Skirt or Bra or More?

[ThruTraffic]

Will be towing a Samurai behind a Phoenix Cruiser. I want something to protect the toad from road debris.

I'm wondering if the skirt (broom bristle type) would suffice or if more substantial gear is needed. I'm not spending $500 for this. Got to be more economical means; the skirt can be had for $50 to $100.

The cruiser has low hanging mud flaps already and the rear bumper ground clearance isn't more than two feet.

What say ye? 🙂

[Ralph_Cramden]

Skirt?.....yes. A short one.
Bra?......hell no!

[whemme]

Instead of a bra, just buy some sandpaper and use it to scratch the paint and the windshield on the front of your toad. You will get the same result but you can buy the sandpaper for a lot less than a bra.

I use a 1/4 in thick plexiglass shield that mounts vertically in front of my toad on my Blue Ox tow bar.

[Winnipeg]

I made a diy version of the "protect a tow", you can find instructions on line. What a waste of time and money. It was much too flimsy. It went in the trash with zero miles on it.

We also tried a hard rubber flap at the back of the motor home. It was too low and did major damage to the Jeep. I still like this option, but you have to keep it way up off the road.

We applied some clear, spray-on film on the fenders. It seams to work, but it is a pain to remove and left on is not much better than looking at a few stone chips.

When we know the roadsare going to be bad, we use a bra. It's a pain trying to keep dirt away from the paint, and you cannot leave it on (scratches), but you sometimes have to choose one damage over another.

[MRUSA]

rockhillmanor wrote:
Been dragging my toad around for 4 years and not one scratch or dent. Just lucky I guess.

That said the bras for cars do nothing more than rub the paint off. rip and then start flapping in the wind. Been there done that on the first sports car I owned. :C

The rock guards that just cover the nose of the toad still allows rocks to fly over it from the MH.

There is a sling type rock guard that attaches to the RV and then to the toad everyone here seems to praise about it doing a good job protecting the toad and easy to attach. It doesn't let anything come up from the road.

I can't find the name brand of the good one that everyone likes.

Maybe some one can chime in with the brand name of it.

Here is a similar picture of how it works.

That is a http://protectatow.tripod.com/Protect-A-Tow, I have one and it works well.

[BarneyS]

Moved to Dinghy Towing forum from Towing.

[D_E_Bishop]

UPS did a study on rain tire spray and decided to put broom type not only behind their truck's tires but around the wheel well. Feeling was it threw up less spray on other traffic. I haven't noticed them as much lately but that could be because I'm used to seeing them. The wheel well spray really gets the side of the towing vehicle and the back spray is hard on following drivers.

[Navyvette]

I use this on my sports car. Good stuff and lasts a long time.

Xpel

[wildtoad]

Had nothing for a while while towing a Chevy Sonic which was also my daily driver. After 5 years of ownership with two as a toad, it had some minor dings. Have no way of knowing if from towing or daily driving. I bought a bra for it but quickly stopped using it as you really need to remove it after it gets wet and it rains here a good bit.

[enblethen]

we have mud flaps behind the drivers. I installed a grass skirt under back bumper. Make sure the skirt does not normally touch the road, keep it a couple three inches above road surface on flat ground. Works good for us.

[rockhillmanor]

Been dragging my toad around for 4 years and not one scratch or dent. Just lucky I guess.

That said the bras for cars do nothing more than rub the paint off. rip and then start flapping in the wind. Been there done that on the first sports car I owned. :C

The rock guards that just cover the nose of the toad still allows rocks to fly over it from the MH.

There is a sling type rock guard that attaches to the RV and then to the toad everyone here seems to praise about it doing a good job protecting the toad and easy to attach. It doesn't let anything come up from the road.

I can't find the name brand of the good one that everyone likes.

Maybe some one can chime in with the brand name of it.

Here is a similar picture of how it works.

[ThruTraffic]

Jim@HiTek wrote:


And it helps if you have a sloped front windshield on your toad. I only added those headlight covers from 3M to protect my toads headlights.

Got a name for the covers you're speaking of? I'm not finding anything but some stick on clear tape and refinishing kits.

Thanks.

[Jim]

Alaska Highway Veteran here, 5 trips up and back. Also managed a big RV park in Fairbanks for 3 summers and asked Class A owners what they had and how it went with their toads and rocks.

Most of the time, the worst damage was from people who had the solid side to side 'advertisement' the RV manufacturers put on. Big chips and marks. The next most damaged were those with the broom type. Smaller chips and marks.

After 14 years of reading, asking, and experimenting, I'd say your best protection are the two mud flaps behind the rear duals that came with the RV, and the two behind the front tires.

And it helps if you have a sloped front windshield on your toad. I only added those headlight covers from 3M to protect my toads headlights.

Other owners rave about the solid covers they mount on the front of their toads, but they're big, bulky, and expensive. I'm a full timer so really don't have a place to store them so they're not something I'd want. After 10,000 miles of towing WITHOUT anything other then the mud flaps and the 3M lens covers, I have no damage to my toad.

[Mandalay_Parr]

I agreee. Less is better.
I don’t have anything anymore.

[Ductape]

You’ve already got everything you need. Just ask the Alaska highway veterans.