Tow Bar Shields

Only used our Protect a Tow 1600 miles so far; seems to keep our Edge from getting dinged up. And, yes, protects the bar etc. also. Simple, lower cost...... I like simple.

Thanks guys, I'll give em a call about the heat in the rear. Just noticed the curb side rear door has a warning about High Temperatures inside. Right underneath it is the DPF and muffler exhaust tubes. Dang I already had placed my little plastic tool box into it :M Guess that ain't going to work out to well. Good news was I found the service connection for the air tanks (underneath the driver seat compartment). At least I don't need to lug my compressor around any more :B Coming from 5th wheels and OEM ST tires I realize how important tire pressure is.

americanrascal wrote:

Dutch_12078 wrote:

We had a similar genny exhaust issue with our Protect-A-Tow, and my fix was to cut the pipe back a bit and add a 90 deg elbow to bring it out the side. I did consider a fix similar to yours, but the elbow also put the pipe in a better location for attaching our Genturi exhaust extender.

Dutch - Thanks and I have purchased the elbow and all the stuff needed to make that type of change. In the end I opted for the shield as I was a bit concerned about exhaust fumes near the rear bedroom was unsure where those fumes would end up. Sounds like you have used it safely and well- so I may try that at some point. At the moment this set up seems to be working well.

One other point is that I have not had a problem nor have I used the Protect a Tow on the good interstates of the lower 48. Thus far I have found no damage to the toad running in the lower 48. If I run across an interstate or a back road with loose gravel though I may slap it on quickly as it takes about 2 minutes to attach.
Rascal

I kept the genny exhaust as close to the rear corner as practical, and the digital display on our CO detector on the back wall has never moved off zero after hours of on-road running, so I think we're ok there. Off the road, the Genturi is used anyway, so no issues there either. The modified exhaust actually clears the side of the coach by a couple of inches, where the original location had it ending a few inches under the back wall.

We travel on loose gravel and dirt roads fairly often while towing, and I repaired a significant number of dings and paint chips on our previous toad (also a RAV4) before we added the Protect-A-Tow. Since then, there have been none attributable to towing. We keep the PAT rolled up under the rear bumper on the coach when not towing, securing it with small bungee cords. At hook up time, it only takes a minute to unroll it and clip it on the car.

Dutch_12078 wrote:

We had a similar genny exhaust issue with our Protect-A-Tow, and my fix was to cut the pipe back a bit and add a 90 deg elbow to bring it out the side. I did consider a fix similar to yours, but the elbow also put the pipe in a better location for attaching our Genturi exhaust extender.

Dutch - Thanks and I have purchased the elbow and all the stuff needed to make that type of change. In the end I opted for the shield as I was a bit concerned about exhaust fumes near the rear bedroom was unsure where those fumes would end up. Sounds like you have used it safely and well- so I may try that at some point. At the moment this set up seems to be working well.

One other point is that I have not had a problem nor have I used the Protect a Tow on the good interstates of the lower 48. Thus far I have found no damage to the toad running in the lower 48. If I run across an interstate or a back road with loose gravel though I may slap it on quickly as it takes about 2 minutes to attach.
Rascal

I use the Blue Ox Car Guard and it works great.

I/ve used a hula skirt, modified to mount to the front end of the toad and protect the front end of the toad. It has worked well for 10 years of fulltiming and two different toads.

In all the miles I have towed vehicles, I have never used a towing shield.
Oh, wait, I do have a full front cover specifically made for the PT Cruiser. It worked.
When towing the Jeep I had, or the truck I have now, no protection, other than the fringe on the back of the coach. It seems to be adequate, I haven't noticed any damage.

americanrascal wrote:


My moho exhaust is to the side so not a problem, but the rear facing generator exhaust was a problem. My fix was a small metal shield I fabricated on the rear bumper in a semi circle (4" dia?) around the genny exhaust. I bring the Protect a Tow in and attached below the shield. Works great- no problems

I'm pretty pleased with the Protect a Tow set up.

We had a similar genny exhaust issue with our Protect-A-Tow, and my fix was to cut the pipe back a bit and add a 90 deg elbow to bring it out the side. I did consider a fix similar to yours, but the elbow also put the pipe in a better location for attaching our Genturi exhaust extender.

lanerd wrote:
Just by looking, it seems the "Protect-a-Tow" is basically the same thing as the Roadmaster Defender. Yet, the Roadmaster is more than $100. Any idea why?

Ron

In my opinion, the Roadmaster Defender has a significant flaw when compared to the Protect-A-Tow. The Protect-A-Tow also protects your tow bar and cabling from road debris. I have no idea why the Defender costs so much more than the Protect-A-Tow though, other than Roadmaster is very proud of it. ;)

I just drove from 5k miles GA to AK and the Alaska Highway towing a Ford Focus on an American Car Dolly. I installed a Protect-a-Tow before leaving. I started using and set up the Protect a Tow after entering Canada and roads started deteriorating for the last half of the trip. I also put Reflectix across the toad windshield for additional protection

There are many unpaved stretches along this route but for the most part the Protect-a- Tow did the job. Yes a few pebbles (maybe 5 penny sized) were found lying on the wiper blades and on the airfoil on the trunk of the toad when we arrived in Anchorage. No significant damage or scratching of the vehicle. I can't say if the pebbles were thrown from side passing vehicles (protect a tow could do nothing for them) or thrown up from the dualies on the moho.The reflectix combination made a difference.

My moho exhaust is to the side so not a problem, but the rear facing generator exhaust was a problem. My fix was a small metal shield I fabricated on the rear bumper in a semi circle (4" dia?) around the genny exhaust. I bring the Protect a Tow in and attached below the shield. Works great- no problems

I'm pretty pleased with the Protect a Tow set up.