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Step N Guard Lands in Australia: The Mud Flap That's Also a Step
A lot of American trucks in Australia were bought for one reason: to tow something big. Caravans, horse floats, car carriers, plant trailers. And a lot of Australian towing happens on gravel, corrugations and unsealed station roads where rear tyres throw rocks the whole way.
Anyone who's towed a van down a gravel road knows the sound. Every rock your rear tyres pick up gets fired straight back at whatever's behind you, and the first thing it hits is the front of your caravan, boat or trailer. Then you get home and find the chips.
Step N Guard was built to stop that. It's a patented step and mud flap system for heavy-duty American trucks, made in Idaho, USA, and it's now available in Australia through Tough Trucks.
A Better Flap, Born From a Bad Trip
Step N Guard started the way a lot of good truck gear does: someone got sick of a problem and built their way out of it. Its founder came home from a long road trip with damage to both his truck and his trailer, despite running a big-name set of mud flaps at the time. So he set out to build a flap that actually did the job.
What he came up with is now protected under U.S. Patent No. 12,319,355, and it works quite differently from anything you'd bolt behind the wheel arch.
How It Works
Instead of hanging off the body or the guards, Step N Guard mounts to your truck's existing frame. A rigid bar runs across the back of the truck, and the flaps hang from each end of it, sitting behind the rear tyres.
That changes a few things:
- The flaps stay put. Because they're solid-mounted rather than hanging off plastic or sheet metal, they don't flap around, fold up or rip off at highway speed. Stainless steel anti-sail plates hold the bottom of each flap down and in place.
- Full tread coverage. The flaps are wide enough to cover the full tread of the tyre, so less spray, mud and stone gets past them. On single-wheel trucks they're 20 inches (about 500mm) wide.
- They protect what's behind you. Standard flaps are mostly there to protect the truck's own paint. Step N Guard is just as focused on the trailer, van or float you're towing.
- It comes off when you don't need it. It mounts to the receiver, so it's easy to remove when you're not towing or heading off-road.
The Step Part
The mounting bar isn't just a bracket. It doubles as a heavy-duty step, rated to 300 lb (about 136 kg), so you've got a solid foothold up into the tray.
On a lifted HD truck, that matters. The tray floor on a 2500 or 3500 is already high from the factory, and once you add a lift and bigger tyres, climbing in to grab a jerry can or tie down a load turns into a gymnastics routine. A step that's always there, built into something you'd fit anyway, solves it without adding another accessory to the receiver.
Made to Fit Your Truck
Step N Guard isn't a universal fit. Each kit is built for a specific truck and wheel setup:
| Kit | Fits |
|---|---|
| Ford Single Wheel Kit | Ford Super Duty single rear wheel, 2017 on |
| Ford Dually Kit | Ford Super Duty dually, 2017 on |
| RAM/Dodge HD Single Kit | RAM 2500/3500 HD single rear wheel [CONFIRM: model years] |
| RAM/Dodge Dually HD Kit | RAM 3500 HD dually [CONFIRM: model years] |
| Chevrolet/GM Single Kit | Chevrolet Silverado / GMC Sierra HD single rear wheel, 2017 on |
| Chevrolet/GM Dually Kit | Chevrolet Silverado / GMC Sierra HD dually [CONFIRM: model years] |
Every kit has about 4 inches (roughly 100mm) of width adjustment, so it can be set up around different wheel offsets. That's handy on Australian-built trucks running aftermarket wheels. The flaps also come extra long, so you can trim them to the length that suits your ride height.
Good to Know Before You Order
Exhaust heat. Diesel exhaust gets hot, and a mud flap sitting in its path will suffer for it. Step N Guard recommends its heat shield on all diesel dually trucks, and on single-wheel trucks wherever the exhaust points at the flap, including trucks with aftermarket exhausts or larger tips. Heat damage on a truck without the shield may not be covered by warranty.
Chev/GMC HD single-wheel trucks. The Chevrolet/GM Single Kit isn't compatible with the factory exhaust tip, so you'll need an aftermarket tip as well.
Why It Suits Australian Towing
A lot of American trucks in Australia were bought for one reason: to tow something big. Caravans, horse floats, car carriers, plant trailers. And a lot of Australian towing happens on gravel, corrugations and unsealed station roads where rear tyres throw rocks the whole way.
Stone damage on the front of a van is one of the most common, and most expensive, problems caravanners deal with. Step N Guard tackles it at the source, behind the tyre that's throwing the rock, rather than trying to armour the van after the fact. And because it sits on the receiver, it's designed to stay on while you tow.
It's a simple idea, done properly. Proper coverage, a solid mount, and a step you'll use every day.
Get Step N Guard
The full Step N Guard range is available now, shipping Australia-wide, with supply and fit available at our Arundel and Mackay workshops. Shop the Step N Guard range, call the team on 07 5500 0095, or get a quote.
