Donnelly Technology Eases Trailer Hookup

HOLLAND — A system that enables drivers to view behind them when hooking up a vehicle to a trailer is the latest product stemming from Donnelly Corp’s. development of camera technologies.

The Holland-based Donnelly showed off its TowCheck system last month at the Consumer Electronics Show in Law Vegas, where it received an Innovations Showcase award.

The system uses a small video camera mounted on the rear of a vehicle to display an image on a monitor installed in the rearview mirror that flips down when in use. The image shows the trailer hitch as it approaches and connects with the tongue of the trailer.

The product is designed to “take the guesswork out of hitching a trailer,” avoiding accidents and vehicle damage, said Frank O’Brien, Donnelly’s vice president of marketing and consumer products.

Donnelly is selling TowCheck on the automotive aftermarket. The new system comes a year after Donnelly debuted two similar products: BabyVue, which uses the same technology to provide drivers a view of children in the vehicle’s rear seat, and ReversAid, which provides a image behind the vehicle when backing up.