Tow vehicle and debris

[Mark3101]

Just ordered the BlueOx bar and baseplates for my new Tahoe. My Legendary XL2 has mud flaps behind the drive axle and the tag axle, but not all the way across the rear of the bus. Do most of you have the flap at the rear? Does it really make much of a difference?

Just wondering how much sand-blasting I can expect without one....kind of hate to get too many rock chips on the new Tahoe right away!

[Jerry Winchester]

Mark,

I don't think many have a flap all the way across the back. While I get plenty of road grime and rubber / oily gunk on the toad, I don't think we have ever picked up a rock chip.

JDUB

[Sid Tuls]

Hi Mark, I guess I'm not as lucky as Jerry, I have a full mud flap across the back and the front of my Tahoe is loaded with chips from towing. I have towed this Tahoe about 100,000 miles and most if not all is on the bumper and below around the fog lights. The only reason I put the mud flap on was for looks. I bought it from IBP industries. I thought about repainting the front instead of buying a new one can have it repainted or $700.00 hope this helps.

[Coloradobus]

Mark3101, You will sandblast the front of your towed car more with the full length mudflap than you will with none. The Blue Ox shield (towbar monted) will do great things to prevent car front end destruction. We ahve even towd with a sheild and full length mudflap and the flap kicks stones up and makes them ricochet off the towshield and shoots them at the coach's engine compartment doors. Make a rear mess.
We have towed with coaches with full flap and no flap other than what is behind each rear tire from Prevost. Never again will be have a coach with a full rearend mudflat stone thrower.
best reommendation, add Blue Ox towshield, but never use the full length rear under bumper logo adorned mudflap. its just cheap advertizing for the coach comparny and complete pulverization ot your car's front.
One trip to Alaska with rearflap, peppered Jeep. Another trip we went to Yellowknife NWT, where the last 42 miles into the capital is dirt, no coach flap, added Blue Ox shield on 1999 Range Rover, all rover glass survived unbroken, and no paint chips, lots fo dust..

[Lawrence M.]

Mark,

I am using a tow car shield from Coastline Cover Company on my Edge. No chips and/or scratches and it keeps the front of the toad clean. Used it for approximately 20,000 mi. last year. It is a bit of a pain installing before each trip however.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Ditto on losing the mud flap. We have towed one of our vehicles more than 200,000 miles and not a ding or chip from towing. It gets dusty, it gets all the crud and grime from the road, but it's nose is too close to the rear to get chipped, but on both our coaches the full width flap across the rear just under the bumper was removed as soon as we got the coach and before we towed anything with the coach.

We have more stone chips and dings from normal use on our vehicles that we do not tow than on a toad we have that has twice the miles being pulled behind the bus.

[truk4u]

I don't know boy's, I got a couple dings on the Jeep with Jamie's CC and no full flap, but haven't seen anything since I've owned the Liberty with full flap. So, guess I'm pro full rear flap...

[Coloradobus]

truk,

Tail over hang maybe proportional to tail drag??

You maybe on to something here having a 40 footeer. With less tail overhang from the rear axle, I bet your flap doesn't get moch of a chance to touch the ground. The 45 footers seem to seesaw over the rear axles, letting th eful flap touch the ground stirring up gravel. that maybe why you have sustained little to no chpping. Hmmm

[Jon Wehrenberg]

One of our buses was a 40 the other a 45, same results with both no flap coaches. How many people actually wash their own cars so at the end of a trip they really do recognize a ding that could truly be ascribed to the bus?

I have never taken any of my vehicles to a car wash or let anyone else wash them so I know exactly when I get a new ding.

[Mark3101]

I guess it is NO full width rear flap then. I always wondered if they did any good and I have seen lots of them dragging over the years. I expect we will see more chips from the winter sanding on our roads than from towing...

Thanks to all for the input.