Hello all. I am buying a front hitch and fishing rod/cooler rack for my 2012 F350. I heard some rumors about this setup, so I just wanted some verification. I will be using this mostly for surf fishing. However, I also plan to use it to haul a cooler along with towing my TT.

The rumor I heard was that if you travel long distances with the cooler rack on the front of the truck, you can block the air intake, and/or disturb it. And this could lead to some serious issues. Is there any truth to this rumor? Anyone with this setup encounter any issues at all, aside from this unproven rumor. Thanks for the help!

 

How big of a cooler are we talking about here?

 

If this is even an issue, you can always put a rack on the back of your TT.

Steve

 

Bolt on receivers for 4X4 square steel rear RV bumper run about $50.

 

Sorry, I should of included that info. No bigger than 110 quart.

Cannot do it on my bumper on my TT. See the previous post. Be silly to type it again.

Thanks for the thoughts guys!

 

You are only blocking about half your grill area (if that), and there will be considerable space between the cooler and grill. I wouldn't think you would see a whole lot of ill effect. You see older trucks with the spare tire mounted right in front of the radiator.

 

I agree with you. I just had a thought that if I was towing my TT, you get increased temps. And any kind of air disturbance might increase the temps because of the loss of air flow. Perhaps it might be a good idea to only use this rack without anything in tow. I just bought the truck a few months ago. So I have only towed with it once, unladen. So I am not very salty of how this truck fully operates.

 

This is just my opinion, but my guess is the folks who say not to do it are just offering opinion. Some of those custom grills look like they really restrict air flow and don't seem to be causing any problems. Is there any documentation for this alleged problem?

Steve

 

They put fans on trucks to keep air flowing through the radiator. Years ago I had SOB truck (only non Ford I ever owned) and hauled a big camper on it. For better weight distribution, I carried the spare and two bicycles up front. The 454 never overheated at all. It seemed like the fan clutch may have kicked on a bit more often.

 

If you are speaking of the F350in your sig, you won't have ANY problems.....

 

Thanks for the input. I am going to give it a go.

 

If you had an Edge CTS monitor you could watch the intake air temp (AIT). I don't think it's so much a problem of overheating the motor, but overheating the charge air cooler could have negative effects.

 

I finally got around to buying and installing my front hitch last week. The weather finally broke up here in the Northeast.

I went with the Draw-Tite Front Hitch #65049 for my 2012 F350. I bought it from Streetsideauto.com. They had the best price with free shipping. Came in about 3 days as well.Paid $168 no tax.

It was either Draw-Tite or Reese, which are manufactured the same because they have the same parent company. In fact they even share the same model numbers. I did not go with the Curt Hitch because its cross bar was bolted into the side plates. The Draw-Tite/Reese is welded. I figured there would be less of a chance of bolts becoming loose with the Draw-Tite. They all have a 500lb tongue weight. The DT has a 9000lb vertical pull. So you can install a winch onto it. I did not see that rating for the Curt Hitch.

Installing this hitch was a bit of a PITA. it took me about 3 hours by myself. It turned out well. And I saved myself about $200 in labor I was quoted.

No more 2 piece surf rods for me! Got the rod/cooler rack as well from Lakesidewelding on eBay. Custom made for my wheeled marine cooler for $275. Very well made. Now I just have to wait for the weather and water to get warmer, and start fishing! I will add some pictures when I put it back on. The day I picked it up, it was poring rain. So I did not have an opportunity to take any pictures, sorry.