Seems like this Forum has a wide variety of folks who post to it. I have a question for you. What is your opinion concerning rear view mirrors? Do you prefer flat ones or convex ones, inside or outside the cab? All the newer machines are coming to market with Convex mirrors almost exclusively. I hate 'em. I think they're dangerous and have no business on even so much as an automobile let alone something as dangerous as a piece of heavy machinery. If I feel the need for a convex mirror, I'll attach one myself, in the form of a small stick-on onto the flat mirror that gives some measure of depth perception to the rear. I feel so strongly about this I have been considering getting up a petition to OSHA to ban the damn things. Anytime I've had a close call backing up it has been the result of using one of those infernal light-bending contraptions. As you can tell, I have strong feelings on this matter. How do the rest of you feel? Does it matter to you?
I only use the rear view mirror on our backhoe when on the road to watch traffic behind me. I could see how it would be dangerous to only use the mirror on a jobsite. I usually turn around when backing up, because it is difficult to judge distances in the mirror.
I think convex mirrors have their place, but I'd not want to rely upon solely. On equipment, I prefer good, large flat mirrors, one on each side, with a large convex one in the center, and overhead. I find that my habits cause me to look in the center, convex mirror everytime I reverse, just as a quick reference. If I see ANYTHING, it causes me to take a better look in the flat mirrors on either side. Anything directly behind me isn't so distorted that I can't recognize it. In my truck, I remove the center mirror completely, as it's in my line of vision to the front. (Yes, I sit tall enough in even a full size pickup to have to look under, or over the standard center mirror.) I'm perfectly comfortable with using the side mirrors on the truck to navigate, with or without the trailer, and can drive a compact or a tractor trailer this way. As an aside, the mirrors on my 2004 Chevy 3500 crewcab, have a tiny convex mirror inbedded in the lower outside corner on each side. Not Chevy's best idea - it's exactly the corner where I'd prefer the mirror to be flat. Hey Chevy - put that tiny mirror in the upper inside corner, where you can still use it, but where it doesn't interfere with backing a trailer. That's my rant, you may disagree, at your pleasure.
I was a truck driver for 25 years, without convex mirrors my job would have been much more difficult. Convex mirrors should be used as a reference to your surroundings and shouldn't replace turning around to look. I've become accustomed to them over time and am comfortable using them, they give a much better overall view than the flats.
I agree with Steve. They are good for getting an overall view of what's behind you but the flats are what you use to back up.