Rear wheel gravel flaps? A must get or not really?

[bclinton]

I should be picking up my new to me tow car this week. It comes with a front bra. Should I be think about getting more protection for it from gravel toss back? What type is DIY friendly without breaking the bank?

[kenandterry]

I’ve been using this since I started towing....40,000miles to date.
There’s been discussions for, and against, for using them beyond what your motorhome already has. Decide for yourself, but I don’t have any marks on the front of my toad that you wouldn’t get just from normal driving.

Just my $0.02

https://www.campingworld.com/smart-s...%2Frock-guards

[bclinton]

Is that brand easy enough to install without any major mods? I saw it on Amazon, it has good reviews.

[kenandterry]

Very easy. On my chassis there’s a cross beam right at the rear of the motorhome, and after attaching an angle bar to the top of the mud flap, I just hang it down from there using these. This way you can adjust the hanging height so it doesn’t drag.

BTW....what’s your toad?

[flyflotrtim]

I would add something like kenandterry mentioned above. Cheap protection for the toad unless it is a bit of a beater anyway. I used something similar to this when I had a MH but gravel occasionally got through. https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Solutio...8636028&sr=8-8

[frozen]

Last year on our first trip with a new Class A towing our Jeep, I'd installed a rock guard on the coach. A rock evidently bounced under the guard and broke the windshield. I'm still a believer in rock guards, but we found a vinyl windshield protector on the Walmart website (sort of looks like a frost cover). It's held in place by the hood, car doors and windshield wipers. As I recall, it was around $50. It was very large, one-size-fits nothing, so we trimmed it to fit, hemmed the edges with a regular sewing machine, and it looks like it belongs there. It would take a very large rock to damage the windshield now.

[formerFR]

we simply added larger mud flaps behind our rear wheels, and have never had any issues with anything to do with the tow car - and that's after over 100,000 miles, even to Alaska and back, and many, many dirt and gravel roads.

Most Class A motorhomes have rear overhangs that already prevent most anything from 'being thrown' by the rear wheels, or being 'bounced' up - it's nearly impossible. I would say that it's much more possible that a PASSING vehicle would do that.

[Chuck.C]

I have the same one that flyflotrtim mentions above. Easy to mount and has done a great job, with no hassles.
Before that I had a screen style with bungee cord around the outside. A real PIA, always needing maintenance and always filthy to handle.

[UT_Grandpa]

My oldest son has broken two rear windows on his Chevy Tahoe pulling a trailer on gravel roads during the hunt. The rock comes off the tire, hits the front of the trailer, and then crashes through the rear glass on his TV. Very expensive repair (2-3x the cost of a windshield).

Make sure the flaps are only a couple inches off the ground when loaded or they are not going to do the job you paid for.

[kenandterry]

Originally Posted by UT_Grandpa

My oldest son has broken two rear windows on his Chevy Tahoe pulling a trailer on gravel roads during the hunt. The rock comes off the tire, hits the front of the trailer, and then crashes through the rear glass on his TV. Very expensive repair (2-3x the cost of a windshield).

Make sure the flaps are only a couple inches off the ground when loaded or they are not going to do the job you paid for.

I’m not denying your story, however, MOST RVs towing, do not travel on the types of roads you’ve described here. If they do, I suspect they’re not doing the speeds your son does.

Rocks do hit and break glass, but I suspect it’s relative to the types of road surfaces and speeds driven.

Just my $0.02.

[DogFather]

I've found that the most reliable protection is something that covers the glass/and or paint you want to protect.

I thought we were covered (for the toad) with a full-width mud flap/gravel guard on our MH. However, we went from SoCal through/around Alaska and back last summer - returning with 7 rock hits (major cracks or stars) requiring windshield replacements on both the MH and the toad.

The unprotected MH windshield got 2 hits in one day on very nice pavement; one a full-height crack. The rest, I don't know.

Since we did traverse sections of road under repair the toad could have collided with a rock that:

• Bounced up from under our guard
• Flipped up while being passed by another vehicle
• Flipped up while being passed by another vehicle coming toward us

Summary: You can get beaned on any road.

Advice I've gotten and learned:

• Never follow closely - a MH windshield is a HUGE target
• Slow down when being passed to maximize space to the vehicle in front
• Keep far to right when being passed in either direction
• The faster you drive, the more severe your impact with a rock will be

[RudysWorld]

Been towing our 2013 Equinox since bought new. Probably 30,000 miles towed and haven't had any rock damage. YMMV. Good Luck!!!

[Iggy]

Originally Posted by bclinton

I should be picking up my new to me tow car this week. It comes with a front bra. Should I be think about getting more protection for it from gravel toss back? What type is DIY friendly without breaking the bank?

Don't you have the smaller 16"rims and tires on your GT?
You sit lower to the ground compared to us with the larger tires and rims 22.5"
I do not have any flap on mine and use the Roadmaster Guardian Rock Guard instead and after 73,000 miles I have not had any rock damage to my car.
It attaches to the car.

[Jetjockey6]

Absolutely! The wear/tear on my toad stopped when I installed mine. Cheapest and most effective is to buy the heavy, square truck mud flaps and attach them to the inside of your rear wheel well. You might have some framework there already for small but existing mud flaps. Leave the bottom of the flap 3-4” from the road surface. You want them down low but not so low that they interfere with
your leveling jacks. They bend ! Measure the overall height when your rv is on level ground then install.Well worth the time and $!

[TominVegas]

I've had both. On my current RV, I only have the mudflaps behind the rear wheels. I haven't noticed any difference and no damage so I doubt I will add the flap again. As FormerFR said, with the overhang it's very difficult to have a rock zip up and damage the toad from the rear wheels. I agree that passing vehicles are more of a danger. Had a rock kick up from a truck zipping by in ND and put a nice star on the MH's windshield on our first trip out. But whatever makes you feel more comfortable is worth it for peace of mind.

[kenandterry]

Originally Posted by Iggy

Don't you have the smaller 16"rims and tires on your GT?
You sit lower to the ground compared to us with the larger tires and rims 22.5"
I do not have any flap on mine and use the Roadmaster Guardian Rock Guard instead and after 73,000 miles I have not had any rock damage to my car.
It attaches to the car.

Iggy.....

Georgetown’s have either 19.5” tires.......like mine, or
22.5” tires like yourself. It’s based on the chassis sizes mostly.
16” tires are on Class C units.

BTW.....I wish I had the larger wheels....they ride better and span the countless potholes on our highways better.

[Dodge Guy]

I was on the fence on a rear flap. Ultimately I decided against one. When driving they can catch a rock and flip it up and it may can damage the toad. With just the wheel flaps they are so far forward that if a rock were to kick up it would be rolling at the rear and not bouncing. The only damage I would imagine could be to the AC condenser. I have been thinking of the protect-a-tow if I decide to go with something.

[Iggy]

Originally Posted by kenandterry

Iggy.....

Georgetown’s have either 19.5” tires.......like mine, or
22.5” tires like yourself. It’s based on the chassis sizes mostly.
16” tires are on Class C units.

BTW.....I wish I had the larger wheels....they ride better and span the countless potholes on our highways better.

Meant 19.5" not 16"
Thanks for the correction.

[cariboo camper]

Originally Posted by bclinton

I should be picking up my new to me tow car this week. It comes with a front bra. Should I be think about getting more protection for it from gravel toss back? What type is DIY friendly without breaking the bank?

Front bra is good. I have mud flaps behind rear wheels and low to ground but still see mud and slush shoot out from under mud flaps and spray towed when travelling in adverse conditions. If weather is snowy I will see the front of car covered in freezing slush. The result is after two years towing car down south the front of car is pitted and has lost a lot of shine. This year I installed one of those nylon brush type rock protectors but I still see slush and snow spraying car.

I would say use the bra and purchase the type kenandterry posted. Solid and heavy so wind will not deflect it. Plan on buying one of them this year.

[cariboo camper]

Oh, buy the way, if car is covered in freezing snow and slush and dirt do not turn on wipers without cleaning windows first. Made that mistake once.