Airflow - problem or paranoia?

[mstreck]

I use a Snowsport hitch plow on the front of my 2005 4Runner Sport. When I drive on the highway with it, let's say to go plow out a friend's driveway, the external temperature sensor will eventually read 100+ degrees when it's actually near/below freezing. While this is happening, the temp gauge does NOT indicate any significant increase in coolant temperature, if any.

Is this a potential overheating problem? To curb this, I have been pulling over, popping the hood, and allowing the external temp sensor to reach the actual outdoor temp before continuing on, but is this necessary? Or is there something that could be damaged by excessive heat in the sensor area?

For this year, I fabricated a mount to attach the plow to the back hitch receiver solely for traveling, but would prefer to not use it if it's not needed.

Opinions on this????

Thank you!

Mike

FYI - here is the hitch plow: SNOWSPORT Personal Snow Plow | Aluminum Snowplow | Truck Plows Lineup

 

[Trumpet]

I wouldn't worry about it. With the blade attached, the external temp sensor is seeing more heat from the radiator. Nothing to worry about.

Now if the engine temperature gauge on the dash was going up, that's a cause for worry.

 

[JONBOY345]

Pickup a bluetooth OBDII dongle, Torque app on an android phone/device, and you can monitor coolant temps in realtime.

 

[mstreck]

I wouldn't worry about it. With the blade attached, the external temp sensor is seeing more heat from the radiator. Nothing to worry about.

Now if the engine temperature gauge on the dash was going up, that's a cause for worry.

That's what I was thinking/hoping. Total paranoia on my part.

Pickup a bluetooth OBDII dongle, Torque app on an android phone/device, and you can monitor coolant temps in realtime.

I actually have one. That's a great idea!

Thanks, everyone!

 

[Trumpet]

[MENTION=61629]mstreck[/MENTION] , The real question is; How do you like that plow setup? and is it usable in deep snow?

What they ding you for the whole set-up, I'm assuming you purchased their front hitch as well as the blade setup.

 

[mstreck]

[MENTION=61629]mstreck[/MENTION] , The real question is; How do you like that plow setup? and is it usable in deep snow?

What they ding you for the whole set-up, I'm assuming you purchased their front hitch as well as the blade setup.

I'm in Delaware, so we only get 6-10" max per storm. The usual snowfall is around 3-6". I plow my 100 ft driveway and some neighbors and other friends that live a town or two away. It has never failed me. In short, I absolutely love the freaking thing, especially since I added a winch attachment last year (made it myself - I'm definitely not paying $500 for the one they just released to market when I made my own for a little more than $100 bucks).

Prices have gone WAY up since I purchased mine years ago - at least $500 from what I have seen. I did purchase mine with a front hitch, but I have a 2005, and there is no front hitch made for a 2005, so I modified one made for a 2006. Had to cut the gussets, bend the tow rings brackets to the proper angle, and reattach (see attached photo from the guy who originally had the idea).

There are plenty of videos on YouTube showing people pushing some serious snow with it, but it's definitely not commercial grade. As long as I can clear my driveway and keep the big boys from plowing it shut, I'm golden.

I only wish I had it in 2009 when we got hit with two 24" storms in just a couple of weeks and all I had was a shovel. It was our first year in the house and I was totally unprepared. I ended up paying someone $100 to dig us out each time. :wow:

In short, I love the plow and look forward to using it every time!

 

[MikeinNH67]

Seeing you can raise and lower it on demand, try different heights. I had to do this on a Jeep I had as it would start getting hot if the plow was too high. I drove my current rig that has a Fisher MM on it to a friends recently and didn't notice anything odd in the temps. I did have it on the low side so my headlights could be seen. I haven't had time to hook up the plow lights yet.

 

[mstreck]

Seeing you can raise and lower it on demand, try different heights. I had to do this on a Jeep I had as it would start getting hot if the plow was too high. I drove my current rig that has a Fisher MM on it to a friends recently and didn't notice anything odd in the temps. I did have it on the low side so my headlights could be seen. I haven't had time to hook up the plow lights yet.

I wish I could, but the Snowsport isn't hydraulic. It's a light-duty hitch plow that "floats" on the plow frame and needs to be locked into place for transport. When I have it raised, it's unstable and will rock from side to side. It's a trade-off, though. Because it's not actually attached to the frame, I can have it completely installed or removed in 60 seconds, if needed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt8jdxsZ9Ds&feature=youtu.be

 

[MikeinNH67]

I wish I could, but the Snowsport isn't hydraulic. It's a light-duty hitch plow that "floats" on the plow frame and needs to be locked into place for transport. When I have it raised, it's unstable and will rock from side to side. It's a trade-off, though. Because it's not actually attached to the frame, I can have it completely installed or removed in 60 seconds, if needed.

YouTube

Ah, I assumed the winch was enough to control the height.