Protecting the Montana from road debris

[richfaa]

quote:Originally posted by 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....

But you do not have the full body paint Montana. Chips on the full body paint with the white gell coat showing through is not a pretty sight.

[jfaberna]

It looks like some of the well known mud flap guys don't have their 2014 RAM 3500 Dually flaps out yet. Maybe a few months.

[jfaberna]

quote:Originally posted by 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

So from Towtector's website it looks like you need the 96" to really cover the tires of a dually. An it looks completely removable, just attached to a 2 1/2" tow hitch.

From my riding around in the dually this week, I can tell that I will need some flaps anyway because with any mud on the road, the front tires throw mud on even the top of the tonneau cover.

[richfaa]

Just the normal dually mud flaps will not do the job particularly on the full body paint Big Sky's. The paint presents a entirely different set of issues as the paint is thin and the white gell coat is under that paint. The chips are not a pretty sight. You do need the full 96 inches of mud flaps on the dually and pay attention to the "sail" factor. The rock tamer web site has a great video on adjusting the sail. You are still gonna get chips so stock up on the touch up paint or to a protective covering like diamond shield which I will do.

we all wanted the full body Paint for years and based on our 17 month experience with it I should not have purchased it. JMO

[K0LCB]

Rich, I agree. I had full body on my last 2 MH's. Impossible to match paint when it gets a few years old. I am pretty happy with my white rig!

[jfaberna]

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.

Couple of questions on the Duraflaps. First they seem to be the only ones that claim to work with the RAM 3500 Dually with factory fender flares. And they understand about the 4x2 or 4x4 length differences. But for standard no-drill mounting, there is only one length it appears. Did you do the no-drill install? Also are the stainless weighted flaps needed or are they really for appearance??

[Artemus Gordon]

One further comment. A well respected friend of mine, told me there is a trick to mud flaps installation. They must be "really close to ground" in order to be effective. Many install theim too high to really be effective. That does require replacing them after some time. My flaps drag in and out of driveway at home. In my case they are thought of as "sacrificial ". The Go Industries take a beating even in those situations. On my old truck they were a little worn after two yeas, but still looked good.

[richfaa]

You are correct the rock tamer installation instruction say should be no more than 4 inches off the ground and the sail set properly.. Still get chips.

[jfaberna]

Anyone know anything about Husky Liner custom molded flaps? They are available for installation locally at a custom truck accessory dealer and are reasonable priced. When I used their website I can select my year truck with the features I have, so I suspect the fit would be good. Also the installation cost is minimal, so it must be as easy for the dealer as it says it is on the website.

[Bill-N-Donna]

I have the fender mounted mud flaps on our TV. I haven’t thought that I needed anything else. The worst I’ve noticed is that I get spray and some mud occasionally on the camper. I haven’t noticed any kind of a problem with chipping.

[richfaa]

quote:Originally posted by Bill-N-Donna

I have the fender mounted mud flaps on our TV. I haven’t thought that I needed anything else. The worst I’ve noticed is that I get spray and some mud occasionally on the camper. I haven’t noticed any kind of a problem with chipping.

Perhaps "chipping" is not the correct word to use there is not a Chip taken out of the gell coat on the full body paint Big Sky's
we are referring to the paint being removed from the gell coated painted surface due to a stone or debris hitting it. We do not have any gouges out of the gell coat..yet. If a stone big enough would hit it there would be a gouge. After 7 years on our 06 3400 we had a few gouges due to large hits but there were not all that noticeable because the gell coat is white and nothing showed through.

The big sky is painted..Mine is called "Gun Metal" It is a gray color.
When road debris hits that paint which is not a thick coat or has any protective covering the gray paint is removed and the white gell coat shows through and you have a poka dot effect. White showing through gray. That effect will show in any place on the painted surface of the Big sky. Think of three branches rubbing on the side of the RV.

We complained about the graphics peeling and looking bad.The body paint IMO will look worse in time.

this is not a bad mouth on Montana other brands have the same issue. It is a fact that needs to be considered if purchasing a Big sky.

I personally would not do it again. They are pretty though

[HOOK]

Our Chev dually has large GM flaps. This thread has made me begin to mull it over. Our last Montana had approximately 35000 miles. The front was often dirty with road film and grease and oil spots but no chips or scratches. The new Big Sky has a textured finish on the front which I assume is designed to provide some extended protection. If I get a chip , I will consider more protection, but I think I'll give it a little time.

[davidaf]

My flaps were torn off years ago while parking my SOB 5'er in a tiny little state park spot. I never replaced them and honestly never thought about them again until I saw this thread. Still not going to replace them unless CHP tells me i need them or something.

[scott-pati]

Have dealer installed mud flaps. They help a lot in keeping the rv clean.
Scott

[richfaa]

I say again.. this is a full body paint Big Sky issue. Our 06 3400 had a few scratches and minor gouges after 65K miles plus. This is a issue of the white gell coat showing through the full body paint. These are stone hits that would not affect the NON painted surface. White will not show through white. This is white showing through in my case gray due to minor stone hits.

[Carl n Susan]

quote:Originally posted by HOOK

Our Chev dually has large GM flaps.

The OEM flaps on the TV are typically mounted too high. The manufacturer does that so you don't trap them against a curb (and rip them off) when backing into a space. You will really want to minimize the distance between the bottom of the flap and the ground to prevent foreign debris' chance of getting airborne.

quote:..Our last Montana had approximately 35000 miles. The front was often dirty with road film and grease and oil spots but no chips or scratches.

If you had road film, grease and oil, then you also were hit by rocks. Listen to Rich, he knows the white gelcoat doesn't show rock chips. But the painted surface of the Big Sky is extremely prone to chips.

quote:The new Big Sky has a textured finish on the front which I assume is designed to provide some extended protection.

I suspect you are correct. The designers added the textured finish as a protection measure. The problem is IT DOESN'T WORK!!! It will chip easily exposing the white gelcoat.

quote:
If I get a chip , I will consider more protection, but I think I'll give it a little time.

Keep that extra touch up paint nearby, it will be needed.

I have the Rock Tamers on my SRW and it does an excellent job of protection. I have them set so they barely clear the ground when the RV is attached. Yes they drag once in a while going over a bump. The first 8,000 miles on the trailer the front looked like it has been hit by birdshot. Lots of chips. After adding the Rock Tamers (and repainting), the front end is chip-free after 4,000 miles.

Rich says he has gets chip with the Rock Tamers. I can't explain why he does and I don't (the western states roads are not any better than what is in the east). Perhaps it is the dually v. the SRW? The extra tire width it too much for the flap? Bingo has the full rear coverage whiskers. Maybe that is the secret for a dually? Lots of questions - no answers. Other than any Big Sky owner needs rock protection.

[jlb27537]

Hi Jim,

I have the Husky flaps on both the front and rear of my '12 Laramie with factory flairs. Same as your truck. I can e mail you pics if you want.

Rear http://www.amazon.com/Husky-Liners-C...r+dodge+trucks

Front http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You might check, but think the '12 and '14 should be the same.

Had these on a different truck and love them. No flex, unloaded they are 12" off the ground and loaded about 8". I installed them when I had the wheels off doing the valve stem caps. You can install with the rear wheels on, but a PITA. Fronts are not a issue, just turn the wheels the other way.

[richfaa]

Carl. I have a hunch that the chips I am getting may be a result of the "sail" factor and I need to do more adjusting. we are stationary for the winter so can't do anything. the rock tamers cut down the chipping by 98%. We also barley touch the ground when hooked up. My rock tamers are exactly the same width as Bingo's 96 inches and they do cover the dually's. One or two chips showing that white gell coat looks awful. We will have to eventually have the front re painted as we also had the bird shot effect. We now have the multi not matching touch up paint effect and we got the paint from the shop that did the paint job.

[jlb27537]

Jim, Do you have full body paint? If so the following is a non reply.

My 2014 3150RL is the OLD ugly "white" The piece on the front of the lower front wraps and is also the underneath of the overhand. It is a piece of "white plastic". It will not rock chip.

Jim

[jfaberna]

My 3402RL is not a Big Sky, so no special paint job. It's the new oyster color, but it's the gel color. So if the color is just the gel and it doesn't chip as easy, then I'm a little more comfortable with just mud flaps for now.