it depends on your point of view. I was thinking of getting one, but I thought, its something else to do when you get on site, I have only been towing for about ten years, in all that time only once have I had an incident where something has hit the caravan and that was a lorry strap in the middle of the road I couldnt avoid and it hit the front just about ground level, not sure if a cover would of helped protect it. as for dirt etc, carry a bucket, sponge and shampoo, or some no water wash stuff.
Also I used to fully cover my caravan during winter and it used to rub the surface of the caravan during winter and marked it and it was an expensive pro-tec fitted cover, so its not impossible for the same to happen with a front cover, I bet the manufactures state that the caravan should be clean and dry before fitting, yet another job to do!
As you will see this topic does come up pretty often.
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We would recommend a towing cover as we had a caravan damaged by stone chips thrown up by the rear wheels. Another plus is that when arriving on site your front is clean and no squashed bugs on the windows. We have the Specialised front towing cover which is easy to put on.
I think how much muck gathers and how many bugs splatter on the front of your van is heavily dependent on the tow vehicle. My car, a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso with it's high roof line and squarish back end, seems to provide a surprising amount of protection for my 4 berth conventional caravan, a few bug splatters at the roof line of van seems to be as bad as it gets. In that circumstance, a towing cover would be far more trouble than it's worth, especially for me, having to fit/remove it on my own.
A different tow car would almost certainly demonstrate different characteristics and may offer less protection. But it's all about the air slipstream over the tow car more than the actual shape of the vehicle, and that is not something you can easily pre-judge. Some vehicles will undoubtedly gather every bit of muck and bug in the vicinity and dump it all on the front of your van!
One issue I see with a cover is that both the van and cover have to be impeccably clean before fitting cover, otherwise you risk gritty dirt abrasion damage from cover movement under slipstream air pressure, any 'chattering' or flapping of the cover would obviously be the worst scenario.
Like most choices, there are pros and cons, and other people's experiences are no better than an insight, not necessarily absolute guidance. IMHO, I'd try towing the van a few times to assess just how bad it gets, unless you already know it gets covered, and then judge whether a cover is of any worth. I'd say the vast majority of caravanners don't bother, 3 of my friends with vans don't use a cover, but they've all got estate type tow cars, which may have the same effect as my car.
We have one, but were given it by my sis in law who bought a new one. We use it on most outings, but sometimes can't be bothered. Not sure if there are any real benefits. Peace of mind i suppose?
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Quote: Originally posted by Monty15 on 12/3/2021
I think how much muck gathers and how many bugs splatter on the front of your van is heavily dependent on the tow vehicle. My car, a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso with it's high roof line and squarish back end, seems to provide a surprising amount of protection for my 4 berth conventional caravan, a few bug splatters at the roof line of van seems to be as bad as it gets. In that circumstance, a towing cover would be far more trouble than it's worth, especially for me, having to fit/remove it on my own.
A different tow car would almost certainly demonstrate different characteristics and may offer less protection. But it's all about the air slipstream over the tow car more than the actual shape of the vehicle, and that is not something you can easily pre-judge. Some vehicles will undoubtedly gather every bit of muck and bug in the vicinity and dump it all on the front of your van!
One issue I see with a cover is that both the van and cover have to be impeccably clean before fitting cover, otherwise you risk gritty dirt abrasion damage from cover movement under slipstream air pressure, any 'chattering' or flapping of the cover would obviously be the worst scenario.
Like most choices, there are pros and cons, and other people's experiences are no better than an insight, not necessarily absolute guidance. IMHO, I'd try towing the van a few times to assess just how bad it gets, unless you already know it gets covered, and then judge whether a cover is of any worth. I'd say the vast majority of caravanners don't bother, 3 of my friends with vans don't use a cover, but they've all got estate type tow cars, which may have the same effect as my car.
There's probably a lot in that Monty. I have an older style X Trail which has a fairly square flat back, and I get hardly anything on the front of my caravan when towing. Never really thought about it before, but I would imagine you are right. I don't bother with a cover.
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Topic: Towing covers
via mobile 12/3/2021 at 12:44am
