Protecting the Montana from road debris

[jfaberna]

So how much damage do you get on the Montana from what the TV throws up on it? Are mud flaps a must on the truck? I will be using a dually.

[NCFischers]

Mud flaps keep a lot of dirt off the rear of the truck and most of it off the trailer. I've had them on both my duellys and wouldn't be without them.

[WaltBennett]

My 4WD Lariat came with wide, heavy duty ones (along with the semi-off road tread tires) so I've never really thought about this. I put aftermarket ones on my previous Silverado SRW that had similar tires and got some occasional mud splats on our previous TT. It had diamond plate on the lower front so I didn't worry much, just washed it off. I really think they would be worth the investment since there certainly isn't anything to keep the occasional rock from doing the front of a Monty some damage.

[bncinwv]

We recently purchased a Towtector brand mud/rock guard system that is 96" wide (covers dually width fully). I can report that there was no chipping to the front paint on the Big Sky on the initial trips from the dealer and South Carolina. Total travel time is about 22 hours and I am happy with the purchase.
Bingo

[TLightning]

The only way to totally protect it is to leave it in the driveway.

[gjetzen]

I agree with TLightning but any kind of mud flap on the rear will help.

[dieselguy]

If you put sails behind longer mud flaps like you buy at truck parts stores, you really won't need that big mustache behind your truck. Sails keep the longer flaps from blowing rearward which effectively shortens the flap traveling down the road ... semis use them alot.

[1retired06]

We have consistently had fender flaps behind the rear wheel wells without any damage to our units. A stone chip here and there is going to happen regardless.

[DQDick]

Even though we have good flaps on the TV almost everywhere we go we travel on gravel roads so we added rock tamers. It's not unusual for us to drive 20 miles on gravel to get somewhere so they made sense for us.

[richfaa]

There is a difference on chips on a painted Big Sky and the regular Montana. The paint is a thin layer and under the paint is the white gel coat. The thin paint Chips off and under the paint is the white gel coat. It is glaringly obvious.

[jjparker]

I mail ordered Duraflaps from Oregon and installed them behind all four tires. For the rear, I ordered the longest ones. I also had these on a 2006 truck. The only thing I seem to get is a few road oil drops. We don't put many miles on gravel roads which could be worse.

[Art-n-Marge]

I did what jjparker did except just the rear for my SRW truck. Ordered from DuraFlaps in Oregon - great prices. But I ordered a custom size (4" above the road surface) because it was a requirement when I towed trailers commercially. It was very affordable. No flaps in the front, no receiver mounted across the rear (high priced and wanted to keep the weight down.

The only problem I had was the first shipment they had sent me their standard longest flaps that were still too short by about 4". I gave them a call back and the lady apologized cuz she was the one that messed up the order, but they sent me the custom ones and shipping instructions to send the other flaps back on their dime. Now I need to order the weights because they are barely starting to curl (It's enough for me to notice). I have no damage to anything I towed, but never tried the Alaska gravel roads, but seeing the coverage they give, they'd probably do fine.

[jfaberna]

I have a question for you about the Duraflaps. They talk about drill-less. Not sure what that means. My Ram 3500 Dually does not have factory option for flaps. I checked with the Dodge parts department and they said that because I have factory installed fender flares (came with the standard Laramie package), they could not sell me any flaps they have. So I'm wondering what will it really take to get the flaps installed?

[Glenn the fifth]

I have often thought about putting aluminum diamond plate on the front of mine because one of my old fifth wheels had it and I liked it there. Is that available for our Montanas or is it something I would have to have measured and cut to fit? -Glenn

[rvgwen]

I wish I had paid more attention to this when our rig was new. Being a Big Sky (as Bingo said) will compound the problem. I have touched up the chips several times but still have not addressed the problem. I will look into the Dura flaps. Day late dollar short I guess....

[dsprik]

I had the dealership I bought the SRW from put GMC mudlaps on as an afterthought. Not overly large, but they do a good job of covering. I can't remeber the last gravel road I took this truck down... but still good insurance.

[Bigsky3625RE]

quote:Originally posted by jjparker

I mail ordered Duraflaps from Oregon and installed them behind all four tires. For the rear, I ordered the longest ones. I also had these on a 2006 truck. The only thing I seem to get is a few road oil drops. We don't put many miles on gravel roads which could be worse.

We have the same ones....and the same Monty.

[Art-n-Marge]

jfaberna. The Duraflaps are mounted using clips that attach to existing holes in the fender, at least for my Ford. Quite clever actually and more solid than one would think. It's nighttime now, but tomorrow I will take pictures to show you. Note that mine are a custom (extra long) length and my recollection is that there were less than $100 including shipping for the pair. This was great for my cheapskate wallet.

[Artemus Gordon]

I use heavy duty flaps from "Go Industries". They have a full frame to keep them in place. Not a single mark on my Montana since new. I had them on my last truck. They come with nice "chrome accents". No not the "devil girl" with forked tail! DW made that clear!!! Yes dear....

[rich6506547]

Check with the state that you tag in Texas on drw tv you have to have mud flaps to get you safety sticker.