Community Forums

johnsonjm209 · 02-09-2011, 06:48 AM

A number of years ago my wife went to a fabric store and bought some "faux" leather (vinyl) w/canvas backing. She just took a piece and folded it over and sewed it together. We lay in on the windshield of the toad (Jeep GJ) and close the doors on in. Just in case one end should get pulled out I put a bungee cord inside of the car holding the two ends together. Never came out. (I put grommets in the ends for the cords, but the cords are not pulled tight). Works great. I did get one ding on a windshield right through this cover. It is kind of heavy duty, so I believe it did offer quite a bit of protection against that particular object.

Hudsoner · 02-09-2011, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DAN L

we use a brush guard from camping world mounted a couple of feet feet from the rear. the brush guard is mounted just fwd of the 6'' white stinky slinky container.
this works well for us.
i'll see if i can find a picture.

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnsonjm209

A number of years ago my wife went to a fabric store and bought some "faux" leather (vinyl) w/canvas backing. She just took a piece and folded it over and sewed it together. We lay in on the windshield of the toad (Jeep GJ) and close the doors on in. Just in case one end should get pulled out I put a bungee cord inside of the car holding the two ends together. Never came out. (I put grommets in the ends for the cords, but the cords are not pulled tight). Works great. I did get one ding on a windshield right through this cover. It is kind of heavy duty, so I believe it did offer quite a bit of protection against that particular object.

Thank you both for the great advise!

alvinc · 02-09-2011, 11:38 AM

Depending on what your toad is, lifting the vehicle works very well also. Most often you will see this on the Jeep Wrangler.

In my case the vehicle is lifted approx 8 inches, the 35" tires lift it another 7" over stock height, total approx 15". The rocks have to bounce pretty high to get the windshield. Haven't had any issues with extra grime, the wind flow seems to work pretty well. There is NO ground effect on my Jeep.

The biggest positive: getting the tow bar level is easy, even on a gas rig with the hitch at twenty something inches. I actually have to use a 2" rise to get the proper angle.

The biggest negative: step in height. Unless you can lift your foot to roughly waist height you will need a step stool to get in and out.

It is a lot of fun though, when off road.

Hudsoner · 02-09-2011, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alvinc

Depending on what your toad is, lifting the vehicle works very well also. Most often you will see this on the Jeep Wrangler.

In my case the vehicle is lifted approx 8 inches, the 35" tires lift it another 7" over stock height, total approx 15". The rocks have to bounce pretty high to get the windshield. Haven't had any issues with extra grime, the wind flow seems to work pretty well. There is NO ground effect on my Jeep.

The biggest positive: getting the tow bar level is easy, even on a gas rig with the hitch at twenty something inches. I actually have to use a 2" rise to get the proper angle.

The biggest negative: step in height. Unless you can lift your foot to roughly waist height you will need a step stool to get in and out.

It is a lot of fun though, when off road.

I used to have a K-Blazer with a 8" lift and 36" Super Swampers. I had to sell the beast because I got to old to lift my legs high enough to get in. I now have a Grand Cherokee ZJ with a 4" lift and 33" tires. That's high enough for me!
But I would mostly tow my R36 VW Passat or my 1962 Triumph TR4, and both do need protection!

sandpiper · 02-12-2011, 03:55 PM

Just because you CAN tow doesn't mean you SHOULD tow. We've been towing for 11 years including multiple trips to Alaska. An Ultra Guard on the MH and a Roadmaster Guardian on the front of the toad works for me. That, plus a clear bra on the toad. Don't use a vinyl bra on the front of the toad as they are more problem than they are worth with grime getting under them and ruining the paint, plus the moisture problem.

On a gravel road, in areas of winter sand (it's usually gravel), in areas where chip sealing is being done, etc, you have to limit your speed. In conditions like that we usually separate the toad and my wife drives it. On bad roads like the Alcan between Haines Jct and Northway we almost always unhook.

But, I am particular about my equipment. My daughters have another word for it. To me, it's worth the trouble. Then again, I've seen people that obviously don't care or don't know any better. When we traded in Subaru #1 for Subaru #2, the dealer could't believe it had about 70,000 towed miles including Alaska trips.

Just about no matter what you do, you will have some evidence of towing. The trick is to minimize it.

Unfortunately, unhooking doesn't work if you're solo.

The Shadow · 02-18-2011, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DriVer

I'm on my 2nd motorhome and I use a Rock Solid stone guard. It lasts a long time and it does not get rough looking like a broom type stone guard.

Had the Rock Solid on my Kodiak - very good. Rigid and doesn't "blow" backwards and easy to install. Now I have to figure out how to get one on the back bumper of the Itasca which is supposed to hold the sewer hose. Any suggestions?

Don

justimagination · 02-18-2011, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hudsoner

I plan to use a tow dolly to tow my different cars. What protector would be good for this? Any advise here?

......Ultra/Guard close to the rear with Tow Dolly. Have never had any problems with road debri of any kind. JMHO,good luck.
David G.

Hudsoner · 02-19-2011, 11:06 AM

Which type is better, the one with the bristles (like a broom), the one with the rubber strips, or the solid rubber guard?
What are the advantages/disadvantages of either type?

Triker56 · 02-19-2011, 11:09 AM

Ultra/Guard no damage pulling 4 down.

f14av8r · 02-19-2011, 12:42 PM

In my experience, stopping the problem at the source is usually the best solution. Mud Flaps, directly behind the rear tires should be your first line of defense. They need to be made of quality material and stiff enough so they don't fly up at speed. They also need to be the proper length - long enough so they stop the debris, short enough so they clear the ground with the air dumped out of the suspension.

I also have a rear mud-flap but I consider it purely decorative. I agree with the other posters here that it is important to make sure your rear mud flap doesn't contact the ground while driving, especially on uneven / gravel roads.

Finally, I use the the Roadmaster Tow Defender as my last line of defense.

Got over 15K on the combination and the Lexus looks as good as the day I hooked it up the first time. I haven't done many gravel roads though and I sure haven't been running through any Canadian winters!

The Shadow · 02-19-2011, 03:42 PM

We didn't have anything OTHER than large flaps on our Kodiak and that sure didn't prevent a lot of chips on the front end of our Tahoe. When I added the Rock Guard to the rear that problem was solved.

We had the loose grass skirt on our first MH but didn't tow then. Given how far up it would be pushed by the wind I can't believe it is as effective as i'd like - thus I went for the rigid Rock Guard when I had to buy one (both our DPs came with a large unit across the back).

Don