9 Feb 21: This mod is new and "untested". If there are unanticipated issues with the project I'll post a follow-up.
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17 Mar: Yep--there was an "unanticipated issue"! Don't overlook post #10 if considering doing something similar!
One of the lingering issues I have with my setup is the rocks that get embedded in my '17 Ford SuperDuty's tires. As the readers of this forum know, many campgrounds use rocks on their sites that seem to be just the right size to get stuck in TV tire tread. Sadly, the cap on my 315RLTS shows a lot of evidence from the result of rocks being flung back from my truck's tires. With a trip planned to Alaska in 2022, I had to find a solution.
When my truck was new-to-me I installed WeatherTech No Drill Mud Flaps (front and rear). They are nice, but not long enough to keep rocks from hitting the camper, thus the need for a different solution.
The pic below shows just the rear WeatherTech.
Back in September I came across Smart Solutions Rock Solid Tow Guards. The reason I chose these guards is because they will work with a 2.5" ball mount--or in my case the 2.5" Blue Ox WDH I use (and they were on sale at the time).
Unfortunately, I do not like the Smart Solutions product. At all. They have the same problem as most other rock guards for trucks. What's the primary issue? The guard attaches to the ball mount, so to remove the Blue Ox from the hitch/receiver I had to wrestle with the guard flaps, too, or disassemble the Rock Solid assembly from the ball mount. Those who have read my threads in the past know that I go to great lengths to limit the logistics involved with going camping. I had to figure out a better solution.
What I decided to do was cut down the Rock Solid flaps and attach them to the WeatherTechs. I reused the Rock Solid's hardware. The process was straight-forward: lots of measuring, careful cutting with a very sharp razor knife, and precisely marking equal-distant points for the hardware (and then drilling the holes).
Note: The nuts, bolts and washers will be replaced with black hardware at some point or at minimum lock nuts and then spray painted. (I cheated and used a magic marker to make the shiny bolts look good for the pictures!)
The pictures below should convey the story without a whole lot more words. Due to the limitation of five pics per post, the final result will be in post #2.
What's not evident is there is velcro that runs the width of the flap to keep the Rock Solid flush where it meets the bottom of the WeatherTech. I anticipate having to reinforce this at some point with a better bonding method if the velcro peals away.
Go to post #2 to see the final result...
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17 Mar: Yep--there was an "unanticipated issue"! Don't overlook post #10 if considering doing something similar!
One of the lingering issues I have with my setup is the rocks that get embedded in my '17 Ford SuperDuty's tires. As the readers of this forum know, many campgrounds use rocks on their sites that seem to be just the right size to get stuck in TV tire tread. Sadly, the cap on my 315RLTS shows a lot of evidence from the result of rocks being flung back from my truck's tires. With a trip planned to Alaska in 2022, I had to find a solution.
When my truck was new-to-me I installed WeatherTech No Drill Mud Flaps (front and rear). They are nice, but not long enough to keep rocks from hitting the camper, thus the need for a different solution.
The pic below shows just the rear WeatherTech.
Back in September I came across Smart Solutions Rock Solid Tow Guards. The reason I chose these guards is because they will work with a 2.5" ball mount--or in my case the 2.5" Blue Ox WDH I use (and they were on sale at the time).
Unfortunately, I do not like the Smart Solutions product. At all. They have the same problem as most other rock guards for trucks. What's the primary issue? The guard attaches to the ball mount, so to remove the Blue Ox from the hitch/receiver I had to wrestle with the guard flaps, too, or disassemble the Rock Solid assembly from the ball mount. Those who have read my threads in the past know that I go to great lengths to limit the logistics involved with going camping. I had to figure out a better solution.
What I decided to do was cut down the Rock Solid flaps and attach them to the WeatherTechs. I reused the Rock Solid's hardware. The process was straight-forward: lots of measuring, careful cutting with a very sharp razor knife, and precisely marking equal-distant points for the hardware (and then drilling the holes).
Note: The nuts, bolts and washers will be replaced with black hardware at some point or at minimum lock nuts and then spray painted. (I cheated and used a magic marker to make the shiny bolts look good for the pictures!)
The pictures below should convey the story without a whole lot more words. Due to the limitation of five pics per post, the final result will be in post #2.
What's not evident is there is velcro that runs the width of the flap to keep the Rock Solid flush where it meets the bottom of the WeatherTech. I anticipate having to reinforce this at some point with a better bonding method if the velcro peals away.
Go to post #2 to see the final result...
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