The Perfect Escort 
SmartView Mini rearview camera system give eyes in back of Big Red
By Bruce W. Smith
Dually pickups are notorious for having a huge blind spot aft of the rear fenders. Our Project Big Red’s blind spot is even bigger now that it’s sitting on a 6″ lift and 35s.
So we turned to Escort for a SmartSite Mini rearview camera system to solve the vision/safety issue.
Escort’s $170 kit includes the backup camera, a high-resltion 3″ monitor, bracket and and wiring harness. Installation is mostly plug-and-play.
The exception is mounting the tiny camera and connecting the wiring to the truck’s backup light system. No big deal for any shop mechanic of DIYer.
Truck Supply & Outfitter’s Daniel Parker handled our install in less than an hour.
- Escort SmartSite Mini camera gives a clear, bright view of what’s behind Big Red.
One item we found with our kit is the plug that connects the camera power from the main wiring harness was misisng.
So instead of literally plugging in in the camera to the wiring harness took a few minutes more as Parker had to use butt connectors.
Maybe the later versions of Escort’s backup camera kit will have this minor detail ironed out.
The monitor sits on the dash tucked in tight against the driver’s-die “A”-pillar. Now we have a good, clear view of what lies behind our tall dually day or night. — Pro
