mirrors only ?

Can't say fershure, but if I needed to stick my head out the window I'd just GOAL. Perhaps leaning forward and back to expand the area reflected in the mirror/s... and/or using the power adjustment/s...?

 

T think mostly it's just knowing where the rear of the trailer is even if you can't see it in the mirror yet. I don't stick my head out the window on my 1998 T800 with old school mirrors and exhaust behind the bunk.

Recently bought a 359 Pete though and I can see that a fella might want to stick his head out the window of that....the mirrors don't stick out as far, the mirrors are set alot farther aft and the exhaust stacks stick out into your view. I guess that's why I sometimes see those large car guys backing up with their door open.

 

Convex mirrors, the same way you would blindside back.
More impressive is what I saw years ago some cowboy back in a stretched Pete, with his whole body outside the cab, he had his left foot on the step and was using his right on the clutch. It was a relatively tight spot he got it on one try.

 

In my last truck a Pete 386 I had to pop my head out to see around the sleeper. The new 579 isn't as bad but every so often I got to pop my head out.

 

You do what you have to do. A lot of people find using the mirrors to be confusing as it gives you a reversed view of the world. So looking out the window gets rid of that problem. That is assuming that your vision is not blocked. If you are one who has problems with that you can fix it by moving your hand from the top of the steering wheel to the bottom. The use of a wheel spinner is also a good way to improve on your backing skills.

 

Spinner knobs are also illegal in some states.

 

MOTO MIRRORS are the answer. They eliminate blind spots when you take your time backing. We had them on all our truck and trailers and it was nice to pull into a gasoline station to unload and get your trailer close enough to the files so I could use a 6 foot hose.

 

What, you don't trust the reflection?

 

When I first learn how to back I mainly use mirrors. Backing a pup so I could see the tail in the mirror. I could back up a 53 just using mirrors but I trust my eyes better than a dirty mirror