Yea, we always knew we need to add a rock guard/skirt, but our first trip towing the car in the rain confirmed it. The whole front end was filthy, and small pepples were all over the front. This will soon damage the front end of the toad unless I install some kind of guard.

There are two kinds of rock guards available, a rubber guard, which is rather like a mud-flap across the entire back of the RV, or a hula-skirt, which is more of a brush. While the rubber guard is probably a bit more effective, they are heavy and hard to find a place to install. As well, most RV'ers I have seen tend to favor the hula skirts, and that is what I chose.

One possible advantage to the skirt types is you can typically find them in different lengths. The rubber types may only be available in a single length. Also, realize that some skirts may be designed for pickup trucks rather than RVs, so their mounting methods may be different.

The one thing I do not want is something ugly. Typically, RV'ers attach the skirt to the rear bumper, but in my view, it does nothing to the asthetics. True, RVs are pretty ugly boxy things to begin with, so in some sense it does not matter. However, there is a practical reason for not wanting to attach the skirt directly to the rear bumper.

My rear bumper consists of a 4" square tube, which also is the storage compartment for the sewer hose. If I attach the skirt to the bottom of the bumper, I will have to attach it with sheet-metal screws. The screws then will protrude into the sewer hose storage area, preventing use of the bumper to store the hose.

Which would mean... I would have to find an alternate storage location for the sewer hose if I attached the skirt to the bumper. Not a viable solution.

My solution then is to make a mounting frame for the skirt, and attach it to the underside of the frame, a bit forward of the bumper. This alleviates the ugly factor by tucking the skirt up under the chassis, but also means I don't have to drill holes into the bumper, thereby ruining it's sewer hose storage capability.

As luck would have it, I do have a welder, and while I am still a novice when it comes to welding, it looks like a great project to hone my welding skills on. The frame consists of 1.25"x1.25" (1/8" thick) angle iron, with a few other 1/8" thick metal pieces to construct the mounting tabs and bracing. I could only find 4ft long angle iron, so I will have to weld two pieces together to create the required 8ft.

I kind of went overboard when I was selecting the angle iron, and initially picked up 1.5"x1.5" 1/4" thick pieces. But luckily my wife was with me, and after some "are you nuts" type expletives, she convinced me I didn't need anything that heavy.

I am glad I listened to her and picked up the lighter weight material. When weighing the assembled frame, it weighs under 11 pounds. and when attached to the frame, it is strong enough to more than handle the weight of the skirting.

Welding was straightforward, but if you do not have access to a welder, or cannot find a welder to make this for you, you could bolt the frame together. This would take a bit more time and material than welding, but you should still be able to come up with an acceptable frame.

I also welded nuts to the frame to facilitate attachment of the skirt itself as the location I selected on the chassis has an area where it would be hard to get a nut on top of the angle iron.

However, since each motorhome will be different, you may not need to do this. Keep in mind though to be forward-looking when you design your frame to solve any potential issues that might make it difficult to install.

I think in the end, I am pleased with the project, and I sure like the skirt being tucked under the chassis rather than being attached to the bumper.

Final Assembly

Most of the tow bar manufacturers have rock guards that attach to the tow bar to prevent damage to your vehicle. However, they are all rather expensive, and they looked like they were contraptions designed by Rube Goldberg. I am not sure how effective they are vs. the skirt type, but let your wallet and judgement be your guide.