Radiator cover

[Awesomeness]

It would be nice if there was a small Velcro flap that you could reach for us southern people that get weekly temperature swings all season. It was 72 last week and 34 today.

The covers are fairly cheap, and fold up small, so you might as well own one. However, if you're having to wonder if/when you should put it on, then you probably don't need it. It becomes fairly obvious when you do, because the truck idling for an hour won't budge the temp gauge needle off the 165°F base marking, and it will take 20 minutes of driving to do so. I totally understand that some of the fun of these trucks is obsessing about all the details though... so I get it.

It's 8°F right now for me, and that's the kind of temperatures where it starts to make a noticeable and welcome difference (<25°F?). I ran the first couple winters without one and was ok, but on days like today, I would drive 25 miles before it would warm up. If I were only to decide based on "need", I would probably only run the cover from December-February. Instead, I put it on and take it off when it's actually warmer (November-March), simply because it's less of a hassle to do when it's warm out, than when it's actually cold enough to need it.

Here in Colorado, we get roughly 40-50°F swings between day and night, so even mid-summer it will be below freezing in the morning when up in the mountains camping. The truck is fine, and aside from extra cranking to get it to start, it doesn't even cross my mind that I need to put it on then.

Hopefully that information helps.

 

[snowtrac nome]

the radiator and after cooler have a huge gap between them on the lmtv by using the army style cover you wont defeat the effectiveness of the after cooler like the grill covers do. This is one thing the truck drivers notice up here where they cover their grills like the duce. Between lighter #1 and the after cooler being covered there is a noticeable loss of power in the winter.

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

In places like Texas you probably never need the cover, and in places where you do need it, you can leave it on until spring. The manual says something like not to put it on until you have sustained temperatures below 40°F, and then you don't need to take it off until sustained temperatures are over 70°F. It's been a while since I read it, but it's a pretty wide range.

Your impressions of the weather in Texas are sadly "stereotyped". While we do have some of the hottest weather in the country, the fluctuating winters of north Texas and the Texas Panhandle can certainly rival that of Colorado... a few days at a time, over and over again until spring.

 

[coachgeo]

Your impressions of the weather in Texas are sadly "stereotyped". ...

Yep ... snowed numerous times every winter when I lived in North TX/ above Dallas/ below OK border. Those on the north west side TX; inside the dogleg that pops up northward below NM-ish, it probably gets even colder / more wintery.

 

[Awesomeness]

Your impressions of the weather in Texas are sadly "stereotyped". While we do have some of the hottest weather in the country, the fluctuating winters of north Texas and the Texas Panhandle can certainly rival that of Colorado... a few days at a time, over and over again until spring.

Then run the cover. You can run it in quite a wide range of temperatures.

 

[ramdough]

The covers are fairly cheap, and fold up small, so you might as well own one. However, if you're having to wonder if/when you should put it on, then you probably don't need it. It becomes fairly obvious when you do, because the truck idling for an hour won't budge the temp gauge needle off the 165°F base marking, and it will take 20 minutes of driving to do so. I totally understand that some of the fun of these trucks is obsessing about all the details though... so I get it.

It's 8°F right now for me, and that's the kind of temperatures where it starts to make a noticeable and welcome difference (
Here in Colorado, we get roughly 40-50°F swings between day and night, so even mid-summer it will be below freezing in the morning when up in the mountains camping. The truck is fine, and aside from extra cranking to get it to start, it doesn't even cross my mind that I need to put it on then.

Hopefully that information helps.

I actually intend to spend quite a bit of time in the Rockies with an m1083, so this is something I plan on having with chains.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HotTubTimeMachine]

I had to drive the 1083 because my 6.0l quigley van did not start at -11 degF.
Fired right up with a

I had mine made in Anchorage at Alaska Tent and Tarp. They did a good job putting it together. Patterned it off the truck itself.

I had to drive the big truck because my 6.0l quigley did not start at -11 degF.
With the cover on i got engine temperatures at 170 F driving in town and 200 F when i got on the highway at 55 mph.

Without the cove the temperature needle rests on the peg at 160 but its colder because there is not much heat coming out of the vents.
Its a nice perk in January.

 

[snowtrac nome]

I had to drive the 1083 because my 6.0l quigley van did not start at -11 degF.
Fired right up with a

yes its been cold up here lately its the first day in 2 weeks its been above -20 its a balmy -1 with 30 nmph winds

 

[HotTubTimeMachine]

We’re not quite that cold but it’s been a good run for Anchorage. Feels kind of good to get our winter back.
Any atmospheric moisture freezes out on contact. Makes it pretty in town.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Third From Texas]

Your impressions of the weather in Texas are sadly "stereotyped". While we do have some of the hottest weather in the country, the fluctuating winters of north Texas and the Texas Panhandle can certainly rival that of Colorado... a few days at a time, over and over again until spring.

True but the South Texas coast is another story. We saw it dip below 32 degrees for a couple hours only twice this year (and we are already about to slide on into spring). If you don't like the conditions in South Texas, just wait until tomorrow.

But yeah, it's a *big* state as they also say...