McKesh Towing Mirrors -- How in Install w/o Damage??

[webby]

Hi, I bought a used set of McKesh Towing Mirrors to use on my 4Runner when towing my travel trailer. But now that I have gotten them and actually installed both of them once briefly, I saw that they would damage the rubber gasket that lays against the outside of the two front side windows, so I took them off after a half hour. Even so, a few days later, there remains a faint impression in the rubber gasket from the mirrors only being on the vehicle for a half hour. If the mirrors are on there for a camping trip, they will permanently damage the gasket.

I have seen on this forum and elsewhere, 4th Gen 4Runner owners reporting that they have used these McKesh towing mirrors and liked them. The mirrors are fine, but I see no way to install them without squashing down and causing permanent damage to those window rubber gaskets. Not to mention I tried rolling the windows up and down while the McKesh mirrors were on, and IMHO, there is also danger of scratching the windows when rolling them up or down.

I have provided a couple of pictures showing one of the McKesh mirrors, just ready to drop down between the window and the door frame, and of necessity, squashing down the rubber gasket (this is what happened when I installed the mirrors),

I can see no way to install these without damaging that gasket. Am I missing something? I can't understand how other 4Runner owners have used them unless they just didn't care about damaging that gasket. Can anyone help me out here? Thanks very much.


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[BCfish]

I have these same mirrors for my 03 and they do compress the gasket but it will come back to normal after a few days with my experience with them I have used the 6 or 7 times. I try not to leave them on for more than a few days though I don't like having them sticking out where they could be damaged at the site.

 

[webby]

Thanks for your response -- appreciate it. For myself, since the McKesh mirror left a faint impression in the rubber gasket after only being on for a half hour, I just am unwilling to put them on my late model 4runner again. I'm searching for a different universal mirror that won't put my gaskets and window glass at risk of damage.

 

[BCfish]

If you want something in the same idea try fender mount universals I was going back and forth on the McKeshs and some CIPA fender mounted ones. Stay away from any of the ones the attach to the OEM mirror have had nothing but problems with those 3 different types on my 4th gen but no prob on my old 2nd gen.

 

[charlier180]

You have to do what you think is right.

I can honestly say that I used these mirrors several times a year for 7 Years and they did not damage the rubber gaskets at all.
Be advised that I never used them in the winter because I do not tow during that time of year.
I also tried to not leave them mounted on my 4Runner overnight when traveling.
Too many careless and/or drinking jackazzs in hotel parking lots who might damage them.
If that happened then I would basically have to tow blind since the standard 4Runner mirrors were useless with my car trailer being 8.5 feet wide.

That has been my real world experience with these mirrors.

Like I said do what you think is right.

 

[TechWrench]

Thanks for your response -- appreciate it. For myself, since the McKesh mirror left a faint impression in the rubber gasket after only being on for a half hour, I just am unwilling to put them on my late model 4runner again. I'm searching for a different universal mirror that won't put my gaskets and window glass at risk of damage.

Have you tried using a thin piece of plastic to lift the window gasket away from the glass to allow the upper mirror brackets to slide behind the gasket without pushing the edge down? As for lowering the window when they are in place, maybe a plastic shim between the bracket and the glass will protect the glass.

Personally, I use the type of mirror extensions that clamp around the OEM mirror housings. They are not perfect, but once I figured out how to position the rubber straps correctly, they do work. I use them 3-4 times a year when moving my camper back and forth from where I set up hunting camp, and they get the job done. If they are mounted properly, there is very little vibration and I haven't lost one yet. I do remove them as soon as the camper is parked so as not to walk into them, or have them 'walk' off on their own. With them, there is no issue with using the windows.

 

[webby]

Have you tried using a thin piece of plastic to lift the window gasket away from the glass to allow the upper mirror brackets to slide behind the gasket without pushing the edge down? As for lowering the window when they are in place, maybe a plastic shim between the bracket and the glass will protect the glass.

Personally, I use the type of mirror extensions that clamp around the OEM mirror housings. They are not perfect, but once I figured out how to position the rubber straps correctly, they do work. I use them 3-4 times a year when moving my camper back and forth from where I set up hunting camp, and they get the job done. If they are mounted properly, there is very little vibration and I haven't lost one yet. I do remove them as soon as the camper is parked so as not to walk into them, or have them 'walk' off on their own. With them, there is no issue with using the windows.

Thanks everyone, for your comments and suggestions. Much Appreciated!

I studied and considered the possibility of putting a plastic or rubber shim there to keep the apparatus up a bit so it's not totally crushing the rubber gasket. However, the area one would have to put the shim is not flat, it is angled out and down, so I believe that it would be very difficult to impossible to put a shim there and get it to stay. But thanks for the suggestion.

I have tried no less than 4 different strap on mirrors. The problem for me is that my travel trailer is a full 8' wide. So any strap on mirrors would have to be mounted out very far on the mirror in order to see around the trailer, and the back of the 4Runner mirror curves in toward the outer edge. I have found that to mount the mirrors as far out as I need to, none of the 4 styles I tried would stay -- as I drove, vibration would cause them to work to the outside, and get out of adjustment completely due to sagging, and if left, some styles would have eventually fallen off.

My experimentation and search for a solution continues ...

 

[TechWrench]

Thanks everyone, for your comments and suggestions. Much Appreciated!

I studied and considered the possibility of putting a plastic or rubber shim there to keep the apparatus up a bit so it's not totally crushing the rubber gasket. However, the area one would have to put the shim is not flat, it is angled out and down, so I believe that it would be very difficult to impossible to put a shim there and get it to stay. But thanks for the suggestion.

I have tried no less than 4 different strap on mirrors. The problem for me is that my travel trailer is a full 8' wide. So any strap on mirrors would have to be mounted out very far on the mirror in order to see around the trailer, and the back of the 4Runner mirror curves in toward the outer edge. I have found that to mount the mirrors as far out as I need to, none of the 4 styles I tried would stay -- as I drove, vibration would cause them to work to the outside, and get out of adjustment completely due to sagging, and if left, some styles would have eventually fallen off.

My experimentation and search for a solution continues ...

I too have an 8' wide camper.

I am using the "clip-on" mirrors that Camping World sells. The ones with the two rubber straps you stretch around the back side of the oem mirror housings. I also at first had problems with them staying in position, until I tried a slightly different method of using the straps. I now cross the two straps so that the outermost strap hooks to the inner clip and the inner strap hooks to the outer clip with the inner strap over the top of the outer strap when they cross. With the inner strap crossing over the outer strap, its pressure helps keep the outer strap in place. This helps to keep the straps from coming off, and I can move the mounting bars as far outward on the mirror housing as possible without it falling off. Idealy, I would like a little bit more extension, but as it is, I can just see down the entire right side of the trailer when traveling straight, and much more on the left side.

 

[BCfish]

Here's the Universal fender mounted ones on Etrailer.com I was going back and forth over with the McKesh. Good Luck on you search for the right towing mirrors!!

Fender Mount Mirrors | etrailer.com

 

[webby]

Here's the Universal fender mounted ones on Etrailer.com I was going back and forth over with the McKesh. Good Luck on you search for the right towing mirrors!!

Fender Mount Mirrors | etrailer.com

Thanks very much for that. I was trying to visualize having these mounted on my fenders, and it kind of seems like the OEM 4Runner mirror(s) would tend to block the view of the fender mirrors. Did you find that not to be the case? So which mirrors did you settle on, the fender mirrors? Or the McKesh ones?

 

[BCfish]

Thanks very much for that. I was trying to visualize having these mounted on my fenders, and it kind of seems like the OEM 4Runner mirror(s) would tend to block the view of the fender mirrors. Did you find that not to be the case? So which mirrors did you settle on, the fender mirrors? Or the McKesh ones?

I ended up with the McKesh mirrors. I have a friend with the fender mount ones and the OEM mirror doesn't seem to block the view in my opinion. I liked the ability of being to see the fender mount mirrors better in my peripheral vision though. The reason I ended up with the McKesh was the convex that's available for them I find the convex a godsend when traveling in traffic on the highway. I have tried putting the straps of the clip-on style in all the different ways you could and never could get them to stay in one place or vibrate so much when in motion that they were useless.