Roadmaster Tow Defender

I have been experiencing multiple rock chips and even a broken aulixiary light on our Jeep after last years flat-towing.  This year we decided to haul the Jeep in our enclosed trailer.  I prefer towing the trailer as it allows the Jeep to stay clean, less wear on the tires/drivetrain, we can haul our Harley and I like having my workshop with us.  That said, hauling the Jeep in an enclosed trailer can be a bit of a nuisance for quick trips or trips where we bounce from campground to campground a lot.  Probably the biggest downside is finding a campground that can accomodate a 72' long rig (because I don't like dropping the trailer and unhooking).  Booking well in advance helps because the larger sites go first but the spur of the moment trips mean flat-towing the Jeep.  Plus the wife and I have noticed that we may be overlooking some very nice campgrounds merely because they don't have the super large sites.

That said, I have been giving the Tow Defender a serious look after a good friend of mine went on his Alaska trip a few years ago.  He had experienced multiple rock chips and even many small pebbles being deposited onto the cowling/hood of his Explorer toad.  This was fairly early on his trip and didn't want to have a shield/guard sent to him on his trip.  He found a local ACE Hardware store and made a makeshift screen using PVC pipe and screen door screen.  He said it worked great the remaining 8k plus miles of the trip although it was a pain to attach and detach when he wanted to unhook the toad.

I really don't know what the underlying issue is here as we have flat-towed two other Jeeps in the 20+ years of RVing and well over 100k miles combined yet this Jeep with only about 4k miles of being towed last year has more chips than the last two Jeeps combined.  The first Jeep, a 1992 XJ, was bone stock and we towed it for approx. 20k miles in the four+ years we had it.  The second Jeep, a 1996 ZJ, was lifted 2" with 31" tires and we towed it for about 15+ years and well over 80k miles with hardly a chip on it.  Our current Jeep, 2011 Wrangler Unlimited, is lifted 4" and running 35" tires, sits well above where the other two did yet is more susceptible to chips/damage. 

I decided to purchase the Tow Defender by Roadmaster but I had to do a little more research.  Roadmaster makes two models.  The model 4700 is there standard unit measuring 45" in length which fits the Roadmaster towbars with the Roadmaster brackets on the toad.  The model 4750 is 39" in length and is more of a universal shield.  It fits Blue Ox and Demco towbars or units that do not use Roadmaster toad brackets.  Although I have the Standard Sterling towbar I do not use the Roadmaster brackets.  I fabricated a towbar crossmember attachment that fits slightly below and behind my custom front winch bumper in which I also fabricated.

I chose to use the model 4750 for this reason as well as the fact that I wanted the crossbar to clear my roller fairlead for my winch.  The fit was perfect.  The initial installation took approx. 45-minutes to assemble and adjust.  After that it is mere seconds more than just the towbar itself.  Simply unhook two pins, roll it up against the coach, install four elastic straps to keep it rolled up and then detach the towbar from the Jeep.

After one trip so far I am overall very happy and impressed with the results.  I will know more after our Moab trip next week as we will be making a quick trip and not taking the trailer.

Mike.

Here are a few pictures of the finished installation.

Why don't you just start making them in your shop? I'll foot the bill for the prototype!  8)

After the thrashing I just took in the chip seal on I-70 out of Green River, it would be cheap at twice the price.

skyking4ar2 said:

Why don't you just start making them in your shop? I'll foot the bill for the prototype!  8)

After the thrashing I just took in the chip seal on I-70 out of Green River, it would be cheap at twice the price.

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Isn't that section on I-70 a joke.  We got caught in that crap in August, they had just layed it and people were flying past us.  The signs said no passing and slow to 45 mph.  We slowed down and cars were flying past us.  We ended up getting a broken windshield out of that section.

I hope it is pretty bedded down by now as we will be heading down to Moab next week and I really am not that anxious to give the Tow Defender THAT big of a test, although that will be a good test for it.

Mike.

That's what happened to us. We slowed to 45 and then people flew by at 60. I pulled out to the shoulder to clear the lane but the damage was done to the Honda.

Mike:
  I'm really anxious to hear about your trip and how well this works for you.  I have a brand new, bright red, ford edge toad.  I have been concerned about the front end getting beat up.  I have been wondering whether the defender that lays flat between the MH and the toad would be better that the one that sits up like a shield?  The flat one seems better for many reasons, but I was wondering from someone who has first hand experience.  Let me know after Moab if you are still a "happy camper" 

Steve

We have used the Roadmaster Guardian for 7 years including Alaska and have never had damage to our CRVs. It major benefit it being quicker to mount.

skyking4ar2 said:

That's what happened to us. We slowed to 45 and then people flew by at 60. I pulled out to the shoulder to clear the lane but the damage was done to the Honda.

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Luckily we had the Jeep in the trailer for that trip, however, the front of the trailer got a few nice chips/dings as well as a few on the back of the coach.  Probably from bouncing off of the trailer and striking the rear of the coach.  I am glad I wasn't flat-towing the Jeep on that one but next week will be a different story, hope it is bedded down good.

Mike.

Steve N Dee said:

Mike:
  I'm really anxious to hear about your trip and how well this works for you.  I have a brand new, bright red, ford edge toad.  I have been concerned about the front end getting beat up.  I have been wondering whether the defender that lays flat between the MH and the toad would be better that the one that sits up like a shield?  The flat one seems better for many reasons, but I was wondering from someone who has first hand experience.  Let me know after Moab if you are still a "happy camper" 

Steve

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Steve, I will let you know after next weeks trip whether I am still a "happy camper" or if it was a waste of money.  I looked at both the Tow Defender by Roadmaster as well as the Protecta-Tow and liked the way the Tow Defender mounted and was secured much better than the Protecta-Tow.  However, I do see many of the Protecta-Tow units on the road as well. 

Mike.

Jeff said:

We have used the Roadmaster Guardian for 7 years including Alaska and have never had damage to our CRVs. It major benefit it being quicker to mount.

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Jeff, I considered fabricating a removable vertical shield for the front of the Jeep as I have seen the Guardian by Roadmaster used quite a lot as well.  However, my thinking was if I could keep the rocks/debris below the plane of the towbar with a screen then there would be less chance of them hitting the vertical shield and then bouncing and contacting the rear of the coach.  Just my thinking, I may be wrong.

Mike.

We use the Demco front shield.  It slopes forward from the attach points so deflects stuff down.  A vertical panel can deflect stuff back onto the rear of the MH or just up in the air which may not clear the car.  The Demco is not perfect but I could not attribute any of the dings to have happened while towing.  Now driving on MT gravel roads and highways is another story.  I some times think they use pea gravel for sanding in the winter. 

We put 115,000 miles on the 2001 Tradewinds and it did not have a scratch on the rear cap except where I slipped with a screwdriver a few years ago. :

I am thinking of getting a full enclosed to haul our car inside out of the weather. Plan to use the trailer as a garage for the car. Want to build cabinets over the hood this would use the wasted space and give me more storage room.

mnmnutswer said:

I am thinking of getting a full enclosed to haul our car inside out of the weather. Plan to use the trailer as a garage for the car. Want to build cabinets over the hood this would use the wasted space and give me more storage room.

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If you primarily use the RV to move from summer to winter locales a trailer should work great. We spend six months on the move in our m/h and I wouldn't want to deal with the trailer every few days.

mnmnutswer said:

I am thinking of getting a full enclosed to haul our car inside out of the weather. Plan to use the trailer as a garage for the car. Want to build cabinets over the hood this would use the wasted space and give me more storage room.

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I generally haul the Jeep in our 26' Haulmark Edge enclosed trailer for this very reason.  Like I mentioned earlier, we have towed two previous Jeeps well over 100k miles over the span of the past 20+ years with little to no rock chips.  This Jeep for some reason is a rock chip magnet.  Hence the reason for towing our trailer, plus the ability to take the Harley with us for longer trips. 

However, like Jeff mentioned, the trailer can be a nuisance for short trips or hop, skip and jumping around  from campground to campground.  Especially finding campgrounds with sites large enough.  Overall, I prefer to haul the Jeep in our trailer so it arrives clean and I have my rolling "shop" with me but it is simply not always practical.

Here is the inside of our 26' Haulmark Edge, I have set it up similar to what you are descibing with the workbench and overhead cabinets.

Mike,

I think the newer Jeeps have a softer paint that is more susepitble to chips.
I towed a 1997 Grand Cherokee over 100,000, including Alaska, far fewer ships than on our current 2008 Liberty at 60,000 miles towed. We'e also towed a 1987 Cherokee, 1995 Blazer and a 2006 Staturn and none of them suffer the paint damage like the Liberty.

Let us know if you like the Defender.

ken

Ken & Sheila said:

Mike,

I think the newer Jeeps have a softer paint that is more susepitble to chips.
I towed a 1997 Grand Cherokee over 100,000, including Alaska, far fewer ships than on our current 2008 Liberty at 60,000 miles towed. We'e also towed a 1987 Cherokee, 1995 Blazer and a 2006 Staturn and none of them suffer the paint damage like the Liberty.

Let us know if you like the Defender.

ken

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I will post up my thoughts after next weeks trip Ken.  There may be something to the paint, I hadn't thought of that.  With all of the EPA regulations on paint supplies and procedures there may be something there.  Especially with the use of more water based paints.  I can't see how the new water born paints/primers would be as durable/strong and the older isocyanate catalyzed paints/clearcoats.

All I know is that I have to do something to protect the paint on the Jeep, this is unacceptible.  Much longer unprotected and there won't be any paint left on it.

Mike.

Update. 

Well after three trips now using the Roadmaster Tow Defender I can say I am pleased with my decision.  We have towed close to 1k miles now and no additional damage that I have been able to detect.  Usually I will have a rock or two on the cowling of the Jeep and/or the front bumper sitting there just letting me know that it had probably struck something painted and thought I should know. :'(

After these trips now I have had nothing on the Jeep that I have noticed and not even a single pebble sitting on the front bumper or winch opening.  This leads me to believe that the shield is working as advertised.  It is also pretty quick and simple to hook up once the towbar is attached to the Jeep.  It also rolls up nice and tidy to the coach when parked at a campsite.  The only downside that I have noticed is that it is a little more awkward to carry from the garage and install on the back of the coach before departing and removing again once home but that is minor compared to the protection it seems to be giving.

Mike.

Thanks for the update Mike.  Sounds like something to go on the Christmas list.  Hope I've been good enough for Santa to put one in my stocking 

Steve

Steve N Dee said:

Hope I've been good enough for Santa to put one in my stocking 

Steve

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I wouldn't count on it Steve.  You may want to start saving your pennies just in case. ;D

Mike.

Sometimes I read these stories about toad damage and wonder what we're doing wrong. We have towed our 2006 Honda CRV over 10,000 miles with 2 different coaches, and the only issue we have ever had is the engine compartment being totally covered with dirt after driving in a rain storm. Not one chip or evidence of a rock hitting the front end.

There has to be some physics involved. Why do some get rocks kicked up, and others none?

Stan