Rear mudflap for a Prevost

[Sid Tuls]

I would like to buy the kind of mudflap that Liberty put on there buses. I done a couple of serches but haven't found the one like thiers. Will Liberty sell thier mudflap to a non liberty coach? Thanks

[garyde]

Hi Sid. It doesnt hurt to ask. Call Tony in Chicago. 1 800-554-9877.

[Sid Tuls]

Okay, I'll give it a try in the morning thanks Gary.

[Mark3101]

Sid: I asked about this type of flap and was told to stay away from them. Search for the thread...seems if memory serves, there was an issue about them kicking up rocks and such that would hit the toad.

[Coloradobus]

Sid,

After owning 3 coaches with full rear mudflaps, we have learned they are the single biggest rock thrower around, not the tires. The tire mudflaps do a pretty good job, and don't drag.
When your coach goes thru a dip of sorts, and the coach front rises, in reaction the coach rear drops causing the flap to drag and pepper your towed or others that follow with stones and pebbles.
Our first Class A didn't come with the full flap, and I was insistant we have one for our trip to Alaska in 2000. Lots of gravel up yonder, and even frost heaves that are high in the center, and presto, the full Airstream logo'd flap peppered and pounded our Cherokee to the point we needed the frontend painted. Not too mention, the replacment of the fog lighs lens.
Later, we had a CC affinity and a 1999 shell 2001 CC bus adorned with the Country Coach full rear flap hanging by chains With the bus, I was following Chris in our Land Rover on Texas Hwy 114/121 heading to Prevost Dallas from Buddy Gregg in Lewisville. Chris ran thru an intersection that caused the above mentioned bus pitching up and down, and our Rover caught a stone right smack where you look out. The crack travelled fast where it was not repairable!! (Those heated windshields are spendy)
So, if you were us, travel sans full rear mudflap.
Spend your money on a towbar based shield and a vinyl padded windshield cover that any good upholsterer can make. We used these to items to this day, and even travelling to Yellowknife NWT Canada a few years ago, with the same Rover, all was fine. BTW, the last 42 miles into the capital city of the NorthWest Territory is dirt and gravel, and Rover got dusty, but no other harm to it.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

There is another reason you may want to consider when thinking about the flap.

The coach cooling system is designed for air flow without the flap. If you think about it the flap located at the very rear of the coach is going to have an impact on the pressure in the engine area behind the radiator where you want negative pressure or at worst no pressure differential between the front of the radiator to the back of the radiator. I suspect a full width flap has positive pressure ahead of it in the engine area, and negative pressure behind it which makes cooling more difficult. The negative pressure behind it is likely contributing to small stones being lifted as the bus passes chipping the paint on the toad.

I have no proof of this, but Don Hoffman of Hoffman Coach told me many years ago of this and I think he was right. I have removed the flaps from both my coaches and all my toads have been free of damage from towing.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Sid, go without. I took mine off and am satisfied.

Many driveway and road topography conditions will nearly rub/drag it off.

If you want to experiment try the long hair like streamers that UPS uses on their OTR trailers.



JIM

[Coloradobus]

Ya Jim, I forgot, your right!!
We have a grass skirt from Camping World on our CLassic '84 Airstream Class A, and it does a great job diffusing jumping gravel.

[Woody]

One more thing - on our last coach, a 40'Vogue PV the rear flap threw all sorts of stuff into the engine space and after two years the Cat dsl was a cosmetic mess.

[gmcbuffalo]

Strange I have been without a flap since ownership and just replace my windshield because it looking like it was sandblasted, and repainted the front bumper. So I have made a flap thinking that going without one was the cause. Jon is right though about the pressures, my old GMC4107 had a flap across the front of the engine compartment to create a negative pressure to help cooling.