I have a road master tow bar. Our first trip (with the toad following along behind) resulted in the toad looking like it had been drug through flood waters.
What are your various experiences with shields for toads? I am looking at one that mounts on the quick connect bracket and mounts upright in front of the toad.
Thanks in advance
When we had our Roadmaster towbar, we purchased the Roadmaster "Rock Guard" and it really helped with "stuff" being thrown up from the tag tires. But then we also have the standard "Foretravel" mudflap. The RockGuard does not keep the toad clean. If you run your roof AC while running down the road, the toad with get hit with all the water run off from the A/C's.
We have the same type guard now that we have a Blue Ox towbar. Would not travel without our guard.
We've had good luck with Protect-a-Tow, which is a skirt that goes under the tow bar. It keeps the tow bar cleaner and has protected the CR-V from a variety of "extracurriculars", particularly bits of blow tires and in one case a big rig winch bar that got impaled in our mud flap.
It doesn't keep the toad spotless, but we haven't seen any rocks or other bits of solid debris on it, either.
Michelle
A "mud flap" the width of your LD on your LD under the rear bumper is a one-time fix.
best, paul
Check out this thread
Toad Protection (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=10250.msg47376#msg47376)
I have to agree with Paul, my Foretravel, full width mud flap along with the rubber mud flaps behind the rear wheels has prevented most damage to my two towed vehicles. They get very dirty when towing but I don't see more chips than one would expect on any older car and I haven't even had my driving lights damaged by kicked up debris.
Rick,
We have no extra protection for our Honda CR-V. We do have a few more chips in the paint than I'd like, but I decided from day one I did not want to hassle with any additional guards, shields etc. But I am very careful to not run the Honda wipers after a trip until I can rinse the windshield with water because of sand and coarse road dust that accumulates on the glass. We will also keep this Honda until it dies, so chips in the paint are of little concern.
We full-time so we like to make the traveling part as simple as possible.
Took our first trip recently. Things went pretty well (pretty slow too)
Rick, I may have messed something. What is that you are pulling behind your vintage Foretravel?
We call it the Jelly bean
a mostly restored 1961 Mercedes 180b
Rick, you are my hero. Anyone can drive a new vehicle. This combo is very special.
grin
Anything less would be uncivilized. :)
Almost brought back a '61 Mecedes 180 when I left West Berlin in '82. Beautiful automobile - automobile, not car! One does not call something like that a car! I left a '73 Mecedes 200 over there. Beautiful riding touring vehicle. You could drive it all day long and never know know it. And the 200 was a cheapie back them.
been fooling around with benz's for years. I am over it now, I'll keep a couple, sell the rest and concentrate on my new passion. Driving a (very slow) motel around!
So Rick, what engine does your 1980 have?
cummins vt225
Was supposedly built to compete with the 3208 CAT but I had a naturally asperated 3208 that was nowhere near as gutless as this thing.
Doesn't use oil and gets 9.5 miles per gallon though so I am okay with it I guess.