Towing Covers
Hi, firstly apologies if this is covered somewhere else but I couldn't see it.
We've just purchased a new Swift caravan at the NEC show and are thinking of protecting our nice new shiny asset with a towing cover. Does anyone have any advice on whether they are worth it (they are quite pricey) and which one to go for?
Cheers,
Andy.
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I also thought about it 3 years ago when I bought my new shiny 'van', but I thought where am I going to store a large cover that could be wet and muddy.
OK I could always clean and dry it after arriving on site before finding a storage spot somewhere, but 3 years on I am still without one and happy to wipe down the front of the 'van' after arrival. On saying that, I do have a few small 'chips' in the front paintwork but am not too bothered as its hardly going to rust.
I don't have a strong opinion either way really, just never bothered.
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Hi, we have a Bailey and the first AluTecs were prone to denting by chippings so I bought a half cover. This has now been replaced by a full front cover from Protec.
It certainly keeps the front clean and must stop some chip damage at least. Can't really say if it is 'worth it' cos we haven't towed without it. Towed 18 yrs before without one though without problems.
Depends on how clean you want your van to stay I guess.
Sandgroper
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We have a Protec one. It certainly does the job of keeping the front clean and chip free. We have, a few times now, arrived on site with a wet, filthy front cover but we just wait for a dry day to lay out and brush the worst off. We do then wash properly when we get home. It's quite compact when folded and we store in the front locker.
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It's very much a personal choice. We use a protect cover & to be honest I would not be without it. It comes with it's own storage bag so fits neatly under a locker when on site & if it's wet we just loosely fold it in the awning & wait for a dry day to pack it away. Fitting takes a couple of minutes & you are at least guaranteed a nice clean view from the front windows on arrival.
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Bought towing cover a few years back having had the front of the van covered in tar while going slowly over newly made road in France, it was devil to get off, best purchase I made in recent times as the previous post said you get to site and the front of the van is clean and it only takes about 10min to fit and remove, well worth the money.
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Wouldn't go anywhere without one since a cracked front window and if it's wet on arrival if possible we hang it from the top awning rail and fit in the skirt rail till dry.
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Thanks all for your useful posts. On balance I think it's worth investing in one. Hopefully this one is an affordable compromise but happy to hear from you if it's not good enough
Thanks again for your advice and support.
Andy.
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We bought a half cover a few years ago. Found it a pain to put on and take off when touring and it rubbed the caravan's paint on the corners. Have since had mudflaps fitted on our cars and have had no damage to caravans in thousands of miles of towing. Front of caravans sometimes gets mucky but that soon washes off.
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We store the van on a site and the access can be very very dirty so considered a cover.
Do people just pack away and put back on dirty?
My view is that it would be easier to clean the van, and my wife is certainly not keen on replacing a dirty van front for a dirty van front cover.
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I would never now consider towing a van without one, it's not just about mud and wet, it's also about damage. Stones and grit being flung at the front of your van by the rear wheels ain't a myth! I used to find the gel coat on my vans damaged- now, it's a thing of the past.
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Hi Max we also purchased a new Swift at the NEC, we thought it would be best to cover the front of the van. So we ordered one of the Specialised Covers as we were leaving. They keep you well informed as it progresses,it's on the sewing floor at the moment (not literally) hopefully?
Steve
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We had a Pro-Tec cover for a number of years but it seemed to let in a lot of water which then marked the front windows...so a waste of time really.
We now have a Tow Pro Elite..tailored fit to our Challenger Sport - and what a difference! I know it's more expensive - but as we all know you get what you pay for, and there's no such thing as 'owt for nowt'.
It fits brilliantly and leaves NO marks on the van. If the cover gets wet, then it dries fairly quickly too. Highly recommended.
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Up date to earlier post, have now received our cover and from what we can tell it looks top notch.Arrived day after we were notified that it had been dispatched,box it was in looked like it contained another wedding hat for the OH very top class. Just need the new van now, due 19th April.
Steve
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