# Plowing with a winter grill cover on yes or no?



## IA Farmer (Nov 7, 2004)

I have a 2006 Cummins and was wondering if I should plow with a grill cover or not? I know they make a big difference with helping get and keep the truck warm but I don't want it to overheat when i'm plowing. Thanks for the help.


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

Cant say for a dodge but a duramax does not like the bra on travel with a plow.


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## R.J.S. SNOWPLOW (Dec 9, 2009)

Dont have a cummins but my
5.9 does just fine without one


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## Dubl0Vert (Sep 10, 2011)

If you use one at startup, I'd pull it after she warms up.


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## 2COR517 (Oct 23, 2008)

You want as much airflow as possible. Not just for the engine, but the alternator too.


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

My 12V runs cold in the winter. We had cardboard on the rad most of the winter actually. It is a non ac truck which probably hurt it for staying warm by not having a condensor to help slow down the air. My 04 PSD started running colder when temps dropped too. I remember my guy had a pepsi box on the grill for a little while during Jan/Feb LOL. As for my Dmaxes I had winter fronts for most of them and never put them on. They always seemed to be fine.


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

If I were you I'd just keep it handy and see. Chances are you won't need it, but on a 10* blustery plow night you may have cold toes if you don't


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## IA Farmer (Nov 7, 2004)

Thanks for the help, I ordered one and will pick it up tomorrow and just see how it goes on cold days.


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

They're great for traveling.................nice to have in case


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

got-h2o;1365692 said:


> If I were you I'd just keep it handy and see. Chances are you won't need it, but on a 10* blustery plow night you may have cold toes if you don't


Bill that makes me laugh. Last year I was plowing in the 6.5L and it was so cold and windy out I couldn't even have the window down. I kept having to pull out of the lot I was plowing and run up and down randall road with the plow all the way up to make enough heat to get the windsheld to defrost. :laughing:


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

Lmao nice...........


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## Steve8511 (Nov 28, 2011)

If your truck doesn't warm up- you need a new thermostat! The way it works is that the fan engages because the heat through the radiator makes the fan engage. So if you made the fan word harder -makes the engine work harder - making you pay more for gas(diesel).
If you had made a high performance Cummins and were towing and the engine temp got too high then you change the cooling system- not before


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

They make winter fronts for diesels for a reason......not b/c brand new trucks need thermostats


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

I run one to keep the snow from getting on my belts mostly do that during a blizzard


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## DAFFMOBILEWASH (Dec 9, 2006)

If the temp for the day didn't break zero f then a grill cover might be handy. I have never had any issues with mine with lack of heat.


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## erkoehler (Sep 25, 2008)

Only time I've had a problem was during the blizzard last season. Wasn't a huge deal, and I do not cover the grill.


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## R.J.S. SNOWPLOW (Dec 9, 2009)

We only need a thermostat is in the summer. To cool the engine down. I usually take them out for the winter


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## DAFFMOBILEWASH (Dec 9, 2006)

R.J.S. SNOWPLOW;1367393 said:


> We only need a thermostat is in the summer. To cool the engine down. I usually take them out for the winter


T stats are there for a reason. In the winter it is to maitain a certain run temp to make the engine run as efficient as possible. Remove this in the winter and the truck engine will never create ample heat or reach a proper running temp. The cab will always be cold and the engine will run rich. NTM waiting forever in the AM to defrost the windows...

Now if you do this to stop overheating issues caused by the blade then you are still creating more issues. Engines overheat mainly from the lack of positive air pressure on the radiator which is used to cool the engine. The way to solve this issue is causing more air to be pulled through the rad. This can be done by messing with the blade run heights and angles and a heavy duty clutch on the fan.


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## 2COR517 (Oct 23, 2008)

R.J.S. SNOWPLOW;1367393 said:


> We only need a thermostat is in the summer. To cool the engine down. I usually take them out for the winter


Glad I'm not too worried about buying a truck you owned.


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## 04WhiteSport (Dec 8, 2008)

I keep a piece of cardboard in front of the Air intake on the pass side of the grill to keep snow out of the intake. You WILL clog the air filtr with snow if not, but the full front cover I would leave open for the trans cooler and stuff. just block the air intake.


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## jmbones (Jun 17, 2009)

Folks, don't forget it's not only the engine that uses that air, most HD Dodge have the trans cooler up front as well. That definitely needs air.


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

Lund made snap in plastic cold fronts for 2nd gen Dodges - I have been running one winter time since the 2nd year I got the truck. Makes a BIG difference in warm up time for me- 10 minutes and the needle moves instead of 30 minutes without. Over the years I lost half of the panels so only the drivers side is covered these days, but it's basically the same. The cooling system in the 2nd gen is so overbuilt the only time I ever had an issue was when the t-stat stuck open, then closed. 

The engine builds heat from work- the less work the engine does the longer it'll take to heat up a diesel- at idle in the cold they will never heat up to operating temp. The radiator is so big once the stat opens the temp is drawn back down in under 2 seconds and the stat closes- without the grill blocked the radiator draws the engine temp down below the operating range.


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## wreckn1 (Jan 1, 2012)

I have a 2007 cummins (5.9) and I bought the "factory" winter front, which goes on underneath the hood covers the rad etc, it has the four flaps so you can completely close it so no air gets in. I keep mine on all winter makes a huge difference in warm up time. When plowing I just open up the four flaps really no big deal


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## UglyTruck (Feb 8, 2007)

I use it every day below 30 degrees unless the plow is on...then it is on the back floorboard. I cooked a valve body because of it in my '01. i wear carharts when plowing, so even if its a little chilly its no big deal. A chilly cab is way better than a cooked tranny. the tranny cooler on an 01 is completely blocked by a winterftont. not sure about yours, but keep it in mind.... as for the guy that removes his thermostat in the winter: your thinking is not wrong, but it is flawed. in the event that you ARE running hot, the unrestricted flow will not keep the coolant in the radiator long enough to bleed heat out before it goes back into the engine compounding the problem until you seriously cook things. I have seen your theory of full flow destroy $20,000.00 race motors, so i wouldn't even think of risking it on the truck i depend on to pay the bills.


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

Agreed^^^^ I have a restrictor plate in my race motor to slow down the flow


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## USMCMP5811 (Aug 31, 2008)

got-h2o;1367158 said:


> They make winter fronts for diesels for a reason......not b/c brand new trucks need thermostats


Ahhh but, he's got a 6 year old truck.

My old 97 12V Cumins sucked for heat in the winter Even with a colf front and plow blade, until I replaced the thermostat. After that, I couldn't have the cold front on the truck with the plow on.


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