Posted 2011-02-07 12:20 PM (#129875) Subject: Rock guards - what is the performance difference?
Veteran
Posts: 213
Location: Virginia
After totally coating the front of my trailer with mud just going up a friend's driveway last week, I started looking at the different types of mud/rock guards/flaps available. There seem to be two main types:
1 . Mud flaps - permanently attached just behind tires.
2. Mud/rock guard - temporarily attached to back of truck and goes across the back (some are two flaps and some go all the way across)
My first thought is that I prefer the first type - once they are installed, I can basically forget about them. They are also a LOT cheaper.
My question is about performance - does one type work better than the other? Differently? Thoughts?
Posted 2011-02-07 7:15 PM (#129899 - in reply to #129875) Subject: RE: Rock guards - what is the performance difference?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 402
Location: Valentine, NE
I like the perm., hard plastic extra large semi truck ones. I mount them as close to the drive tires as I can-making sure they don't interfere with the springs or exhaust.This protects your rear 1/4 panel also.The temp ones, IMO, are way to expensive and are to far from your tires. The one's I've seen, looked like they missed quite a lot of projectiles.Any good welding shop could make you some brackets fairly cheap.
Posted 2011-02-07 10:31 PM (#129907 - in reply to #129875) Subject: RE: Rock guards - what is the performance difference?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 714
Location: Minnesota
A few years ago, my son, for a 4-H project make me a rock guard that fits in my receiver hitch. It goes the full width of my truck and and is made with 8" strips of belt from the round baler. It really works well from rocks bouncing off the trailer and hitting my tailgate. I can take it off when not pulling the trailer so as not to reduce my mpg's. The factory mudflaps on the truck only protect the truck.