How to Install Your Travel Trailer Front Window Stone Guard
Protecting your travel trailer’s front window from road debris is essential for maintaining its condition and appearance. A durable Travel Trailer Front Window Stone Guard provides this crucial protection. This guide walks you through the installation process for a padded window cover designed to function as a stone guard, ensuring it’s fitted correctly for maximum effectiveness and longevity on your vehicle. Following these steps will help you prepare your trailer for many worry-free journeys. Planning your next adventure to exciting travel destinations requires a well-protected travel trailer.
While no hardware is required for your cover installation, you will need to install the provided adhesive Dual Lock (often referred to as Velcro®) on the top of the center window hinge. This small addition significantly helps keep the center of the cover pulled tight against the trailer surface. The Dual Lock is minimally visible once installed and can be removed later without causing damage to the surface. Crucially, it will not obstruct the window’s ability to open or close. The Dual Lock is supplied pre-cut into four strips. These strips should be positioned precisely between the rivets on top of the hinge. DO NOT place the strips directly on top of any rivets, as this will create an uneven surface, resulting in bubbles and preventing proper adhesion of the Dual Lock. Pay close attention to the detailed installation instructions below.
Diagram illustrating steps for installing a travel trailer front window stone guard
Install Dual Lock Adhesive Strips
Step 1: Thoroughly Clean the Surface
Before proceeding with the installation of the Dual Lock adhesive strips, it is absolutely essential to prepare the surface by cleaning it thoroughly. The instructions detailed here are more comprehensive than might be shown in supplementary videos, so adhering strictly to these more detailed steps will ensure the best possible adhesion and prevent premature failure of the adhesive bond.
The primary goal of this cleaning process is to completely remove any lingering oil residue and fine dirt particles that accumulate from the road. This grime can often be difficult to see and may not be immediately obvious on the surface. If you do not follow the steps outlined below completely and correctly, you risk merely spreading the road oil and dirt around rather than effectively removing it. Failure to remove these contaminants is a common cause of adhesive failure, compromising the effectiveness of your Travel Trailer Front Window Stone Guard.
- Option 1: Begin by using a dry paper towel. Wipe down the entire area where the Dual Lock will be applied to remove any visible oil, dust, or loose grime.
- Option 2: Follow up with a cleaning solution like Windex and a fresh paper towel. Clean the area again vigorously. The Windex is formulated to help lift and loosen additional oils and stubborn debris that the dry wipe might have missed.
- IMPORTANT: Now, use the provided alcohol pad. This step is critical for removing any remaining invisible residues. Thoroughly clean the area once more with the alcohol pad, ensuring complete coverage of the hinge surface where the Dual Lock will attach.
- Next: Immediately after using the alcohol pad, wipe the cleaned area again with a new, dry paper towel. This final wipe helps to absorb any lifted residues and ensures that all hidden oils are completely removed, leaving a clean, prepared surface for the adhesive.
Step 2: Apply the Dual Lock Strips
Work with one piece of the pre-cut Dual Lock at a time to manage the adhesive effectively. Carefully peel the protective plastic backing away from the adhesive side of the Dual Lock strip. Position the strip precisely down onto the cleaned hinge surface, making sure it is placed in the space between the rivets, as instructed earlier. The adhesive used on the Dual Lock is pressure-sensitive, meaning it requires firm pressure to bond correctly. Therefore, you must PRESS FIRMLY along the entire length of the strip for several seconds. Apply consistent and significant pressure to ensure that the adhesive makes full contact with the cleaned surface and achieves a strong, secure bond.
Step 3: Allow Adhesive to Cure
For optimal bond strength and longevity of the Dual Lock, it is crucial to allow the adhesive adequate time to cure properly. Ideally, allow the adhesive to cure for several days. This curing process is most effective when installed at temperatures above 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius).
For temperatures 50°F (10°C) and below: Colder temperatures slow down the adhesive curing process. To help facilitate proper adhesion in cooler conditions, allow the Dual Lock strips to remain on the hinge in direct sunlight without the cover installed for a minimum of three days. The warmth from the sun will help to raise the surface temperature, promoting full and secure adhesion of the Dual Lock to the hinge before you attach the stone guard cover.
Travel Trailer Front Window Stone Guard Cover Installation
PLEASE NOTE: Installing this protective cover on your travel trailer may take a little practice initially. Read through the following tips and steps carefully before attempting to put the cover on for the first time. The cover is designed to fit snugly – this tight fit is intentional and necessary to help it stay securely in place against wind and road vibrations. It will feel difficult or challenging the first time or two you try to put it on, but rest assured, the material will become more pliable and the process will become significantly easier once you have done it a couple of times.
You will likely need a step stool or a small ladder. A height of around three steps is usually sufficient to allow you to easily see over the top edge of the windows and manipulate the cover. While installation can be managed alone, it will generally be easier and quicker with the assistance of a second person. Protecting your trailer with a well-installed front window stone guard prepares you for exploring various travel destinations.
Step 1: Initial Hinge Placement
- Begin by positioning the cover at the top hinges on one side of your front window. Hold the cover so you can easily pass the rope attached to the cover behind the top hinge. Then, locate the lower grommet on the cover. Squeeze the cord lock mechanism and pass the rope through the lock. At this point, the cover should be loosely held in place on that first top hinge. The rope should not be pulled tight at this stage – its purpose is simply to prevent the cover from falling to the ground as you work on the other side.
- With the cover secured on one side, firmly tug and pull the cover material around the front of the windows towards the opposite side. It will require some effort to stretch the cover into position so that you can fasten the rope behind the other top hinge. Once the cover is stretched across, fasten the rope behind the second top hinge. Again, the rope does not need to be tight – just secure enough so that the cover is loosely held in place across the top of the window area. For now, leave the bottom hinge ropes unfastened; you will attend to those later in the process.
Close-up photo showing how to attach the rope behind the top hinge when installing a travel trailer window cover
Step 2: Working the Elastic Pocket Around the Window Frame
Start at the top outer corners of the window area, which is where the hinges are located. Gently but firmly pull the elastic pocket sewn into the edge of the cover around the top corners of the windows. Once the corners are seated properly, work along the middle top area to ensure that the entire elastic pocket edge rests on top of the windows or window frame and is not tucked or folded behind itself. However, make sure you do not yet secure the Dual Lock (Velcro) at the top of the center window; this crucial step is the very last one in the installation process. Once the elastic pocket is correctly seated around the top corners and edge, you can slightly tighten the rope behind the top hinges. This helps hold the top portion of the cover more securely in place as you move to the bottom.
Next, move your attention to the bottom edge of the middle window. Start with the rubber fasteners that are used to hold the center window closed from the outside. Unhook the rubber fastener from its bracket on the trailer body so that it hangs freely. Pull the cover down in the area of the fastener bracket to allow the metal bracket on the trailer to poke through the designated bracket opening on the cover material. Once the bracket is through the opening, re-fasten the rubber fastener by hooking it back onto the bracket, securing it on top of the cover material.
Still working on the middle bottom window section, pull the elastic pocket around the bottom edge of the window. Ensure that it sits correctly below the window or frame and is not tucked behind itself. Once the middle is in place, work your way outwards towards the bottom corners of the window area. When you reach the bottom corners, pull the cover material firmly around the corner and loosely fasten the rope behind the bottom hinges, using the same method you used for the top hinges.
Once both bottom corners are successfully pulled into place and the ropes are loosely secured behind the bottom hinges, you can go back and secure the ropes behind the bottom hinges more firmly, just as you did for the top hinges in the previous step.
Visual guide on working the elastic pocket around the travel trailer window frame during stone guard installation
Step 3: Secure the Hinge Ropes
With the cover positioned around the windows and the ropes loosely fastened behind all four hinges (two top, two bottom), it’s time to tighten them for a secure fit. Pull the cord behind each hinge firmly to achieve a tight fit that holds the cover snugly against the trailer. To secure the cord end and prevent it from slipping, twist the loose end of the cord around itself and then pass it back through the lower grommet it initially went through. This creates a simple lock that keeps the tension on the rope.
Step 4: Fasten the Dual Lock (Velcro)
This is the final step in securing your travel trailer front window stone guard. Pull the center portion of the cover upwards and towards the middle window hinge. Carefully align the Dual Lock strips that are attached to the underside of the cover with the corresponding Dual Lock strips you installed earlier on the window hinge. Once they are aligned, press the cover firmly against the hinge in this center section. The two sides of the Dual Lock will engage, securing the center of the cover tightly against the trailer surface.
Finally, give the entire cover a firm tug around its edges and surface to ensure it is firmly and securely in place, offering complete protection to your front window. With your travel trailer front window stone guard properly installed, you can set off with confidence, knowing your windows are protected. Now, where will you travel next?
