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Front mounted cooler racks and air flow

Discussion in 'Towing & Hauling' started by Richard913, Jun 8, 2015.

  1. Jun 8, 2015 at 5:02 AM
    #1
    Richard913

    Richard913 [OP] New Member

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    Took the truck to the Outerbanks this weekend and forgot how much I loved surf fishing. I am going to buy a camper somewhere in the 35' range and suspect that with the trailer and all the other stuff people drag to the beach I will be towing around 8500lbs with there being about 200 extra lbs in the truck. I want to put a cooler rack on the front (black of course) and was wondering what kind of effect it will have on cooling. The cooler I have is 46" wide and will come up to the bottom of the "Toyota" logo in the grill.

    Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated.
     
  2. Jun 8, 2015 at 5:03 AM
    #2
    Richard913

    Richard913 [OP] New Member

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  3. Jun 8, 2015 at 6:52 AM
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    Black Wolf

    Black Wolf Bigfoot Hunter, Sasquatch too, but not Yeti

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    Seems like it would be blocking considerable air flow. Could be a problem on really hot days. Could be. Might not do anything. Only one way to find out. I really like that Tundra by the way.
     
  4. Jun 8, 2015 at 1:26 PM
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    Richard913

    Richard913 [OP] New Member

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    Yeah, I though about giving it a go, but that would be an $800 experiment if it did not work well..lol
     
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  5. Jun 8, 2015 at 1:32 PM
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    Black Wolf

    Black Wolf Bigfoot Hunter, Sasquatch too, but not Yeti

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    Smaller cooler? What about a roof rack? Maybe too cumbersome for a cooler though.That's what I want to get.
     
  6. Jun 8, 2015 at 2:43 PM
    #6
    tat2ude39

    tat2ude39 MYota

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    or put the cooler in bed close to back window... back window goes down... drink in hand... window goes back up! Nothing for you, your driving :) Plus, do you want a cooler full of dead bugs?
     
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  7. Jun 8, 2015 at 2:56 PM
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    Black Wolf

    Black Wolf Bigfoot Hunter, Sasquatch too, but not Yeti

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    Very good!

    Cooler could look like this:

    images.jpg


    I'm thinking the cooler in front may be not so great and not because of overheating issue.o_O
     
  8. Jun 8, 2015 at 2:57 PM
    #8
    Richard913

    Richard913 [OP] New Member

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    I am going to put a cap with racks on her as well, but we will most likely use that for kayaks or paddle boards. The cooler on the front is more for convenience. Seems like it's every 30 seconds that someone wants something out of the cooler and having it there would be perfect. The cooler is a 160qt, and actually looks small in front of the Tundra's huge front end.
    upload_2015-6-8_17-57-10.jpg
     
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  9. Jun 8, 2015 at 2:59 PM
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    Richard913

    Richard913 [OP] New Member

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    Man, I almost rather have my cooler look like that, than my poor truck..lol
     
  10. Jun 8, 2015 at 3:00 PM
    #10
    Black Wolf

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    Your Yeti is bigger than my Yeti.
     
  11. Jun 8, 2015 at 3:05 PM
    #11
    Black Wolf

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    Good point. How about on rear receiver hitch or on back of the trailer that you might be towing? Or front of trailer?
     
  12. Jun 8, 2015 at 3:39 PM
    #12
    Richard913

    Richard913 [OP] New Member

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    Really needs to stay with the truck as we will be leaving the trailer in the camp ground while we are on the beach. Unfortunately, there are pro's and cons to every configuration.
     
  13. Jun 8, 2015 at 3:48 PM
    #13
    Black Wolf

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    If your are making a short cruise to the beach, put it up front then. Shouldn't have over heat issues .
     
    Last edited: Jun 8, 2015
  14. Jun 8, 2015 at 9:18 PM
    #14
    Mike

    Mike Tread lightly.

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    yep bank account is running low from it..
    This doesnt sound right on so many levels.
     
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  15. Jun 8, 2015 at 9:51 PM
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    csuviper

    csuviper Moderator Staff Member

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    Agreed, short trip no issue. Long trip, issue. Pack it in the back and move to front when you get to the destination.
     
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  16. Jun 9, 2015 at 10:48 AM
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    robie56

    robie56 New Member

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    My biggest concern if I were going to be towing in excess of 8500 lbs with my cooling system partially blocked would be do I have sufficient air flow in slow moving traffic and most importantly how will this affect my transmission cooler cause an overheated tranny is gonna bite you in the a** sooner or later!
     
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  17. Jun 9, 2015 at 12:00 PM
    #17
    Black Wolf

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    The more I think about this the more I am sure I would nix the idea. Too many variables. You don't see too many setups like that for a reason in hot climes. I vote no.
     
  18. Jun 10, 2015 at 4:46 AM
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    Richard913

    Richard913 [OP] New Member

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  19. Jun 10, 2015 at 6:17 AM
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    Black Wolf

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    Even though this is something I wouldn't do unless it was cooler temps and wanted food storage out front, you are probably going to be all right. Back in the day, grills had a lot more access to air flow than now. I've seen coolers and such mounted on the front of various rigs but often times with smaller items that won't severely block air flow. You in fact may get more than enough air flow. Not sure about that in slow traffic as mentioned before. You mentioned you were only going to use it for short cruises to the beach I think. Try it out. If you see the "beginning" of an abnormal temperature increase then pull over and check it out and remove it if you think you have to. There may be a lot of folks with that setup but every vehicle has its own unique air flow/cooling characteristics. Some people may be running at hotter than normal temps for long periods of time which isn't exactly a good thing. Especially on trannys. I can't remember how many times I've seen folks pulled over to the side of the road over the years because of over heating issues. You have too, that's why you have legitimate concerns and rightly so. You might consider a thermostat change too to compensate for "possible" higher temps. I'm just trying think of things that may help you out. :oldglory:
     
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2015
  20. Dec 1, 2016 at 8:34 AM
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    TRD Pro Rookie

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    I would be concerned about someone walking off with my $600 - $800 yeti.
     
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  21. Dec 1, 2016 at 9:44 AM
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    TheBeast

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    and the drinks...
     

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