Upsize your Rear Wiper from 15.75" to 20"

I got my gear puller today, so I can get the old blade off easily. I'll take some pics of the old and new and post them if I can figure out how to in this forum. Tune in later.

- Tom

 

The first photo shows laying the 20" wiper onto the top of the old wiper with the shaft holes lined up. Most of the extra 4 " is at the bottom of the wiper - the top of the new blade is only a bit more than 1" beyond the old one. So the area around the bottom of the arm will be cleared almost completely. The arm is thinner and bent such that is seems more out of the way and blocks your view less in everyday driving (another good thing).

The second photo shows the inexpensive two arm gear puller I used to get the old wiper arm free. I didn't want to bang on the motor shaft or pull too hard since it is mounted through glass. I've pulled lots of wiper arms off of old VW's in the past and they can be a pain to free up from the splined shaft. I also didn't want to use a penetrating oil like Kroil and have it run down the shaft to the motor bearings or be on the splines to affect the new wiper arm gripping the shaft. It took very little force to free the arm with the puller.

The third photo shows bits of tape that compare the coverage of the top and bottom of the two blades at various window positions. The top of the tape was at the top of the blade for the upper ones and the bottom bits of tape had their lower edges lined up with the bottom of the wiper blades.

The fourth picture shows the new wiper blade at the top of travel. In my case, the blade does extend slightly off the glass but does not hit any paint. This is with everyting pulled towards the top. There is less than 3/32" play in the blade and arm, so with everything shoved downwards, the blade would be barely off the glass.

The final pic shows how I trimmed the end of the blade by 45 degress so it stays on the glass in all circumstances. The 20" wiper actually measures 19.75". With my little cut, it removes a bit more than 1/8" from the top. If I had to do it over again, I'd still get the 20" over the 19" wiper for the extra 3/8" of area wiped.

- Tom

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Tom - Thank you for your detailed explanation and pictures!!!!

 

Tom, this is great. After seeing some pictures of the new wiper, the whole 20" idea sits much better with me.

Thanks!

 

Wholly Molly, thats close!

I see why you trimmed it. I appreciate your statement about what you would do if you had it to do all over again.

thanks.... I'll have to sleep on it..

 

Well, I guess I don't need to post my pictures then. Been so busy lately...

ANyway, I found the samet hing on my wiper arm install. I'm not even going to trim the blade at all, doesn't really need to be. No worries here.

Great mod for anyone who lives where it rains!

 

If yours have any different angles and you already have the pics.. I would like them!...

I'm still struggling and I would like to tell them my decision in the morning.

It seems like I would gain 1/2 in the rear and 1/4 inch in the front "since you have to shave away about 1/4 inch. Thats really really close!......

What is your feeling since you already have yours... what would you do if you did it all over again?

 

I just installed mine and did not need a gear puller to take it off. It almost fell off when I took off the nut. It was a 2 min job. 3 min tops. Just wish it reached the other side of the window. Its still better than the dinky stock wiper. I highly recomend getting the upgrade. By the way I actually got the 19" blade instad of the 20"

 

In retrospect.. I do not regret getting the 20 inch.. its perfect to the max!
I don't feel like I"m looking around the wiper area now.

Mine came off easy too.. I just too a pair of pliers and opened them to the wide setting and with a little persuasion, they came right off.

 

I'm just looking again at T)M06's pics. It seems like you are not really getting much extra viewing area. The top part is useless since it's 'blacked out'. The only usable area is maybe 1 1/2 inches on the far side and similar at the bottom, though I don't think that's a very 'usable' area.

Am I missing something, or is the reality much better than what it seems?

 

Its not that much bigger but I think its much better than the dinky 15". I still think its worth the upgrade.

 

I just performed the upgrade to a 20 inch blade from the standard OEM Toyota and I must say it was quite easy, and now I've got an additional few inches of viewing space out the back window on rainy days! Thanks again for recommending this option.

 

What type of connection is on the end of this arm? J-hook, Pin 1/4", Pin 3/16", Bayonet?

I want to put a RAIN-X Latitude blade on the back.

 

I just got mine last night.

It's a J-Hook.

 

Thanks!