Three Piece Rock Guard,Best Price ??

[TG Twinkie]

Thanks Doug. That looks like something I can do but I think my drip cap sticks out more than 1 1/2". Can I just drill out the rivets and take it off then put the angle up there or would I need to put the angle up there then put the drip cap back on above it? If the drip cap is curved to match the skin it may be difficult to get a piece of angle to replace it. There is a video online showing a commercially made rock guard being installed. Just type DIY Rock Guard into your search engine. The angle will serve as the drip cap if you make sure you seal it and that the ends extend beyond the sides of the window.

Also, if I do the angle and hinge at the top, do I need anything at the sides or will just the little rubber holders at the bottom hold it in place? The angle frame will be strong enough to hold with the rubber hold downs. You might want to install holdouts at the bottom to keep the rock guard from rubbing, I did not need them because the curved pieces on each hold it out.

And, finally, what do I use to lift and hold the rock guard up when I want to open the window? Would that be something that would attach to the front of the trailer beside the windows and then to the lexan? I would make the frame wide enough to where you can install the holdup mechanism outside of the window frame. You will see one type of hold up mechanism on the video; it uses thumb screws, I'm not a big fan of those. There are the gas filled lift mechanisms like those used on pickup topper doors that open "up". They look like a small shock absorber only longer. They are pretty pricey as I recall. I don't have anything installed on mine yet.

Nope. Now is finally - where the heck do I get Lexan? HD is 2 hours away and Lowe's is 3. There is an online place called "eplastics.com" that you can buy it cut to the size you need. Don't know what it will cost. If you tell them what you want to use it for, perhaps they can recommend how thick it should be. I would guess no less than 1/4".

[lucymcdog]

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

Lindy;
Here are the pics. There are 5 stainless steel screws holding the angle to the skin. 4 Stainless steel hinges hold the rock guard to the angle.
I would not try to attached the rock guard to the window, it may break in the process. If the drip cap doesn't stick out more than 1 1/2", the angle could go above it.
I would not recommend plexiglass; Lexan is far superior. I am considering replacing the fiberglass in the middle section with Lexan, it would let more light in.

More questions:

Is the angle stuff aluminum or stainless?
Do I get "C" channel to go around the Lexan or is that angle?
Do I need to worry about the frame of the rock guard rubbing against the trailer? If so, what do I need to put on the frame to keep it from rubbing?
Are those just little hinges or is it like a piano hinge?
What are the hold out arms called so that I can look for some?
Is Lexan the polycarbonate stuff?

Thanks!

[TG Twinkie]

More questions:

Is the angle stuff aluminum or stainless? Everything is aluminum. The screws to fasten the 1 1/2" angle are stainless steel #10 x 1".

Do I get "C" channel to go around the Lexan or is that angle? I used angle and flat stock in order to be able to clamp the fiberglass (Lexan in your case) tightly between the two pieces, the angle and the flat stock. I put the drawing here again. Note how it is like a sandwich, the rivets go thru the angle, the fiberglass and the flat stock, clamping it together.

Do I need to worry about the frame of the rock guard rubbing against the trailer? It depends on how close the rubber hold downs will hold it and the pressure from the wind as you drive down the road.

If so, what do I need to put on the frame to keep it from rubbing? I would think you could use something like a rubber pad thick enough to keep the frame from rubbing on skin or frame of the window. I would fasten the pad to the skin or window frame not to the frame of the rock guard; there will be some scrubbing action fro the wind and you want that to scrub on the frame not the skin. There are a number of different styles of rubber pads with holes in them for mounting. I'll see what I can find when I get some time to look.

Are those just little hinges or is it like a piano hinge? I used 4 each 2" stainless steel hinges (refer to the pics I posted) if you click on the picture it should enlarge to where you can see the hinges., I couldn't find anything but steel or brass piano hinge. The steel will rust and the color of the brass just didn't look good to me.

What are the hold out arms called so that I can look for some? I'll have to do some searching for a definition of the part.

Is Lexan the polycarbonate stuff? If you go to the eplastics.com website they list Lexan and I think it is polycarbonate and I'm not sure what Plexiglass is made of. But the Lexan type material is what I would recommend.