Protecting a 5th Wheel Front Window From Rock Damage

[SargeW]

The 5th wheel that we have had for the last 14 months has been pretty reliable and we have used it a lot. One irritation that keeps popping up is the front window that the builder put on the nose, which is in the bedroom over the bed. We have never used it as a window, or even for light as the room also has side windows by the bed that open and have shades. We quickly discovered that the builder may as well have painted a bulls eye on the window as even though it is up high, it routinely gets impacted by road debris, especially rocks.

I have fixed the window twice now, the first crack being 16" long running from the edge to the center of the glass before I saw and repaired it. I have fixed dozens of broken windshields in cars/trucks and RV's so I am not surprised by this event. The window is double layer automotive glass to the cracks have all been in the front layer only. When I fixed the first one as part of the repair I used a glass drill bit and drilled a tiny hole at the end of the crack to hopefully terminate the crack from spreading. For about 6 months it worked, then after returning from Quartzsite this last month after a wash of the front cap I noted that the crack had extended, just making a turn around the drilled and filled hole and ran to the top edge of the window, about another 12".

So I again filled the crack with resin repair, which actually turned out pretty good. But now I am on a mission to cover the window with something to help with stone impacts. I am looking at a product called "Plasti Dip" which has a version that will adhere to glass. I have even considered having the window removed and fiber glassed over, but that would take stupid money if I could find someone willing to do it.

I already have a insulation barrier on the inside to help with the summer heat, so we never even look out of the window. Surprisingly I do see many examples of various RV's in campgrounds that have windows in the front. Most are thickly covered with bugs and dirt, so they are not readily useful.

There is a company that advertises making covers for front windows, but after several attempts at contact with them, I have lost interest. I initially sent them an email with the dimensions and a picture of the window as requested, but after 4 months I gave up on them. And the "custom made" size for my RV would have been the $500 to $1000 range. Not thrilled about that either.

Anyone else cover the front window in your RV?

 

[Alan_Hepburn]

The fifth wheel that we had decades ago, that had a front window, had a fiberglass awning that flopped down to cover the glass when driving. Maybe you can design some kind of awning to cover yours?

 

[PancakeBill]

I hate the over the bed window too. What I did on one of mt truckcampers, removed the window, then replaced glass with wood and a sheet of anodized alumminum. Inside I had the foil bubble insulation, then just a tight curtain over it.

I think painting it would likely peel.

 

[CharlesinGA]

That's a huge window!

Pickup spray bedliner?

Charles

 

[SargeW]

The fifth wheel that we had decades ago, that had a front window, had a fiberglass awning that flopped down to cover the glass when driving. Maybe you can design some kind of awning to cover yours?

My first TT had a front window with a cover over it. Problem was that the wind beat it up pretty good, and I spent a lot of time and energy putting it back together.

I wondered about spray bed liner material, but I have had that applied on several different truck beds I have owned. It worked well, but it always required that the metal be scuffed and sanded so it would stick. That may be a bit tough on the glass surface.

At least the spray can stuff says it can be removed if desired, and at $15 a can it would be cheap to reapply.

 

[SMR]

Would a peel and stick roofing membrane work, we used to use them as an ice and water shield in valley's and on the eaves.
Not sure if it would stick to glass.

 

[SargeW]

Hmm, not sure. But the DW will want to maintain some aesthetics....

 

[SMR]

Shatter-X Liquid Glass Windshield Treatment

Shatter-X is a high-performance windshield treatment engineered for automotive glass surfaces. Shatter-X modifies surface hardness and surface friction at the glass interface, and the treatment enhances resistance to surface-level abrasions and scratches while also changing how small rocks...

www.shatterx.com

 

[SargeW]

Interesting, will have to do some research into the product.

 

[Rene T]

How about a layer of Eternabond tape on the outside. It would be a long a tedious job to install and would take 2 people. Being a rubber product, it would repel rocks and would last forever

 

[CharlesinGA]

The window is not flat and that is a problem. There is a clear film that can be applied to glass to protect it and hold it together in the event it shatters. Some of it is 8 mil thick, though most seems to be about 4 mil. Not sure if it could be used on that window. 8 mils of a rubbery material might be a pretty good rock deflector.

I need to order some of it, and never seem to get around to it. The previous owner of my trailer thought it would be a good idea to take apart the upper cabinet doors and remove the wood inserts (they did give them to me) and put in glass. Problem is, they did not use tempered glass (I asked about two weeks after I bought the trailer) and with the door frames taken apart and then glued back together and in some cases bradded, there is no way to get them apart again. Supposedly they were trying to win a "most modified" contest at a fiberglass trailer rally.

Charles

 

[Martian]

Have you thought about a wrap for the window?

 

[SargeW]

Have you thought about a wrap for the window?

Can't say that I have as yet. Aesthetics are still important to us, so that may be a possibility.

 

[boatbuilder1]

They make film to put on windows to protect from hurricane damage. Don't know if they make a tinted version that would work.

 

[OldWEB]

Here are a few ideas.

 

[SargeW]

Thanks, I will take a look. Looking at many different options now.

 

[Dan_Frisbie]

I used Plasti-Dip on my truck fronting that I wanted to de-chrome. It holds up pretty well and is easy to touch up.
For this, I think that a rubber compound such as one used for the RV roofs might old up better.

 

[gwinger]

I doubt that any thin type of coating will completely stop the glass from breaking.
Especially if it's a larger object like a stone kicked up or falling from a truck.
Things like bed liner don't stop dents in a truck bed if something is dropped on the bed. It's more of a protective layer to stop scratches. It won't stop the glass from breaking.
Vinyl wrap would do absolutely nothing to stop a window from cracking.
That stone or rock is basically traveling at the speed you are driving, plus the speed it leaves the vehicles wheel in front of you.
The manufacturers could have used 1/4 inch thick piece of polycarbonate with a scratch resistant coating instead of glass. Poly carbonate is flexible, so it bends on impact.
My motorcycle windshield is polycarb and has taken some pretty good hits from stones. They do leave chip marks but never cracked or shattered. One was the size of a quarter.
It is more expensive than glass.

 

[RayIN]

Have you thought about a wrap for the window?

Kinda like this: ClearPlex

 

[SargeW]

I am currently in talks with a company in Texas to see if they will make me cover that would Velcro on the window on the outside. They already make some, just not the size I need. I will post the info if it turns out positive.