Stoneguards / Pebbleguard Protectors
Stoneguards protect the front of the caravan from stones flicked up by the tow vehicle. Stoneguards are usually a metal frame fixed to the draw bar with a covering usually made from a Breezeway mesh material (looks like a shadecloth but is more hard wearing) and they help prevent chipping and dents in the body of the caravan as well as the gas bottle(s).
It is best if the material is not too taunt to allow some absorption of the impact of stones and that the stoneguard is on a slight angle with the top facing in a slight downward direction to deflect anything flicked up. This should also minimise the number of stones then deflecting onto the back windscreen of the tow vehicle.
Padded stoneguards work in much the same way as the shadecloth/mesh stoneguards in that they are designed to deflect stones down and away from the caravan using a padded protection which is actually attached to the front of the caravan itself. Some caravan manufacturers are using checkerplate instead of the padding for this purpose.
A few Tips On Replacing The Padded Stoneguard On The Front Of Caravans
Replacing the padded stoneguard on the front of caravans, although difficult, is not impossible.
Things to remember –
- To fit the material properly you need to remove the corner trims on the front of the caravan as the vinyl fits in underneath these. This requires both front corners of the van to be resealed to prevent water damage
- Take care when tensioning the vinyl across the front of the caravan (particularly if your vinyl has the ‘plastic welded quilting’, as it is easy to stretch the material unevenly, making the imitation stitching run in crooked lines.
- Having said this, also take care to tension the material well, as it will stretch in hot weather and can look ‘baggy” if not made tight enough when fitted.
