Quote:
Originally Posted by wam16
I'm an extremely particular individual when it comes to taking care of vehicles. To that end, I am interested in hearing from those who have actually used the Blue Ox Kargard II to protect their toad. Does it do the job, is it easy to store/deploy and how difficult is it to keep the screen itself clean. All inputs will be greatly appreciated.
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Let me start by clarifying the fact that pulling a vehicle, any vehicle, behind your motorhome is going to be damaged. That is a fact.
Now, I have used both the Roadmaster Rock Guard which is a screen that stores in a roll up form at the hitch end next to the motorhome and rolls out to attach to the tow bar at the car end. These work fairly well but do not fit properly on rigs that have a Rear Exhaust Outlet. I had to modify mine to work but it then was so low it would sometimes drag on the ground during turns etc.
So, I changed to the BlueOx Kargard. This device does a good job also except that it will reflect stones off it and into the rear of the motorhome. It is relatively easy to install, will fold in half to store.
I have found the biggest improvement in protection was when I removed the big old Newmar Billboard Flap that goes across the back. This thing is supposed to keep debris from hitting your toad but in fact, it causes small stones to be picked up and tossed onto the toad. There is much discussion on this subject for and against but my experience is that a good set of flaps behind the rear duals that are set to about 3-4" off the ground at road height will do more to protect your toad than anything. My old Newmar flap is sitting in a campground in Whitehorse, YK and I don't miss it at all.
In addition to the BlueOx, I use a custom made cover on my windshield that attaches with three snaps at the bottom and then is held in place by the doors when closed. This does a marvelous job of protecting the windshield but also comes with a cost in that it scuffs the paint finish from flapping in the wind.
There you have my experiences with most devices on the market (other than the full bra which I have seen causes damage to the finish also) and like I said at the beginning, there WILL BE DAMAGE. Hope this helps and does not scare you too bad.