Stone chips or fish & chips
Submitted: Wednesday, Mar 14, 2007 at 22:52
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Dave198
I recently ordered a new CT at the
Adelaide Caravan Show and will not get it for quite a while yet.
I am trying to do a bit of preplanning for when it arrives and where to go and all that stuff, and I got thinking about outback roads and stone damage to the back of the car and also the camper.
Just walking around the front of my truck today, I looked at the spray suppressant bristles around the wheel arches and got an idea.
If I put a strip of that across the back of my LC, that would stop a lot of the serve and volley from my Coopers I reckon.
I could easily mount it so that it could be removed fairly easily when not needed
I have seen vehicles with a strip of
conveyor belt asross the back, but I think that's a bit of overkill. (IMHO)
Has anybody tried the Spray Suppressant for this purpose ?
My thoughts are that it would not drag on anything and it would not clog up too much with mud, and it would certainly slow down anything that passed through it.
I would rather have fish and chips than stone chips.
Your thoughts ?
Dave
Reply By: Motherhen - Wednesday, Mar 14, 2007 at 23:09
Wednesday, Mar 14, 2007 at 23:09
I have seen a tow vehicle with that bristly stuff instead of a solid rubber guard - but they had theirs too long -
well and truly dragging on the level ground at a caravan park, and kicking up dust. No idea how effective it would be on stones on the open road. We made a gap in the centre for air flow on our rubber guard.
AnswerID:
227544
Follow Up By: Dave198 - Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 10:55
Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 10:55
Motherhen, AFIK you can get it in different lengths of bristles.
Maybe they were earning a quid on the side sweeping the caravan parks!.
This was only a thought about a possible solution, hence the post, thanks for the
feedback.
Dave
FollowupID:
488363
Reply By: Shaker - Wednesday, Mar 14, 2007 at 23:15
Wednesday, Mar 14, 2007 at 23:15
Most of the spray off your Coopers will be rubber!
As far as stone protection, look at the Adventure Camper Trailer stone guard.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Dave198 - Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 11:01
Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 11:01
Shaker, I am not really worried about the rubber coming of, that just bounces quite harmlessly.
Can you still talk with your tongue in your cheek?
The CT has a stone deflector, maybe I'm the one that's looking for overkill.
Dave
FollowupID:
488364
Follow Up By: Shaker - Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 16:19
Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 16:19
The Adventure style stone guard directs everything below the trailer, I made one for my Track trailer for our last outback trip & the stone chipping was almost nil.
Other years it has been a big problem, even with conventional stone guards.
FollowupID:
488407
Reply By: Member - Pesty (SA) - Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 08:15
Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 08:15
Hi Dave,
What sort did you settle on?
I dont think that the bristle would stop many stones, the rubber would be the way to go, a stone coming off the tyres at great pace would go straight through.
I have a hole in my shadecloth screen where a stone has gone straight through.
Cheers Pesty
AnswerID:
227590
Follow Up By: Dave198 - Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 10:51
Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 10:51
G'day Pesty, I finished up with an Odyssey ZR, which appears to have a very good stone guard on it, but, I was looking at other devices to to stop possible damage.
We had the back window on the truck broken the other night because of a stone rebounding of the trailer, and thats what I wanted to avoid obviously.
Maybe the stone was thrown up off a passing truck and cannoned into the trailer then the back window from there,but that's about 10 ft from the back of the cab to the trailer.
Dave
FollowupID:
488361
Reply By: Sand Man (SA) - Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 09:56
Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 09:56
You can never have too much protection.
I made up a full width rubber guard which is OK unless there is mud.
The stone guard on the Camper helps protect the Camper from stone chips, nothing more.
The Obie's Outback Window Saver is the ultimate protection for the rear window glass and I wouldn't be without it.
Stone chips on the paintwork of the vehicle?...Doesn't appear to be too many and I guess that is just "par for the course" when towing.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Dave198 - Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 11:09
Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 11:09
Sandman, haven't heard of that window protector, but there appears to be a few variants around.
One to protect the windscreen would be good to but I think they are a little impractial. After getting lot's of pitting in the windscreen from passing traffic, it's a bit difficult driving into the sun sometimes.
I agree we just have to accept that the stone chips are part of life on outback roads. Better than dings from shopping trolleys though!
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Sand Man (SA) - Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 13:46
Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 13:46
Dave,
Perhaps I should have said, the Obie's REAR window saver.
I broke my rear window travelling the
Birdsville track. The size of the stone embedded in the glass was half the size of a pea. I had the stone guard on the trailer but assume the stone ricocheted off the frame. That's all it takes.
www.obiesoutback.com.au/
A front screen costs about $220 fitted.
My rear window would have cost me $1500 if the Insurance hadn't covered it.
Then there is the cost of Window Tinting, also covered by Insurance in my case.
$200 or so for a quality product which is also very practical was a sound investment I think.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Dave198 - Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 18:08
Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 18:08
Yeah mate, I understood that you meant the rear window, I just went off on another tack when I said about the front windscreen.
Dave
FollowupID:
488428
Reply By: ev700 - Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 10:39
Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 10:39
Years ago I bought a F250 with full width rubber guard under and all it did was scoop/vacuum up more stones and dust on gravel roads. The full width guard was swapped for truck rubber and the problem was almost as bad.
A properly designed CT stone deflector tries to protect both the tow vehicle and the CT by deflecting stones downwards. Talk with the CT manufacturer who will install during manufacture.
The rear window still needs a bit extra protection and some use tape plus cut out cardboard for short trips. I have clear heavy plastic on Velcro (clear suction caps could act as magnifying glasses in the sun, so avoid them). The Velcro is permanently bonded vertically to the L and R sides of the rear window and it does not look out of place. I had the plastic cut a couple of cm larger than the window all around. Neat and cheap. Pour water over and between to clean.
EV700
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Dave198 - Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 11:14
Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 11:14
Ev700, I neglected to say earlier that there is a stone guard on the CT, but I was interested to get comments and/or experiences with the bristles.
Sounds like that's the go with the rear window though.
Dave
FollowupID:
488368
Reply By: shade10 - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 12:36
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 12:36
what about running a flexible sheild between the ct and the 4by, ie heavy rubber matting, like the pirelli tiles in most shops or 8-10 mm thick
conveyor belt that way it doesnt drag and reduces stone chips and drag/ suctionand is flexible thru turns and backing with hook and eye quick release with a flap over/ under the release?
AnswerID:
227829