To resolve this matter, I purchased four semitruck mud flaps. I took one mud flap and cut it in half and bolted it onto the front metal fenders. I added a metal brace to the bottom side (both front and back) to serve as a weight to keep the mud flap vertical while cruising down the road. On the back side, I made a custom bracket that would support the mud flaps while keeping them off of the tires.

After bolting the mud flaps on, I repeated these steps on the front and added a metal brace onto the bottom. I did this to both sides before taking the fourth mud flap and splitting it down the middle. I took one half and bolted it from the bracket, going forward alongside of the stock metal fenders. I repeated this on the other side as well.

Once I was all finished, I took everything apart and painted the various metal pieces. While working on this project, I kept in mind that I wanted the mud flaps to last a long time. So, in the design process, I positioned the mud flaps off of the tires enough so I wouldn’t have to worry about ripping them off. If I would back up with mud on my tires, I didn’t want the mud flaps to catch on the tires and be ripped off. I also didn’t want the rear fenders to sit so low that they would get smashed while making sharp corners pulling implement such as a round baler.

The total project cost was $40 for the four mud flaps as the paint and metal were items already in storage. The project has already made a return on my investment because I no longer have to spend 5 minutes a day cleaning windows, and I can get right to jobs such as hauling manure or transporting silage boxes.

Philip Raak, Minnesota