i can pick up a thermal fan clutch for $23, is it worth it in the reduced drag on the engine? has anyone put a clutch on before?

its hayden p/n 2710.
Hayden 2710 - Thermal Fan Clutch | O'Reilly Auto Parts

just a plain old ford fan clutch,


so what are some opinions?

 

I'd rather have an electric fan. Hope to find a JY electric that fits the F100 radiator. Have a Taurus 2-speed on my Maverick and it works great. Does require a 100+ amp alternator.

 

i like the solid fan because it is all ways working and i idle and use it off road all the time and it never gets hot the fan clutch will reduce the drag, but can fail and isn't a big change, if you where to go though water up to your fan then it is a great thing it may save a radiator, the electric fan is the best if you don't need complete reliability

 

i dont want electric fans, to me its just more electronics to fail...

solid fan is nice, i will be out off the beaten path with it. and it is the most reliable way for sure.

i see this clutch as a best of both worlds. its still mechanical, and less power being robbed from the engine to drive it. if it fails out in the middle of nowhere i can take it off and bolt it back on solid...

i think for $23 ill see somekinda benefit over a few years. and it has a lifetime warranty so...

 

i put a clutch fan on my galaxie- its quieter at highway speeds, for sure.
works fine so far, but i'll eventually move to an electric fan.

 

I'm more of an electric fan fan.

 

if you can bolt it solid on the trail the clutch it man, the ones i have seen are a one way tell you get home to put the solid part back in
i agree with (op) the elec fans take away from the reliably and the amps you have to use on lights and winchs

 

would like to see how you mount it if you do so

 

The clutch fans work great at keeping it cool but you have to change to a smaller pulley
The non clutch fans pulley is like 7.1/4 and you'll need one 6."to 6.5" for slow city driving if not changed to a smaller one it may run hot while idling. I've been using a fan clutch since 1978 when I install the 390 engine. l even had a cab over camper on for about 25 yrs and only replaced one fan clutch. Now been running fan & fan clutch off and f250 80's truck it's a little heavier duty ..orich

 

Simple, install a 3G alternator too, low speed amps issued solved. No more meat grinder when you are tuning and no fan to pull into the radiator when fording a creek. and a lot less stress on the water pump shaft. The only reliability issue is using a crappy fan or not installing it right.

 

amen. when was the last time the electric fan on your modern car crapped out? when its hot out, the fan can spin 2000rpm when the engine is idling at a stoplight.

and the meat grinder...yeah, man. i hate setting the timing on a truck that doesn't have the shroud. and *nobody* has the shroud...

 

the elec fan craps out on the 110 day on the trail on my 93 jeep Cherokee last year
the alt is in the works but you still only have so many amps to use even then. and the stock fans on the trucks have no problem cooling the truck on the hottest of days unless you are over reving or it is full of mud
whens the last time in the last 40 years has a good solid fan broke?
i replaced my stock one two years ago because it had had a mud get on it and crack the fan blade and that was my fault for splashing though the puddles
i would put a elec fan on my dd but not my trail rig

 

I've had plenty of failed mechanical fans and or water pump shafts come into my shops over the years. Way more than failed electric fans (I don't recall any). And often they took out the radiator too.
The electric fan on my hotrod moves about 2000 CFM, takes a brief 50 amps on pull in and about 15 running. Not a very big chunk of the 95 amps I have at idle with my $10 junkyard alternator.
I'm not trying to change your mind (or maybe I am?) just giving my opinion as an long time ASE tech who has worked on a butt load of this stuff over the years.
I used to off road, don't destroy pickups or terra anymore, got it all out of my system many moons ago. But way back when, I witnessed quite a few mechanical fan failures off road, often with catastrophic results.