Stone guards on camper trailers

My experience suggests that any type of trailer has the potential at least to allow stones to ricochet onto your car window (and the duco as well - that's more expensive to fix). I favour the shadecloth 'trampoline' method between tug and trailer because it virtually eliminates the issue. Some deflection guard users still report broken windows - I had that occur years back. Re the units you've seen - they might use a trampoline but stow it away. It might also be that those owners haven't traveled on gravel roads yet :-).

Stone stomper is your answer. Check out the videos online.

If you pay someone to make the old style kick down stone guard, stone stomper will be cheaper and significantly better.

Happy customer.

Brett.....

I tried the Rock Tamers (Big mud flaps) and was not happy with the performance.
Rocks and stones tended to ricochet sideways off the rubber flaps on unsealed tracks and I thought this was a hazard to oncoming traffic. It didn't matter how I angled the adjustable flaps, I just couldn't get a satisfactory result.

Then bought a Stone Stomper, which is a trapeze style solution that is slung underneath the A frame, between the vehicle and that which is being towed.
A superb solution in all situations except for heavily muddied surfaces, in which case the mesh trapeze can be detached in no time. On this type of surface there wouldn't be much in the way of rocks to worry you. Simply reattach the trapeze when on a drier surface again.

Go for the Stone Stomper, it not only protects the rear of your vehicle and the front of your camper/van, but also gives protection to the underside of the A frame and camper/van being towed.

A great product.

When we bought our Jayco OB Eagle, it came with a stone stomper look alike. We haven't had a chance to try it out properly yet but it looks pretty effective.

Thank you people. I'm thinking that I may make one myself, similar to the Stone Stomper item.

Having last years Jayco camper, I notice that the front of it is angled down, with some type of soft padding to absorb any hits. Nothing bounced back onto my vehicle recently on the Oodnadatta, but a friend who has a Jayco a couple of years older, without padding, did.
I did however rip a very large hole in the stone guard surrounding the water tank.

Have a look at the Myswag forum, there are quite a few who have bought or made angled stoneguards for their Jayco/Coromal campers

We tried all kinds of home made versions on our previous van, with very limited success. Decided with our new van to buy a Stone Stomper and after thousands of kms of dirt roads, think it is wonderful. It prevents any stone damage to the front of the van and the rear of the tow vehicle. Well worth the money and made to order.

A couple of years ago when we did the Oodnadatta Track with another couple who towed a Jayco camper like the one you re thinking of, they had the rear window of their tow vehicle shattered from a stone deflected off the front of the camper, so it does happen.

regards,
Heather

Probably an option extra with Jayco.

I made the stone guard for about $50 shown below for the bullbar. We do not tow any more but I have wondered why not something like this with a rubbery material our of Clark Rubber. On an angle yes.

I see canvas and metal one yet people still seem to have rocks bounce forward with them. I would think that the canvas would be tight like a metal one when at speed. That's why I was thinking about a rubberised material.

Anyway. Just food for thought.

Phil