Community Forums

deandec · 11-30-2011, 11:02 AM

Some folks with Country Coach rigs are removing the solid mud flap from their coaches.

The goals are to improve air flow from the engine compartment and thereby increase fuel mileage and reduce water temps on long uphill grades.

Some are re-installing the flaps and others are happy with the removal. I have not read of damage to the toad increasing due to removal of the flaps.

Nowabeachbum · 11-30-2011, 11:34 AM

Wife wants the mud flap back on (looks) so I ordered a new one from Duraflap. They said that a general rule of thumb for height is 4". Mine was more like 2". So I will try it at 4". I think many motorhomes have their flaps too close to the ground. It also does make since that raising it or even removing it could help cooling and aerodynamics.
Gary

billyb · 11-30-2011, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by powerboatr

ouch
a radiator.... how does one loose a rad? you have to wonder what teh donor felt when they lost it

I have hit a few tire tread alligators that busted lights and hoses

my flap is a hard one and it clears about 5" when we are at ride height
i have knocked it off once already in a low dip at a feed store

if you travel enough, you will some idiots with a load of junk in their pickup with no tailghate and not tied down. i followed a guy in a pickup like that with wheel hubs and various other car parts just laying close to the end of the bed, and the stuff was just bounciny around so i sped up to get around him.

wa8yxm · 11-30-2011, 02:33 PM

You ask if it has often happened to others. .In six years driving the motor home ... Not to me.

However I've had a few such incidents when driving the towed by itself.. Radiators are rare, But mufflers are common, I've also had wood blocks, Rocks big enough to be significant. a ladder and one coil of sheet steel that fell off a truck.. I missed that last one but did watch it fall. I've seen serveral AFTER they fell. but that's another matter. Just once did I watch it fall.

powerboatr · 11-30-2011, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa8yxm

You ask if it has often happened to others. .In six years driving the motor home ... Not to me.

However I've had a few such incidents when driving the towed by itself.. Radiators are rare, But mufflers are common, I've also had wood blocks, Rocks big enough to be significant. a ladder and one coil of sheet steel that fell off a truck.. I missed that last one but did watch it fall. I've seen serveral AFTER they fell. but that's another matter. Just once did I watch it fall.

i can top it or come close
an 1800 watt honda generator jumped out of a truck as it leapt across the highway in front of me

it tumbled and rolled
I stopped and went back to see if the guy returned to have a come to Jesus talk
he didnt so i picked it up, trapped it down and off we went.
when we stopped for the afternoon, i tried to start it...first pull, zooom zoom
its been our backup now going on 13 years
cant imagine what damage i would incurred if I had ran over over it

my m/h now scares me i will knock off the lower coolant tube that crosses over just behind the last engine mount frame bracket, it has some scores on it already

Nowabeachbum · 11-30-2011, 04:35 PM

Well the body shop called, $3500. for the car! The mud flap was $500. It was $500. deductable for each vehicle, so $1000. out of pocket! I hope whoever lost the radiator has a very Merry Christmas!!!

Gary

Mageksl · 11-30-2011, 04:44 PM

While driving on I-40 in Oklahoma City, I was passed by a U-Haul pickup pulling a U-Haul utility trailer with short sides. In the back of the trailer were various pieces of furniture. One of these, an obviously deranged Barcalounger was rocking away. I'm watching it as it passes since it had a bad look in it's eye. Sure enough just after getting ahead of me it leaped from the trailer and tried to commit suicide on the front of the MH. Since I was watching there was only minor body damage on the MH. I'm happy to say the Barcalounger survived and after some therapy returned to a useful life.

vermilye · 11-30-2011, 04:52 PM

No problem with mud flaps, but on the last trip I straddled a dead skunk hoping to avoid stinking up the tires. All was well until the trailer's safety chains hit it.

Have you ever tried to wash safety chains in a campground with no hookups?

skipwil · 11-30-2011, 05:01 PM

Most interesting thing I've gotten of the Interstate was a propeller spinner off a C130 Airplane. When I was on patrol; if I saw anything in the travel lane I'd flip on the blue lights and get it safely to the grass area. As the others posted bad things happen; I think it's easier to prevent accidents if possible.
Safe journeys...

AFChap · 11-30-2011, 05:13 PM

I straddled an Armadillo a few months ago while meeting a car on a two lane road ...durn fool Armadillo failed to keep his head down ...I heard him bouncing under the rig like a basketball and down and off the left side of the highway behind me. I could not find any mark of any kind on either the MH or the toad (which is pretty low to the ground). I figured he must have gone out the side before he got to the toad ...sure made a heck of a racket!!!

LA-HODAG · 11-30-2011, 05:19 PM

Long drive shaft off a bob-tail truck completely across the freeway lane, with traffic on both sides. Bent all four wheels on my car. The motorcycle ahead of me went over it too. I bet he won't forget that day soon.

Even the smallest debris can cause major damage. Driving the same freeway, I saw a floating plastic grocery bag fly up from an adjacent lane and disappear under my Jeep. Instantaneously heard loud noise from rear of the Jeep, then brake warning light came on. The bag had wrapped itself around the rear U-joint, and the flapping end had reached up and grabbed the brake line, ripping out the brackets and pulling into contact with the U-joint, causing it to break.

On the topic of mud flap, I have towed for many years with no-flap rigs and have not experienced any damage to my toad.

1ciderdog · 11-30-2011, 05:28 PM

When I bought this Journey the long mudflap was in a storage bay. I took it out and re-installed it. I found out the first time I let the air out of the suspension the mudflap bent and was bound up under the coach. That mudflap is now in storage - the next owner may want to try it. Obviously I did not have it high enough so if I get the need to try it again it'll be at least 4 maybe six inches off the ground but then how much debris is it going to stop if it is that high?
Safe Travels
Bob

Nowabeachbum · 12-15-2011, 03:47 PM

Ok, I realize at this point all I'm doing is wining but I finally picked up the car today and there was $1000 more damage than originally thought. The total was $4500.. I think I did learn something in the process and that's that the next toad I buy will have mounts lower on the frontend. The Edge mounting points are in the middle of the front fascia. That allowed the shrapnel to hit the front bumper and much more. A mounting point lower would have forced everything to go under the car. It would have caused potential damage under the car but I got that anyway plus frontend damage!

Big Bear · 12-15-2011, 07:19 PM

2004 Winnebago Vectra 40 AD. If not on a very level surface the.full width.solid.flap.will hit the ground. Bent.it once & it also put..small.dent.on exhaust pipe. There was a.Winn recall.because.they were falling off. The strength up the.mounting point.and cut a
notch to.clear pipe. I put a eye.bolt in the.center bottom edge & made a hook to lift it toward the hitch. Works fine, unless I forget to.use it.
Vern