protecting rear windows from stone damage when towing a trailer

Submitted: Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 15:08

ThreadID: 7889 Views:6865 Replies:9 FollowUps:6

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ian

I have seen a number of ways to protect the rear window of a 4x4 when towing a trailer. I know about stone guards on the trailer, but I would like to hear from people with experience with perspex over their window. My question is about the best way to fix it. Rubber suction caps? 2 way tape? There is a commercially available perspex guard that is held in place by velcro. Is it a good way to go? What works best, and stays stuck on? Thanks for your help.

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Reply By: Andrew - Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 15:22

Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 15:22

http://www.obiesoutback.com.au

I used their product and it worked very well.

AnswerID: 34169

Reply By: Outnabout David (SA) - Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 15:25

Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 15:25

Don't worry about the perspex. You need to have a good stoneguard to stop the rocks getting to the back of the car. A lot of people worry or think about the back window but forget if the rocks break the window then they will also do a lot of damage to the paintwork. A good stoneshield will save both.We have so little time to enjoy our land

AnswerID: 34170

Follow Up By: Andrew - Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 15:36

Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 15:36

Unless the rock hits the stonshield frame and bounces back onto back window. Saw that happened . I would consider both .

FollowupID: 24599

Reply By: Member - Ross - Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 15:59

Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 15:59

Davo has hit the nail on the head. It's not only the rear window .... how about having to have the total arse end of your truck repaired and re-painted as well as replace the window.

On a trip outback earlier this year we towed a box trailer (non-camper) which had a spare up front. I managed to drape a large piece of old carpet down the front .. much like the cutrain at your local piccie theatre.

Looked fairly ordinary and herself was less than impressed ... especially as it continued to fray at the bottom edge but numerous trims fixed that.

It did the trick though and we did 10K without incident in that regard.

AnswerID: 34174

Follow Up By: Member - Ross - Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 16:05

Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 16:05

PS
The carpet absorbed the energy of the rocks and they dropped rather than rebounding back.Rosco

FollowupID: 24606

Reply By: landie - Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 16:00

Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 16:00

Ian

We have a stoneguard, but as someone pointed out rocks will still bounce off that, so you really need something to stop the rocks going through the rear window.

I've seen cardboard used, but all very messy when it rains, save yourself the trouble and spend $130 on the Obie product mentioned earlier.

Good luck

AnswerID: 34175

Reply By: Outnabout David (SA) - Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 16:58

Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 16:58

You blokes that have rocks coming off the frame to your windows and back need a better designed stoneshield. Mine is attached to the camper with an upright either side at an angle of course. Shade cloth( knitted type) fits over this uprights. There is no horizontal frame at all. The shadecloth is now at an angle to deflect stones down. The shade cloth is long enough to then come over to almost the rear bumper and is held on with a type of occy strap. Side on it looks like an upside down "V" Any rocks coming of are deflected downwards, On the off chance one bounces forward it is deflected of the front part of the "flap" that is attached to the vehicle. In five years and several thousand k's on the gibbers I have never had a rock hit anywhere on the back of the car. And the other thing...........very cheap!!!We have so little time to enjoy our land

AnswerID: 34178

Follow Up By: Geoff - Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 19:11

Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 19:11

Trak Shak?

FollowupID: 24623

Follow Up By: Outnabout David (SA) - Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 20:10

Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 20:10

YepWe have so little time to enjoy our land

FollowupID: 24630

Reply By: Member - Neil & Lynne(Bunbury) - Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 17:19

Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 17:19

Hi Ian

I made our rear window protector from a sheet of 1.5mm polycarbonate (which is clearer than glass) cut to the size of the rear glass window but about 20mm wider all round. I used a roll of self adhesive velcro which I run right around the window approx. 100mm in from the edge and run the other strip of velcro around the poly sheet to match that on the window. It is important that the poly sheet doesn't rest on the window and that there is a buffer between the glass and the poly (I used 3 x 25mm sections of velcro, each with their mate, stuck along the middle section of the glass only).

Over 2 trips we've travelled 16,000k's odd and quite a bit of it on gravel roads without any window breakage.

All up it would have cost me about $30 for the sheet and velcro.

Neil

AnswerID: 34186

Follow Up By: ian - Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 17:51

Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 17:51

Neil
Thanks for your response.
Is the gap you have between the glass and the polycarbonate just the thickness of the velcro, or do you have spacers?
Is 1.5 mm poly stiff enough to sit out from the glass?
When you take it off, does it pull the velcro off the glass or poly?
Is it just ordinary, off the shelf, 25mm velcro, or is it a tough version?
Ian

FollowupID: 24612

Follow Up By: Member - Neil & Lynne(Bunbury) - Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 18:41

Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 18:41

Hi Ian,
I just use the velcro to hold it off, it keeps it 3 - 4 mm off the glass which I found to suit the purpose. The three pieces stuck to the window (but not to the poly) keep the middle separated. If it was spaced out too far then wind could get under it possibly tearing it off.

When removing the sheet, care MUST be taken to slip your fingers in under the sheet to help separate the velcro to prevent it lifting off one or the other surface, particularly if it is wet.

I just used ordinary velcro, from Bunnings from memory.

Ha ha...I just thought I'd better go an physically check mine for what I've been saying....it is only 1mm poly and the velcro is 25 - 30 mm in from the edges.

My email is landseka@hotmail.com....send me yours & I'll send you a pic.

I agree with the other posts re trying to also prevent damage to the car bodywork but my aim was to avoid having to source a new window for $1500 odd in the middle of nowhere...I'll worry about the nicks & dents later. LOL

Regards
Neil
Life's too short to say .. "I can't do that !"

FollowupID: 24619

Reply By: Shaker - Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 18:12

Friday, Oct 17, 2003 at 18:12

The best stoneguard that I have seen was a shadecloth style shaped to go under the drawbar from the front of the trailer tray, to the back bumper bar of the towing vehicle. It was cut a bit shorter than the total gap & joined to the trailer & the vehicle with bungee cord. He reckoned that it not only stopped ALL stones but also kept the bulldust down.

AnswerID: 34192

Reply By: dock - Sunday, Oct 19, 2003 at 11:27

Sunday, Oct 19, 2003 at 11:27

Ian, I have used perspex and attached it to the back windows (barn doors) with tie downs used on touneau covers of utes Yes you have to drill holes in the doors to fit the tiedowns (4 per screen).Mark the perspex with a texta and cut out with a 4 inch angle grinder If you make it slightly larger than the clips it will bow out and be held in tight All up cost aout $70,the tiedown clips cost the most.Perhaps not as pretty as some but works a treat.

AnswerID: 34340