Camper mod: Adding a backup camera

Backing the camper up was difficult - there was no way to see what was behind us, so one of us had to get out of the truck and watch.  The truck has a nice backup camera built in to the tailgate.  The display shows up on the screen built into the dash.  Unfortunately, the tailgate needs to be removed before loading the camper.

So, last fall we decided to get a camera for the camper.  We decided to buy a Ford camera.  It was not the cheapest route (things purchased at auto dealerships never are), but wanted to make sure that it would work with the existing wiring and display screen in the truck.  One complication was that the truck camera is mounted in the Ford emblem in the tailgate and does not have a mount of its own.  We also needed to figure out how to mount it on the camper.  Here's how we did it:

To mount the camera, we made a box out of oak and attached it to the bottom of the Fox Landing.  The back attaches to the camper and the box slides down over it.

Top left is the bottom of the box with slot for wiring.  Top center is the back of the box.  It is how the box will be attached to the camper. The pieces at top/middle right are for mounting the camera.  Both of these are made from the thin plywood used as soffit material.  The upper pair grab a groove in the camera while the lighter middle one slips over the lens.  The upper pair also include blocks that prevent the camera from rotating.  The remaining pieces form the bottom and sides of the box.  Notice the grooves cut in them.  These will allow the front pair and back of the box to be slid in to place.

Here is the box partially assembled (view from bottom front).
The front and back pieces have been slid in to place.     

Another view of the partially assembled box (view from bottom rear).
The rear piece will be mounted on the camper, the assembled box slides down
over it, and then the bottom is screwed in to place.  The entire box
will be finished with spar urethane to help it stand up to the elements.

Here's the Fox Landing with the mounting plate in place.  Mounting on the Landing had a couple of advantages.  One is that the height and angle of the camera are pretty close to that of the camera when mounted in the tailgate.  The other is that the bottom of the Landing is removable so it made attaching the mount easier.

 For the wiring, we purchased a wiring harness from Ford.  The harness was meant to replace the wiring inside of a Ford tailgate.  It had the right connections for the camera, and to plug in to the receptacle under the rear bumper of the truck, but needed to be longer to reach the back of the camper.  We used shielded AV cable plus additional wires for the extension.  When we disassembled the purchased harness we needed to remove the electrical shielding.  When we rebuilt the harness we used aluminum foil to replace it.   We used plastic spiral wrap and electrical tape to protect the harness from chaffing.  

Routing of the harness from Fox Landing.

Wiring attached on underside of camper.  

Plugged in to truck wiring using same receptacle as the tailgate camera. This needs to be connected/disconnected when loading/unloading the camper. 

 Here are a couple of pictures of the finished box and camera in place.  The box does not interfere with the operation of the Fox Landing and when the step is down, you'd never even know it was there. 
  

  

Ready to go!

  The camera works well.  We can see what is behind us while backing up!   We still like to have one of us outside when backing in to a camping space (mostly to worry about overhead clearance), but the camera makes parking lots and driveways a whole lot easier.