Mudflaps, rock guards, gravel guard, rock tamers, etc. - what do you use?

[mcmxi]

I'll be getting the boat out of storage soon, the one I bought late last year, and I'd like to keep it in the near new condition that it's currently in. I saw an add for a boat on Craigslist that mentioned "gravel guards" on the trailer (see photos). I'd never noticed these before and it got me thinking.

There are many options to reduce the chance of rocks, stones or gravel from damaging trailers, boats, tractors, campers, or other vehicles when they're behind a tow vehicle. So what do you use, what do you like, do you use more than one approach?

ETrailer sells a number of options. I could probably make something similar to the trailer gravel guards shown below, and could probably make up traditional, heavy duty mud flaps, but basically I want something that works.

This Rock Tamers heavy duty mudflap system looks decent with 24"x24"x3/8" flaps (that can be trimmed). I have a B&W tri-ball hitch with 2-1/2" tube and it's locked into the receiver on the truck so something like this would be "permanently" installed even though the flaps could be removed if necessary. This system is adjustable for width and angle which is cool.

https://www.etrailer.com/Mud-Flaps/Rock-Tamers/ERT00110.html

 

[mcmxi]

Never needed gravel guards on any of the several boats I've owned over the years. Do what you think you must, but I think they're a waste of time and money.

I have multiple hits, chips and cracks on the windshields of both vehicles and I see chips on forward facing surfaces of my trailers so I have no doubt that flying rocks are a common occurrence up here. Driving around I see a lot of cracked windshields so yep, my situation is clearly different than yours.

I don't know if I'll make anything up for the boat trailer but I've decided that I will make up something for my truck that is similar to the Rock Tamers system but customized for my application. I took a good look last night and the rear Ranch Hand bumper is problematic and won't allow the use of the Rock Tamers with the B&W tri-ball hitch. Two generic mud flaps are cheap at places like Amazon so I'll order something today.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[RCW]

We have a lot of stone & oil roads around here. They’re re-done in summer, when you’d be pulling a boat, or a lot of stuff you don’t want dinged up.

I can see where something like that or at least good mud flaps could avoid damage.

 

[mcmxi]

We have a lot of stone & oil roads around here. They’re re-done in summer, when you’d be pulling a boat, or a lot of stuff you don’t want dinged up.

I can see where something like that or at least good mud flaps could avoid damage.

Exactly! The boat I bought is used but the original owner kept it in great shape and I want to do the same. I'd rather "waste" $50 on some rubber sheet and spend a few hours cutting, drilling and welding if it reduces the chances of rock damage.

When I trailered the M6060 600 miles from Sheridan, WY to Kalispell, MT I took the advice of the Kubota dealership who suggested backing the tractor onto the trailer. They told me that it's much cheaper to replace rear glass than front glass and they have a lot of first-hand experience of rock damage to tractors on trailers.

 

[mcmxi]

I had an 18’ family runabout/fish-n-ski for over 30 years and the trailer had tiny, rusty scratch marks all along it even tho’ it’d never been in salt-water. The boat hull-sides had nicks and scratches also and a chip or two at the chine…. ALL due to ordinary road-abrasion.…mostly on paved roads/hwys when above 20 mph….when on dirt roads I went slow enough for that not to be the problem.
If you really really care about the boat…. take such precautions as you can afford.

I’d never-before seen the hull-shield you posted in the pics 1911…. I like those. Where/How
much?

(They look like they’d maybe be of some assistance loading-up in rough-seas also.)

I have 0.6 miles of gravel road between the highway and my house and I pick up lots of stones in the tread of my tires which get flung off when I'm heading to town. So even though I drive slowly, stones are a regular part of driving for me, not to mention rocks falling down onto the roads up here given the geology of this part of the world.

I'd never seen them either but they're called rock guards or gravel guards.

Stone Guards For Trailers: Durable & Adjustable

Protect your boat with our Stone Guards, featuring heavy-duty PVC mesh and stainless steel framework. Adjustable and easy to clean for lasting use.

oceansouth.us

 

[motionclone]

When i had a boat i was always afraid of hitting big rocks that were UNDER water not really little rocks from the road. But its yours take care of it like you want. Lots of boats and gravel roads in Maine and ive never seen one trailered with those rock guards

 

[mcmxi]

When i had a boat i was always afraid of hitting big rocks that were UNDER water not really little rocks from the road. But its yours take care of it like you want. Lots of boats and gravel roads in Maine and ive never seen one trailered with those rock guards

For the record, I'm not focused on the trailer rock guards at this point but on something for the back of the truck.

I was pulled over by a female highway patrol officer last year on my way back from Sheridan, WY for driving 79 mph in a 70 mph zone. At first she was annoyed that I didn't pull over immediately and that I crawled along to a field access lane about 1/8 mile ahead. I didn't want to put her at risk of being taken out by another driver and I explained this. Anway, after petting my dogs, asking me what I did for a living, asking me where I was coming from and where I was going, she wrote me a warning for speeding, having a broken windshield, and for not having rear mudguards or mud flaps.

I still don't have mud flaps on the truck, and still have the cracked windshield.

 

[mcmxi]

I ordered these generic 30"x24"x1/4" polymer panels and will make a custom bracket that bolts to the Ranch Hand rear bumper. I'll be using these panels with the 30" edge horizontal and trimming the panel to match the bumper. This should keep rocks from smashing the boat or tractors when towing.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XRJHFF1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

I see a lot of trucks pulling campers with some form protection to keep rocks from doing damage. Not everyone, but a lot. It's a thing it seems if you care about what's behind the truck.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I'm a fan of the Brush style rock guards as they have less wind resistance.

As a teenager ran around Colorado with a huge set of these on my truck!

 

[lynnmor]

Whatever kind of mud flaps you install, know that the length is critical, too long and you stir up sand and stones and too short is ineffective.

 

[The Evil Twin]

We used a hitch mounted mud flap. Covered 80% of the rear of the truck. It basically attaches to the ball mount shaft where it goes into the receiver. Easy off/ easy on. Plenty of coverage but not there when not towing.

 

[jimh406]

The trailer guard looks pretty good for the lower boat protection, but it doesn't seem to protect the painted trailer at all. Fiberglass/gel coat is pretty tough, so I doubt any extra protection is needed. I have no idea how often you plan to tow it, but most people don't use boats that many times a year.

My driveway and the community road is gravel. I have the typical OEM style mud flaps on my vehicles. They seem to work pretty well, but my vehicles aren't raised above stock height although they aren't low to the ground either. We don't seem to pick up that much gravel in our tires, so I can't see adding anything more. I haven't noticed any damage to my trailers from rocks/gravel. However, the typical speeds for my community road is 25-30. I think there is probably more potential for damage if you are traveling 55-60 or higher.

 

[mcmxi]

Whatever kind of mud flaps you install, know that the length is critical, too long and you stir up sand and stones and too short is ineffective.

I don't know what a good starting point is in terms of height off the ground but maybe 6". It's a lot easier and cheaper to remove material rather than add.

 

[mcmxi]

We used a hitch mounted mud flap. Covered 80% of the rear of the truck. It basically attaches to the ball mount shaft where it goes into the receiver. Easy off/ easy on. Plenty of coverage but not there when not towing.

Yeah, I showed a link to that style in my first post and I would most likely have bought a set of Rock Tamers, but since it wouldn't work with my set up I decided to make my own for around $30.

 

[mcmxi]

The trailer guard looks pretty good for the lower boat protection, but it doesn't seem to protect the painted trailer at all. Fiberglass/gel coat is pretty tough, so I doubt any extra protection is needed. I have no idea how often you plan to tow it, but most people don't use boats that many times a year.

My driveway and the community road is gravel. I have the typical OEM style mud flaps on my vehicles. They seem to work pretty well, but my vehicles aren't raised above stock height although they aren't low to the ground either. We don't seem to pick up that much gravel in our tires, so I can't see adding anything more. I haven't noticed any damage to my trailers from rocks/gravel. However, the typical speeds for my community road is 25-30. I think there is probably more potential for damage if you are traveling 55-60 or higher.

The Coyote trailer that came with the Robalo R200 is aluminum so not a problem or concern in terms of protecting that. I plan to the tow the boat a lot so really want something to reduce the chance of damaging the hull of the boat.

 

[lynnmor]

I don't know what a good starting point is in terms of height off the ground but maybe 6". It's a lot easier and cheaper to remove material rather than add.

Park the tire of the fully loaded tow vehicle on the end of a string. Now walk back with the string to what you are trying to protect then make the mud flap touch the string. This may not be perfect but it will give you an idea of what is required.

 

[motionclone]

I don't know what a good starting point is in terms of height off the ground but maybe 6". It's a lot easier and cheaper to remove material rather than add.

pics on their website show those mud tamers look like they are pretty close to the ground, like 2 or 3"

 

[mcmxi]

Park the tire of the fully loaded tow vehicle on the end of a string. Now walk back with the string to what you are trying to protect then make the mud flap touch the string. This may not be perfect but it will give you an idea of what is required.

Thanks for suggesting that. It made me think about this some more and convinced me to run some numbers. I measured the distance from the center of the rear wheel to where the flaps will hang and it's 4'-4". So if the flaps are 1.75" from the ground they would in theory result in straight line protection to an elevation of 12" that's 29'-4" behind the rear tires (back of the boat on the trailer). Obviously, 3.5" from the ground would result in 24" elevation at the same distance. I think I'll start at 2" since this seems like a good combination of protection vs. ground clearance.

I've rummaged around in my scrap pile and I have all the steel I need to make up something decent. The polymer panels have shipped and will be here Wednesday or Thursday so I'll get busy making up the bracket. I'll show some photos over the next few days.

 

[mcmxi]

I'm making progress on the budget Rock Tamers using scrap steel. The two polymer panels will be here tomorrow so I'm trying to get the hardware ready. As I mentioned, it's not practical to install the Rock Tamers with my setup so I came up with a plan to bolt something under the Ranch Hand bumper and above the 2-1/2" receiver that could support the mud flaps.

The Hougen mag drill is such an amazing tool and it made quick work of opening up two existing holes in the 1/2" plate to 5/8" and adding two more. The reversible handle is really nice when space is limited. With the mount bolted to the bumper using the center holes I drilled two more holes through the 2"x1"x.125" rectangular tubing to avoid possible alignment issues. I'll be using 2"x1-1/2"x 3/16" angle that will be welded to the end plates of the bolted mounting tube at an angle that follows the lines of the underside of the bumper. I added gussets to the end plates due to the load on the angle from the weight of the flaps and wind loading.

Next up is to finish welding the mounting bracket, cut and drill the angle, and then weld it to the end plates on the mount. I'll post more photos as I make more progress.

One unrelated thing I want to do is drill larger holes in the step bumper so that I can use shackles (7/8" pin) as attachment points for trailer chains. I don't use the hardware hanging off the bumper for chains but rather have to mess around under the bumper getting the hooks through holes in a plate beneath the receiver. It's a pain and shackles will be a lot easier.

 

[mcmxi]

I managed to finish up the mounting system last night but left the two pieces of angle long so that I can trim to a desired width once I've fitted up the mud flaps. As is often the way, I made some changes (improvements) to the end plates and gussets. Overall I'm really pleased with how this is turning out.

I pre-drilled the angle for 5/16" bolts on 6" centers to mount the flaps, but might also use two sections of some smaller angle to sandwich the flaps. I'm not sure if the 1/4" polymer material would hold up to just using bolts, nuts and washers on 6" centers. Clamping the flap between two pieces of angle would certainly be stronger and would provide more support for the flaps under wind loading. Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I like that idea.