sensor down 5-10 degrees. How they intend you to adjust the angle is a matter of where on the curve of the bumper you drill the hole, only ours doesn't have a place where it is vertical (level for the sensor), much less points up. However, at 9 inches in on my bumper and just below the black bumper cover, I think my bumper angles down at the correct angle without any adjustments. If it is not the correct angle I think it will be so close that I can make it work with a very minor adjustment. Check out my attempt at two drawings in my gallery. One is of a block of wood to hold the sensor with sticky back tape for testing before we commit to drilling holes in our bumpers, and the second one is of a method of drilling the hole to mount the sensor with closer to a level end result.

There are places for the wires to get into the cab already without dirllig new holes. Look between the bed and the cab and you will see some large oval rubber grommets. We can poke a hole in the grommet, feed our wires through the hole and then RTV them closed. It will all be hidden and no drilling.

Tom

 

I saw an F250 or F350 the other day that had a backup system on it. I did some digging around and apparently there is an option for a "Reverse Vehicle Aid System" on F250s and up.