I have just purchased a new ute (a Ford Ranger XLT) to tow my van and want to fit some kind of a stone guard, not only to protect the van that has a few dents already, but moreso to protect the towing vehicle. My previous vehicle, a Hilux, had lots of stone chips on the tailgate from stones bouncing off the van back onto the ute over many years. I tend to travel the backroads that are often gravel and naturally want to minimise the damage to both the van and the new ute. I accept that if one wants to travel the gravel roads, there will be some stone chips but if I can minimise the damage, that would be great.
There are several different kinds of protectdors on the market and it appears that the horizontal protector that fits under the A frame is the best deflector of stones. I don't have a lot of room left on top of the A frame but could possibly fit a guard there to deflect the stone back to the road if that was the best option.
We use the Stonestomper (basically a mesh mat extending under the A frame from the rear of the tug to the front crossmember of the van). Brilliant bit of gear stopping virtually all gravel etc rising above it. Some may say it's expensive at around $600 but as far as we're concerned, it's already paid for itself. No chance of ricochets off the stoneguard into the tailgate or through the rear window of the tug, unlike some of the other types.
Darrell & Sandra
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Love the bush & our native environment. Conservationist, not a bloody Greenie.
If your looking for a quick fix in an emergency situation use a roll of bubble wrap, on wagons it works well to protect the tail gate glass and works just as well on side glass.
If got time I thought of making a retractable one from a blind by taking out the locking mech and replacing the material with light weight shade cloth, still in the thought stage at this time but it could work in theory , similar commercial unit cost hundreds.
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Pets are welcome but children must be leashed at all times
As a vertical stone guard did little to protect the undercarriage of our camper trailer. We purchased a stone stomper to protect our new Suzuki flat towed behind our motorhome. The best solution by far.
It keeps the Dust and stones underneath the Drawbar and Avan. Made from Doubled up Shade Cloth it works just like the Stonestomper commercial version. Equaliser system on the tensioning to keep it up when turning.
In fact after 3 years it is possibly ready for a good overhaul or a new one.
If I can find the good truck type mesh next time I will make it from that as there is a fair bit of abrasion to the Shade cloth. Will make a decision after this next trip on the dirt next week. Around the South West of WA Granite and Woodland Hwy is the first bit of dirt to traverse.
Here it is attached to the Mitsubishi and the Avan on the Plenty Hwy.
