Well the tube provided more even feeding which left a lot less build up on the cutter bar before it was pulled in. You could always tell right where it was even in heavy beans. As far as helping you to notice rocks I'd say no, moving at 3.5mph a rock could jump right on there in a second. I would like to go to at least a 2 to 2 1_2 ID pvc pipe because when we tilled the cutter bar closer to the ground the tube we had wasn't tall enough to stop a lot of the rocks. It worked well but it was small enough that the reel would bat the rock right over it. Curt