Tired of the jeep getting beat up while towing….

[Rich W.]

…broken lights, cracked windshield, chipped paint….This may be a bit overkill and granted it’s ugly, but it should help. All materials came from the storage pile - no cost project.




Brother in law had the expanded steel, neighbor had the 1/2” screen, I had enough angle and box to fab what was needed. And it all comes off with two pins so I can leave the ugly at the camp site. I have some new lights to mount at our next stop, new windshield was just installed in the jeep, and with this hopefully the damage will slow down a bit at least.

 

[GTS225]

That should help.....as long as the mounting is secure, and it can't rotate forward and down.

Roger

 

[Rich W.]

That should help.....as long as the mounting is secure, and it can't rotate forward and down.

Roger

I have a strap running from that u-bolt on top of the monstrosity to the windshield tie down on the hood to keep it under tension so it's pretty stable and since its screen it wont offer a lot of wind resistance. Even without the strap its fairly tight - doesn't move much at all.

 

[Rich W.]

That should help.....as long as the mounting is secure, and it can't rotate forward and down.

Roger

It can‘t rotate (either way) because the mounts are vertical 1” box legs that slide down into 1 1/4” box mounts - the pins just keep it there in case gravity fails (or I go over a bump way to fast). But its all welded and isn’t going anywhere on its own. I’ll probably shorten it because its higher than it needs to be and I basically just don’t like looking at it. But it will come off whenever I‘m camped - two pins, lift it out and pit it aside.

 

[Neal]

Have you tried one of these tow defender contraptions? I bought something similar long ago, as I had no issues I sold it.

Amazon product ASIN B001FCBS4E

 

[team bradfield]

I have not had any issues yet, but I've only towed 14k miles, it looks like a good protection screen, easy to assemble and install, nice work @Rich W.

 

[Rich W.]

I have not had any issues yet, but I've only towed 14k miles, it looks like a good protection screen, easy to assemble and install, nice work @Rich W.

yeah I never thought it’d be an issue but I am getting a lot of paint chips, even half way up the A pillars, and the broken light and cracked windshield happened while towing, so there it is. I’ll try to make it less ugly later. It was previously a divider in a cargo van and it was free so it doesn’t hurt anything to cut it up and change it around a bit and if I really get sick of it I can throw it back on the scrap heap.

 

[Rich W.]

Have you tried one of these tow defender contraptions? I bought something similar long ago, as I had no issues I sold it.

Amazon product ASIN B001FCBS4E

no but mine cost me a couple feet of wire, a couple psi of of gas, and a few Kw’s of power (but I have solar, so….) and a bout three hours of recreational cutting and welding (my time is worth nothing these days) so it was fairly economical. I literally bought nothing for this project.

 

[team bradfield]

no but mine cost me a couple feet of wire, a couple psi of of gas, and a few Kw’s of power (but I have solar, so….) and a bout three hours of recreational cutting and welding (my time is worth nothing these days) so it was fairly economical. I literally bought nothing for this project.

That fun stuff, I was a millwright in past life, certified welder, love projects that need fire and hammers!

 

[Rich W.]

It does give it a bit of a safari look driving it around like that.

 

[Texas Clodhopper]

I'm afraid you may not be solving the paint-chipping issue. It looks like the expanded mesh is too large to stop anything other than larger stones. If you have the Newmar billboard installed that contributes to rocks being thrown especially if it's hanging low.

 

[Neal]

I was going to ask as well, is your rock guard on the coach installed or not? Have you tried removing it if installed, installing it if not? And I suppose the height of it matters.

 

[Texas Clodhopper]

I understand the rv parks in Alaska have piles of rock guards that travelers remove because they throw rocks so badly.

 

[Rich W.]

I'm afraid you may not be solving the paint-chipping issue. It looks like the expanded mesh is too large to stop anything other than larger stones. If you have the Newmar billboard installed that contributes to rocks being thrown especially if it's hanging low.

I put a finer mesh over the expanded - between the two not much will get through. If that doesn’t do it I’ll put window screen over that. For now its down to statistical improbability vs my luck. So about 50/50. I was just looking at the billboard. Might be best to hang that on the garage wall. Screen came from my neighbor - leftover landscape stuff. Another freebie.

 

[Rich W.]

I understand the rv parks in Alaska have piles of rock guards that travelers remove because they throw rocks so badly.

That doesnt surprise me. I have some star paint cracks in the lower fiberglass from obvious rock strikes from the inside. So maybe I should just pull the thing off. Regardless of whatever help it was intended to provide, I really don’t need it now anyway. Its several inches off the ground but I do here it scrape from time to time. Dang - right at beer:30!

 

[Rich W.]

Ok, now it’s break time. Maybe I’ll hang the thing under my truck…and maybe I’ll hang something amusing from the chains.

This is the damage I suspect was caused by the billboard - perhaps I can get some kind of RV forum type sticker to put over that…

All ready to roll after some early Christmas responsibilities are attended to tomorrow morning. We’ll be back here in March to check on things.

 

[Texas Clodhopper]

It was just a suggestion.

 

[JRS]

Have you tried one of these tow defender contraptions? I bought something similar long ago, as I had no issues I sold it.

Amazon product ASIN B001FCBS4E

I've read that these will melt with rigs having rear facing exhaust pipes.

 

[Rich W.]

It was just a suggestion.

I’ve been thinking about it and procrastinating for a long time. You just gave me the needed nudge.