Toad protection

[sheridany]

I took off my Newmar art last weekend as it got damaged on a trip south two weeks ago. How are people protecting the toad from damage with the guard gone? I have a roadmaster nighthawk tow bar and options from roadmaster are limited to either the tow defender or the road wing. I was also considering having a Jeep bra made maybe if that’s an option.

[F4Gary]

You will get less damage without that big Newmar flap than with it. So you just improved the situation.

[twogypsies]

Agreed. Leave the advertisement off and you'll be just fine. On our trip to Alaska at a campground there were a handful of big rig owners actually removing the 'rock' guard because it was throwing rocks at the windshield. We went over and saw a layer of large rocks laying at the base of the windshields. We had just come the same way. We didn't have the big flap; just the stiff flaps behind the tires. We had no rocks at our windshield. We had no damage the whole trip.

[walkerhound]

I use Roadmaster's Alaska Pack (guardian + defender).

[ptw]

Took ours off the day we brought the coach home. With 30,000 miles we don't have a single chip on our Jeep.

[kvm1970]

Took the rock guard off and put a bra on the front of the toad. Been good since then

[Nevermind Me]

I read a lot on this topic as we bought a new toad along with the coach. In my research it seemed most who remove the Newmar art don't have any issues with damage to the toad. There are still mud flaps behind the drive tires to stop any rocks they throw up. The best advocates for removal are those who drive the gravel roads to Alaska.

[RandDescape]

I removed the Newmar rock guard before our first trip. We didn’t have any issues yet but I plan to figure out how to install the Protect-A-Tow that I used on our Canyon Star with our Rogue on a dolly. The rear exhaust makes it more of a challenge on the Ventana.

The protect a tow keeps both the rear of the MH and the toad cleaner.

[LDK1]

I found that the manufacturer rock guard would periodically drag the ground tossing rocks up on my toad causing damage. I took the rock guard off and seems much better.

[JFXG]

Originally Posted by RandDescape

.......I plan to figure out how to install the Protect-A-Tow.... The rear exhaust makes it more of a challenge on the Ventana.

The protect a tow keeps both the rear of the MH and the toad cleaner.

The P-a-T (and copies) is the most sensible geometry of any device available. I bought one because I liked the design, not because my wide flap was a problem. The wide flaps are ok if properly installed (6”-8” off the ground) AND you avoid unpaved roads.
You can run the PaT over your exhaust if you mount a stand-off to keep the fabric a couple inches from the exhaust. I fabricated one on my DS from aluminum stock.

[TJ]

We have used the Roadmaster Tow Defender on three different coaches with excellent results. The only downside is that it is a bit dirty to roll up. A pair of gloves solves that problem.

TJ

[DutchStar JK]

Anyone try the Demco Sentry Deflector? I'm thinking about getting it.

[GlampDaddy]

My Roadmaster Guardian sits in the garage next to the Newmar advertising flap. No chips on the toad.

[Dutch Star Don]

"sheridany"......I use a product called Road Wrap. It's basically saran wrap with a little stickem on one side. I originally tried plastic carpet protector, but it had too much adhesive. The Road Wrap is designed specifically to protect the front of cars.

Protecting the front end has a lot to do with what car you have. Keeping a Jeep from getting dinged is pretty easy since it's high and doesn't have a lot of painted area. My truck only has one band of paint that I protect. I use the Road Wrap by stretching it across the painted area and cut it off the roll with a razor. You press it down and you're done. When we get to our destination, you peel it off, wad it up and discard. I don't use it on short trips, but days where we're towing all day, I install it. It only takes a couple of minutes.