Rock guards vs shields - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Escape Tech > Towing and Hitching
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 08-02-2014, 10:22 AM   #1
Member
 
wayne_m's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Surrey, British Columbia
Trailer: Hoping to adopt
Posts: 58
Rock guards vs shields

I assume it is all but impossible to avoid chips in the gel coat finish from flying road debris. I would think that most of the damage would be caused by the tow vehicle itself. What is the best method to minimize the potential damage? There are various products from 'grass skirt' flaps to actual shields. What's been the experience on this forum? One or both methods? One idea I had was to fabricate a vinyl panel that you could attach to the front of the trailer with the snaps they use on boats. That would mean screwing them to the trailer and penetrating the wall, not something I would want to do.

Ideas?
wayne_m is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2014, 11:57 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
JohnB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2012 15A
Posts: 398
I believe the snap on pads is what ETI does with their rock guards on lower front. It is shown on the list of Exterior Features.
The other option they offer is the Front storage box. The box comes standard with a painted on rock guard protective coating.
JohnB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2014, 12:14 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Kelowna, British Columbia
Trailer: 2008 Escape 17b
Posts: 1,868
Mud flaps on the tow vehicle helps considerably.
J Mac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2014, 01:16 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
cpaharley2008's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
The optional front tool box protects most of the front of the trailer.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
cpaharley2008 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2014, 02:13 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: N/A, Indiana
Trailer: Escape
Posts: 976
We started using these mud flaps years ago before the roads through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore were paved pulling a A-liner. They work very well.
Amazon.com: Roadmaster 4400 RoadWing Mud Flap: Automotive
Mud flaps in the rear wheel wells of the Tundra did not stop a lot of the small stone used to make the road bed.
__________________
"Never argue with an idiot. They only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience." George Carlin
Jubal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2014, 03:57 PM   #6
Member
 
wayne_m's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Surrey, British Columbia
Trailer: Hoping to adopt
Posts: 58
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
The optional front tool box protects most of the front of the trailer.
And for a 5th wheel?
wayne_m is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2014, 03:59 PM   #7
Site Team
 
rbryan4's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Canyon Lake, Texas
Trailer: 2015 19 "Past Tents", 2021 F150 Lariat 2.7L EB
Posts: 10,222
Anyone ever heard of or seen these used these before? Opinions? Supposedly protects the trailer better than any mud flaps -- but expensive.

Towtector Pro
__________________
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy an RV. And that is pretty close."
rbryan4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2014, 04:04 PM   #8
Member
 
wayne_m's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Surrey, British Columbia
Trailer: Hoping to adopt
Posts: 58
Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnB View Post
I believe the snap on pads is what ETI does with their rock guards on lower front. It is shown on the list of Exterior Features.
The other option they offer is the Front storage box. The box comes standard with a painted on rock guard protective coating.
I can see that front rock guards are shown as a standard feature for trailers but not for the 5.0. What do they look like?
wayne_m is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2014, 04:08 PM   #9
Member
 
wayne_m's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Surrey, British Columbia
Trailer: Hoping to adopt
Posts: 58
Quote:
Originally Posted by rbryan4 View Post
Anyone ever heard of or seen these used these before? Opinions? Supposedly protects the trailer better than any mud flaps -- but expensive.

Towtector Pro
From what I've seen, there are numerous similar "grass skirt" products. Looks like they should work fairly well as they would still allow some airflow vs a solid flap. But how well they prevent or trap the big chunks from getting through is the question.
wayne_m is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2014, 04:17 PM   #10
Site Team
 
rbryan4's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Canyon Lake, Texas
Trailer: 2015 19 "Past Tents", 2021 F150 Lariat 2.7L EB
Posts: 10,222
Quote:
Originally Posted by wayne_m View Post
From what I've seen, there are numerous similar "grass skirt" products. Looks like they should work fairly well as they would still allow some airflow vs a solid flap. But how well they prevent or trap the big chunks from getting through is the question.
Thanks for the feedback. What I found interesting is that the brushes actually contact the ground. They claim to have a heat absorbing strip at the top so the brushes don't burn from the heat buildup caused by the road friction. Another interesting feature is the exhaust ports. You'd attach one end of their hose to your exhaust and the other end to the port, so that the vehicle exhaust is not affected. Anyone wanna test it? ....
__________________
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy an RV. And that is pretty close."
rbryan4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:58 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.