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Stone Guard for Rear Window

Submitted: Wednesday, Nov 04, 2009 at 18:14

LPGPete

G'day,

I'm sure something has been invented - but I'm told quite a few 4WDs lost their rear windows to stones flying up during their travels in the Kimberley this year!! And we're going there next year.

So can anyone suggest available products to reduce the chance of this happening when travelling on gravel roads?

Manny thanks.

Pete

ThreadID: 73526 Replies: 14
Views: 872 FollowUps: 3
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AnswerID: 389998   Submitted: Wednesday, Nov 04, 2009 at 18:18

Member - Duncs replied:

Will you be towing a trailer?

The problem is caused, mostly anyway, by stones being thrown up by the car hitting the front of the trailer and bouncing back at the rear of the car.

I have never heard of it being a problem to those who are not towing.

Duncs
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Reply 1 of 14
FollowupID: 657783   Submitted: Wednesday, Nov 04, 2009 at 21:46

Sand Man (SA) posted:

Spot on Duncs.

I experienced a rear window breakage a few years ago while towing a trailer up the Birdsville Track. The trailer had a stone guard attached to the A-frame but a small stone about half the size of your little finger nail was all it took. It must have bounced off the frame of the stone guard and was still embedded in the glass.
It even got past the spare tyre which was mounted on the rear doors.

Pete,

I subsequently bought a rear window protector from Obies Outback. I found it to be very good and gave me piece of mind that I would not experience a similar fate in future. easy to put on and remove, being held on by Velcro fasteners.

One small "negative" I will identify and this would happen to almost all protectors attached to the rear glass.
Over considerable time, when travelling on extreme dirt road conditions, dirt or dust deposits will be deposited between the plastic buttons that help maintain a gap between the protective material and glass window. This deposit can cause an abrasive action on the glass where the buttons touch.
The abrasion was very minor, but there all the same. You could notice it when cleaning the glass with Windex, or similar.

The solution is to wash the window, (removing the protector if necessary) as soon as a build-up of dust, dirt, or sand occurs, taking care to clean behind the small clear buttons.

Bill.




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FollowUp 1 of 1
AnswerID: 389999   Submitted: Wednesday, Nov 04, 2009 at 18:21

Ozhumvee replied:

Cardboard and duct tape!!
A piece of shadecloth between the rear corners of the vehicle and the front corners of the trailer, hooked up with ocky straps at each corner to keep it relatively tight and allow articulation between the vehicle and trailer is a simple cheap solution. Just has to unkooked when needing to access the rear of the vehicle and unhitch for the night.
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Reply 2 of 14
AnswerID: 390001   Submitted: Wednesday, Nov 04, 2009 at 18:39

Member - Tony Z (NSW) replied:

LPG Pete, just come back couple of weeks ago from Red Center. Out there we saw many vehicle's using beer cartons and those honeycomb for sale signs as rear window protectors. There is also a rear window saver from Obie's Outback Ph 03 97431351 starting at $170 { was in a Camper Trailer mag}

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Reply 3 of 14
AnswerID: 390002   Submitted: Wednesday, Nov 04, 2009 at 18:40

Member - Uncle (NSW) replied:

http://www.obiesoutback.com.au/

These guys will make them for you. However,I made one up for our trip last year out of perspex, and fastened it with some velcro tabs, worked great.

cheer Unc
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Reply 4 of 14
FollowupID: 657809   Submitted: Thursday, Nov 05, 2009 at 07:05

madcow posted:

3mm ploycarbonate will also do the same job but is more impact resistant but scratches more easily. Use some velcro to stick it on.
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AnswerID: 390004   Submitted: Wednesday, Nov 04, 2009 at 19:03

Will 76 Series replied:

Pete,

I tow a trailer and have made my own with some plastic, stick on spacers and secure it with velcrove, however friends of ours have used a beer carton cut to the shape of the rear windows and secured with duct tape for years and it works a treat. It amazing sometimes the amount of holes and wounds in the beer carton but it works. Only down side is you must have enoegh beer to ensure you have a spare if needed.

Thank God for beer.
Regards
Will76
Reply 5 of 14
AnswerID: 390007   Submitted: Wednesday, Nov 04, 2009 at 19:05

Member - Bruce T (SA) replied:

We organised our own. Went to a place that works in perspex - they make commercial trays boxes etc. We got them to cut it to the size of our rear window. We stuck plastic stoppers on the perspex to stop it rubbing on our windows and then duct taped it on.

It went over the Simpson, up the Birdsville, down the Oddnadatta, up the Strezlecki, across Walkers Crossing, through SW and Central Queensland as well as along the east coast from Rocky to Hervey Bay, through NSW and home to Adelaide without a hitch.

We've had one made for every vehcile we have had since 1991 and never had a problem with a rear window. Have towed campers and caravans.

Cheers,
Bruce and Di
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Reply 6 of 14
AnswerID: 390009   Submitted: Wednesday, Nov 04, 2009 at 19:19

Member - lyndon NT replied:

Hi
This is one we do have sorted! Use the stuff they use for riot shield's, Perspex does work but it will brake if hit hard enough. We broke ours but it did save the window. Drill it and fit suction cups, available from roof rack places. Put, say 8 around the edge(approx) and a couple in the middle. Place on a clean windscreen, you can rinse in between with a hose when it gets dirty. Buy spares should you need them. I found they stayed stuck for about a month, after that we took them off and and gave them a real good clean. You don't remove the suction cups from the screen, in fact when you drill the holes only JUST make them big enough, I needed to use a screwdriver to squeeze the head in.
Good luck.
Lyndon
Ps, what sort of car do you have? It will be difficult to fit to vehicles with very curved windows.

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Reply 7 of 14
AnswerID: 390010   Submitted: Wednesday, Nov 04, 2009 at 19:33

Mark Howlett replied:

I cut mine out of a cheap foam camping mattress and used cloth tape to stick it on. I first used this on the Oodnadatta and again on our 6 month trip with the kids - we couldn't see out the back window anyway and it had the bonus of keeping the sun off the fridge and peeping eyes out too.

Cheers,

Mark.

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Reply 8 of 14
AnswerID: 390011   Submitted: Wednesday, Nov 04, 2009 at 19:39

Member - Ed. C. (QLD) replied:

I'm using the Altrex Light Skinz material (same as their stick-on headlight protectors)..

Stick it on once, seal 'round the edges, & that's it.. job done.. permanent...forget about it ;-))

I've tried a few of the alternatives, won't use anything else now..

(YMMV)

:)






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Reply 9 of 14
AnswerID: 390012   Submitted: Wednesday, Nov 04, 2009 at 19:47

Member - John and Val replied:

Try a search as this was covered quite extensively here within the last 12 months or so.

We made our own with 3mm clear polycarbonate sheet from Bunnings. (If the window is curved it is necessary to cut some slots in from the edges to allow it to flex). Initially we used spacers and velcro dots but these came unstuck after a few weeks. We then used cloth/100mph tape which worked well although the sheet slipped down a few mm when the glue got hot. Make sure you put some spacers in to stop the sheet rubbing on the glass.

Ours have done 20,000km over the past 4 months and have worked really well.

Val
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Reply 10 of 14
AnswerID: 390035   Submitted: Thursday, Nov 05, 2009 at 06:07

time waster replied:

We make the trapeze style stone guards not from shade cloth but truck mesh that not only protects the rear window but the rear of the car and the front of the camper. if you would like some pictures email me at streets@sa.chariot.net.au

Christian
Reply 11 of 14
AnswerID: 390094   Submitted: Thursday, Nov 05, 2009 at 15:31

LPGPete replied:

Thanks everyone. Much food for thought there.

While I do tow a caravan, we rarely go on dirt/gravel roads as it is more a black top van - and the Kimberley trip on dirt roads will just be with the Cruiser.

So, do I conclude from what most have said, that rear windows are only broken by stones flying when on the rebound from a trailer or caravan?

Another product I have come across are so called "rock tamers" - see: http://rocktamers.com.au/

Are there any similar products available for comparison's sake?

Thanks again for all your answers. Much appreciated.

Pete
Reply 12 of 14
FollowupID: 657866   Submitted: Thursday, Nov 05, 2009 at 15:57

Member - Rod N (QLD) posted:

There are these Towtector or here for other ideas Camper trailers - stone guards
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AnswerID: 390108   Submitted: Thursday, Nov 05, 2009 at 17:03

Member - Mark (Tamworth NSW) replied:

Pete
Definitely from the towed trailer only. I have seen broken rear windows on 4WDs even with trailer stone guards at Tibobburra
Many are not well designed. those on our KK seem to be.
Even if you don't break your window the rear of your vehicle will look like an old cab over prime mover, paint and stone chipped everywhere

Our 4WD has a slightly curved window, making it difficult to use sheets of persplex etc. Obies didn't have one for our vehicle. We used a neporene type rubber from a Clark Rubber store, I don't think it cost more than $12 & it has worked really well, just fastened with velcro strips.
Cosmeticlly slightly better than beer cartons and I was concerned the duct tape when applied for a long period may damage vehicle paint surface.

Apparently old advertising waffle boards (real estate beer adds etc) work well as beer cartons.
Reply 13 of 14
AnswerID: 390281   Submitted: Friday, Nov 06, 2009 at 17:29

Member - Sigmund (VIC) replied:

I used Corflute which is used by signwriters - looks like cardboard but is made of plakky. $20 from the local signwriter.

Attached with a few super grippy 2" wide self-stick Velcro strips from Bunnies. You put those on the high points as well as on the perimeter to stop rubbing. Taped all around to keep the dust out. Lasted 6 weeks outback and is still good. Only wrinkle is its even odds the velcro separating or the glue giving way when you come to remove it.
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Reply 14 of 14

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