Posted by Gary on Thursday, April 05, 2001 at 9:30AM :
In Reply to: Clutch Fan Vs Thermal Fan posted by Jack Garner on Wednesday, April 04, 2001 at 9:24PM :
Clutch fans can be a problem. I have an '83 F150 (sorry, wrong make) which I use to plow snow around the farm. This truck has no problem pulling my loaded horse trailer long distances in hot weather.
When I mount the plow, it works fine around the farm but if I have to drive over the road a few miles, it starts to overheat, eventually reaching the boiling point. This even happens in sub-zero weather! I have cured the problem by making a little bracket which locks the fan clutch. I take the bracket off when I remove the plow.
Obviously, the plow is blocking air flow and the clutch is just detecting engine speed and not temperature. Still, I don't really understand why it doesn't overheat when the truck is plowing in low gear (4 speed manual).
I agree with you about the noise. I was wondering if there is much experience out there with electric fans. I guess that's what you mean by "thermal fans". Are there any which can supply enough air for our trucks?
P.S. My W500 has a rigid fan and I wouldn't mind changing that so it doesn't run all the time but I would like some idea what type to use that would do the job.
One more thing. That little bracket I made gave me some respect for the amount of torque this fan sucks up. I had to upgrade the bracket several times to get one strong enough. It needs to be 1/8" thick steel to withstand the forces. No wonder they say the fan soaks up horsepower.
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