Rock Guard

[Mountainman198]

4 hours ago, Patriot said:

Did you cover the entire radius of the corner and the cover the lower areas of the dog house?
What thickness was the 3M PPF? Likely it is 8mil.  My XPEL installer used 3m many years ago, until he had issues with the 3m material beginning to “orange peel” and the material releasing post install. 
 

Good for you on the $50 install.  Pics of your install? 

Patriot🇺🇸
 

I just covered the leading edge of each front corner from the doghouse to just around the corner to the side and only below the belly band. From my experience, this is where I have found most of the rocks escaping my rock tamers and hitting whatever I tow.  Did not cover the doghouse and have had no rock hits as of yet after two years of towing.  I am not with my trailer currently but will try and remember to take pics and circle back and update my reply here in a couple weeks.

[Sparklite]

I use the Bow Buddy. Always mounted to the trailer and replaceable if needed.

 

[topgun2]

Sparklite - 

Details?  price, where did you purchase it?  How are those braces attached to the frame?  Do you also have "rock tamer" type flaps on the rear of your tow vehicle?  How many miles have you put on your trailer - specifically going down dirt roads?  What kind of dings have you found on your Ollie?

Thanks!

Bill

[ScubaRx]

Reminds me of New York’s Darth Vader…

https://www.wired.com/2016/01/darth-vader-is-a-massive-train-plow-that-clears-crazy-amounts-of-snow/

[Sparklite]

20 minutes ago, topgun2 said:

Sparklite - 

Details?  price, where did you purchase it?  How are those braces attached to the frame?  Do you also have "rock tamer" type flaps on the rear of your tow vehicle?  How many miles have you put on your trailer - specifically going down dirt roads?  What kind of dings have you found on your Ollie?

Thanks!

Bill

Pretty expensive.  After shipping it was in the $800 range.  They are made in Canada, but have dealers all around.  Here is the link https://www.trailer-rockguard.com/dealers/.  There are not any dealers near me, so I was able to order from the US Distributor, Flathead Wholesale, in Montana. I installed it when the trailer was new without the support brackets you see in my photo.  That was not the best idea, because high cross winds could cause it to twist.  I removed it for a while, before reinstalling it with the support arms seen in the photo.  I attached a pair of Anderson WDH brackets (without the set screws) to the frame and drilled/riveted the connections for the support bars.  I could do an Oli Modifications post on the process, but haven't yet.  I have a little over 2000 miles on the current install and has been flawless.   

 

I haven't traveled much on dirt roads, but the front of the trailer stays very clean with the Bow Buddy. After driving on wet roads, the front is almost free of all road grime.  I don't use any additional rock guard on the TV; only the Bow Buddy on the trailer. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Patriot]

3 hours ago, Sparklite said:

I use a the Bow Buddy. Always mounted to the trailer and replaceable if needed.

 

I think it’s an interesting option. With 14,000 gelcoat chip and ding free miles with my current configuration, I am just not willing to give up my Oliver cargo/gen basket. That netting you see in the below photo is a shade screen attached to our Ollie hangar.

Patriot🇺🇸

 

[MAX Burner]

Looks very interesting!  We've towed through snowy/sleety conditions with our SOBs (but not Casablanca), how would you think the Bow Buddy would handle snow and rime ice build-up?  Just curious...

[Sparklite]

3 hours ago, MAX Burner said:

Looks very interesting!  We've towed through snowy/sleety conditions with our SOBs (but not Casablanca), how would you think the Bow Buddy would handle snow and rime ice build-up?  Just curious...

I don't have any experience with  snow/ice...but I assume it would probably not handle it well.   It is pretty heavy duty with heavy rubber and stainless tubing, but adding ice build up weight near the tips could cause an issue. Maybe.  

 

It was designed for boats, and don't think they anticipated snow and ice on boating trips 

[MAX Burner]

2 minutes ago, Sparklite said:

It was designed for boats, and don't think they anticipated snow and ice on boating trips 

Roger that!

[HDRider]

I just ordered these.

Made in North Dakota

https://shop.agricover.com/product/rockstarcommercialtowflap

 

[topgun2]

23 minutes ago, HDRider said:

I just ordered these.

I really do like the idea of them being attached to the underside of the tow vehicle and not the hitch assembly (like Rock Tamers that I have).  By attaching them in this manner, the sensors that are in the rear bumper are likely not affected by these.  However, I noticed that the recommended road clearance seems to be a bit high which will allow rocks to possibly hit the lower sections of the Ollie.  Also, there is no mention of installing these with a bit of "sail" (the flaps angled towards the rear at the bottom).

Hopefully you will gives us a report as to how they perform in the real world after you have had a chance to test them out.

Bill

[Rivernerd]

2 hours ago, HDRider said:

I just ordered these.

We have been using our Rockstar mud flaps for 9 months now.  We like them.

1 hour ago, topgun2 said:

However, I noticed that the recommended road clearance seems to be a bit high which will allow rocks to possibly hit the lower sections of the Ollie. 

Rockstar sells two versions:  (1) adjustable and (2) non-adjustable.  The adjustable version enables you to adjust for less road clearance.  Note in the photo the low road clearance.

[HDRider]

1 hour ago, topgun2 said:

I really do like the idea of them being attached to the underside of the tow vehicle and not the hitch assembly (like Rock Tamers that I have).  By attaching them in this manner, the sensors that are in the rear bumper are likely not affected by these.  However, I noticed that the recommended road clearance seems to be a bit high which will allow rocks to possibly hit the lower sections of the Ollie.  Also, there is no mention of installing these with a bit of "sail" (the flaps angled towards the rear at the bottom).

Hopefully you will gives us a report as to how they perform in the real world after you have had a chance to test them out.

Bill

I will report in when I know enough about them.

 

I have to think that rocks flying back is also a factor of travel speed.  I can't see myself going very fast (I wonder what is considered very fast, 35, 45 mph?) pulling my Ollie. 

 

Thinking about that.  They do something here I hate.  On some tertiary roads they put pea gravel on top of road tar to resurface the road.  It is a real boom for windshield repair businesses.

[topgun2]

3 hours ago, HDRider said:

It is a real boom for windshield repair businesses.

AND for those that sell tar remover!😒

Travel speed - on dirt roads - depends as much as anything else on how smooth the road appears to be.  I've been upwards of 60mph on nice smooth dirt roads.  Wash boarded dirt roads see me doing about 5mph.