Hail Net Needed

[Adam Adkins]

So last year I did over $10,000 worth of damage to our car with some softballs. The only way chasing is even remotely a possibility is if I get a hail net for the car. How should I go about doing this? Where could I get one? Or do I need to make one? Thanks!

 

[Wes Carter]

If that's what you want to do, then get in touch with Chris Heater.

 

[J Tyler]

It would have to be something you do custom.

Protecting only the glass seems to be most peoples concern, and is doable. When you are trying to protect the body work too, it becomes a bigger project. That is my interest.

So far, I've always been able to stay out of hail larger than pea sized, but I know my day is coming. If you get close (I do), you eventually will get bit.

The idea I'm working on will give me a rectangle on the roof of my Xterra (mounted to its factory roof rack). Each side, the front, and the back will have panels that "unfold" to hang out over the sides of the truck and over the windshield and rear glass to provide a metal umbrella. The frame and unfolding panels will have expanded metal or expanded aluminum sheets covering them that can be replaced if badly dented. To protect the hood and front fenders, I'm considering doing what Tim Samaris (sp?) did to his white truck, and have a panel that mounted to my bull bar that covers the front of the truck (laying just above the hood). In Texas, you are allowed to hang up to 3" past the fender line on the sides. The Xterra has really big fender flares, which will really help me....

This kind of material and fabrication doesn't come cheap. Even staying as light as possible, it will add a lot of weight to the top of my Xterra. It will make noise. It certainly won't help gas milage. It'll have problems. It'll be a PITA. So, I continue to draw up revisions to my plans and think about it.....

 

[Connor McCrorey]

If you keep your distance you can always make sure you miss the hail, but I guess if you really do just want a net just listen to the people before me.

 

[Dan Robinson]

The most practical and low-profile hail guards I've seen were roof-rack mounted 'awnings' made from a rigid frame and wire mesh. They extended out only just enough to protect the windows from vertical hail strikes. Several chasers have used this method, Dave Lewison I believe had a nicely done setup. This way you don't have anything blocking the view out of the window, and there is no need to deploy the guards mid-chase. Mesh over the windows blocks the view and can still get pushed inward enough to crack/break the glass.

 

[Jeremy Jones]

I've been seriously thinking about taking the Rhino Lining avenue! I've seen Verne's Outback while out on the chase and it looks damn clean! Looks way better than strapping some un-godly looking panels on your vehicle, killing your MPG's, putting extra stress on the suspension from the massive weight increase of steel. Now the 'awning' type mesh net still seems practical to me, and would probably pay for itself
the first time you get into some sizable stones.

 

[Verne Carlson]

I've been seriously thinking about taking the Rhino Lining avenue! I've seen Verne's Outback while out on the chase and it looks damn clean! Looks way better than strapping some un-godly looking panels on your vehicle, killing your MPG's, putting extra stress on the suspension from the massive weight increase of steel.

Rhino lining and security laminate on the windows is the way to go IMO. It cost me $1500 total, added 200 lbs to the car is all (like one person in the car) and like Jeremy says it looks clean and does not effect your highay mpg. Two other extra benefits: 1) no one can smash and grab your gear through the laminate and 2) the Rhino makes the car much quieter on the highway. The 1/8" rhino acts like an insulator to the road noise.

 

[Tim Stoecklein]

Rhino lining and security laminate on the windows is the way to go IMO. It cost me $1500 total, added 200 lbs to the car is all (like one person in the car) and like Jeremy says it looks clean and does not effect your highay mpg. Two other extra benefits: 1) no one can smash and grab your gear through the laminate and 2) the Rhino makes the car much quieter on the highway. The 1/8" rhino acts like an insulator to the road noise.

AND 3) it's secure on your vehicle. The systems like the one pictured above would scare the hell out of me going down the highway, too much opportunity for something to fly off your vehicle and hit someone else...a potentially fatal outcome. I know, I know, there are plenty other potential missiles on our vehicles sometimes, but I just want to throw it out there as something to consider.

 

[Jim Parsons]

Any recommendations for a good security laminate for the windows???

 

[Bart_Comstock]

You know, for the amount of money you are going to spend in getting a car rhino lined or caged you could just spend a few thousand dollars on a chase vehicle that you don't mind taking into the hail. My Jeep was $3,000 and I've just about gotten 100k miles out of her and have taken it through more hail than you can imagine. I have yet to repair a single dent simple because I don't need to since its a chase vehicle.

If you plan on heavily chasing storms (especially in Colorado) it is not about if you will get hammered by hail but when you will. If you cannot handle this fact then you may need to find another hobby or ride with someone who can take their cars through the hail.

Why do you need hail nets? Any hail guard or hail net or rhino lining will require you do something to the car to put it on. If you are worried about the cars curb appeal and resale value then even rhino lining is not the way to go since not everyone will want to buy a rhino lined car. To mount hail guards properly you will likely need to drill holes or fix them in a way that they may scratch the car's paint. To build a cage around the car to hold a net you will certainly have to make modifications to the car's body or frame to attach the net's frame. This may involve welding and drilling holes.

Just look into buying your own chase vehicle that can take a few hail hits and skip working on a net. If you have a problem with WANTING to core punch the hail like I do then you may think about guards for your windows, I know I am.

 

[Ben Holcomb]

If you can't recover from a total loss of all your equipment including your chase vehicle, you probably should reconsider being out there.

 

[Adam Adkins]

The most practical and low-profile hail guards I've seen were roof-rack mounted 'awnings' made from a rigid frame and wire mesh. They extended out only just enough to protect the windows from vertical hail strikes. Several chasers have used this method, Dave Lewison I believe had a nicely done setup. This way you don't have anything blocking the view out of the window, and there is no need to deploy the guards mid-chase. Mesh over the windows blocks the view and can still get pushed inward enough to crack/break the glass.

This is what I had in mind! How should I go about doing this??? I want to avoid what happened last year. It is always hailing in CO! The one of the car with the hail net is similar to what I was thinking.

 

[Bart_Comstock]

I hate to break it to you Adam but that will only protect the roof of the car. If you want to prevent 10k dollars worth of damage to your car you need to pretty much wrap the whole car.

 

[Chris C Sanner]

As I'm sure this is probably more of a political than practical thing -- ie just trying to appease someone so you can take the car chasing...there are a few different routes you can go, each with their own drawbacks.

A)You can choose to build a hail net/rack for your car, which is more complicated than you'd think. It also will bring your MPG down enough that the actual cost of replacing windows is probably a wash or less than the gas you are costing yourself. If you just have to be close (but at the same time can't afford it) this is probably your best option. Tim brought up a good point on 'losing' your hail guard and having it fly into someone else and whatnot -- that's a legit concern. You don't want to be responsible for that so again, I'd make sure you are 100% certain this is what you want before you do it. There are legit drawbacks in cost and liability you have to consider -- but many have done this with no problem as well. But this isn't a simple thing to do and there are many variables that add to the complexity here.

B)You can buy a clunker like Bart and others suggested that is also (supposedly) reliable and you don't have to worry about it getting beat up. From a sheer cost perspective -- that might be the best way to go if you have to make a move. However, there are drawbacks here in terms of vehicle reliability and whatnot, but many do this route and it works for them.

C)It seems as if you want the best of both worlds here, in the sense that you want to get close but you also don't want to shoulder the burden and risks that involves. While I don't mean to be a debbie downer on this whole idea, neither A or B will result in you being 100% safe or damage free. So the best option to chase and not have any problems is to chase from a very safe distance. You can't have your cake and eat it too in this case I suppose -- at least not 100% of the time.

D)You could be rash and just not chase -- although personally I'd say this is a bad idea and will result in extreme withdrawals and moodiness

 

[Jason Boggs]

Like Chris pretty much said, you can't have your cake and eat it too. If you want to get close to the hail core, you're going to pay for it. Either eat the the fact that you're going to get dents, or stop chasing. The points made about a hail cage are valid concerns. As already stated, MPG will be reduced, and concerns about it failing and hitting another car are up there too. You said you're insurance paid for the 10,000 damage to your car. Why not invest in another car and keep the one that got damaged as your primary chaser? I hope you didn't take that 10,000 and get the car fixed, because in my opinion, you wasted your money.