protecting the radiator and other coolers

[PeterH-350LE]

I am getting ready for our summer trip and have learned to use a 1/8" wire mesh to protect all the coolers from high speed flying projectiles. Its amazing what you will catch.
Easy to remove for cleaning, minimal air flow restrictions and inexpensive.

[74Argosy24MH]

I like it. One of the reasons I built my grill were the huge openings in the stock grill. My tube spacing is 1", I figure it is a pre filter. I was going to use 1/4" hardware cloth behind that, but like the 1/8" better, what did you use?

John

[PeterH-350LE]

galvanized mesh, 1/8"
The key is easy removal to shake it out.
I have driven thru west Texas in the evening and it was covered with crickets. Its not really intended for every day use, just big road trips.

[74Argosy24MH]

Guess I need to look some more, the smallest I found was 1/4". You guys must have some awesome crickets to get high enough in the air to get in the grill. The ones around here just hide under rocks, occasionally get in the house and drive you nuts all night.

John

[thenewkid64]

John,

I am probly speaking for Peter here, but after living there for 2 years all I can say is everything is bigger in Texas.

[PeterH-350LE]

For some reason, the smallest Home Depot carries is 1/4". I buy the 1/8" at another local lumber yard.

[74Argosy24MH]

That was all I could think about when I thought about a cricket that could get a couple of feet in the air. I bet they keep you awake at night, 108 db cricket chirps.

John

[thenewkid64]

Peter,

Will the hardware cloth you are using stop an Armidillo? They are notorious for leaping a couple feet inthe air just as you get to them. Hitting one at 50-60 MPH is like hitting a bowling ball

[Edie]

John...driving in a field in Texas, the crickets jump OVER the top of the trucks. They are about 4" - 6" long. NO LIE!!

And Brett is speaking from personal experience on those armadillos. In fact, that was in Texas, too. Hmmm...

[74Argosy24MH]

So do you go for distance records? I don't know about hitting one with a decent car or mh, but and old beater and it sounds like it might be a Texas sport.

HD and ACO are where I looked. We had a really decent local hardware until about a year after HD opened, they would have had it.

John

[74Argosy24MH]

6" crickets and they would take the radiator out, you might need some reinforcement. I guess these aren't like their yankee cousins that hide under rocks most of their lives.

John

[PeterH-350LE]

just barely missed this one

[Edie]

John, you should NEVER give a southern girl a straight line like that about yankees. Especially if she's married to one! You're gonna get me in all kinds of trouble, and I don't need any help with that.

I mostly remember the crickets bouncing off of the windshield, and having to use the windshield wipers to get the rest of them off.

The crickets out there are so bad, that both of my Texas sisters keep flocks of guineas to eat the crickets. Guineas are a lot louder than crickets, and their, um...droppings are a lot bigger. But on the good side they don't eat every plant in site. They think it's worth the trade-off.

[74Argosy24MH]

Yankee crickets, Yankee crickets. Southern girls are always in trouble anyways.

The worse thing on the windshields around here are the fishflys and that is only a few days. And they won't take the windshield out.

I've had guineas, but the Texas ones must be bigger too, because these never got big enough to tackle a cricket that big. They would have to sit up in the trees and be quiet or be lunch. I don't want to think about your armadillos.

John

[59toaster]

We have Lovebugs in South GA and AL. Get running down between Cotton feilds for an hour and you come out the other end with the front of the vehicle black.

Looks like another project for our southern trips!
Thanks for the Tips Peter.

[Edie]

We get the lovebugs here in Florida, too. Why do dead lovebugs smell like fish? Can anybody answer that one for me?

[thenewkid64]

We get the love bugs here too..........

I was working on one of my cars the other day and saw a number of them flitting around the front bumper. I thought it was sweet, they were picking out their final resting places ahead of time.

The screen is a good idea, the lovebugs will eat your paint

[Edie]

I NEVER saw a lovebug snacking on my paint. Now if you leave a dead lovebug on your paint, the paint will be etched permanently. But that's not the same as eating. Since they are in FL, GA and AL I'd expect the lovebugs would be more apt to eat Moonpies with RC Cola.

[ALANSD]

I mounted a similiar cloth behind the grill ahead of the radiator, used those same black tie locks.
Caught a lot of bugs on my last trip, and a new Volkswagen Beetle.