47 Keep your back end free of stone damage

Many of you are likely to do some towing at some stage with a camper trailer or a caravan. A big issue with towing is ricochet on dirt roads, gravels bouncing off the draw bar and bodywork and deflected straight back onto your vehicle. The result… paintwork that’s peppered with chips, possible indicator lens breakage and the worst if you’ve got a wagon, a busted back window. Preparation is the key. With the trailer or caravan fit a stone shield. It should be possible to get a tube steel frame made to attach to the draw bar, covered with heavy-duty shade cloth. The material will absorb a lot of the gravel’s energy and it should fall harmlessly to the road. An old trick for the back window is to take a beer carton an open it out flat, taping it to the tailgate covering the window glass. The inconvenience of reduced visibility is tiny compared to the cost of the replacement windscreen.