brake cooling question

[plott hound]

my old argo does not have a brake cooling system on it,so i was thinking i would build one.had a look at a bilge blower from a boat and thought that would work just dandy.would just have to make a little plenum for it and run two 2" pipes to the brakes.is this a good idea or is there another alternative?

thanks.

[Ozzy]

I use to work for a marina so I know exactly what you are talking about. I would think that would work. Just be sure it doesn't get to hot because the plastic casing could melt. My main concern would be it running constently. A blower motor is designed to run about 5-10 minutes proir to starting the boat to pull any fumes out of the engine compartment. I don't know if they were designed to run non-stop. But at the price of a blower you could try it & if you find out it doesn't last you are not out much. Another thing might be the cfm or amount of air the fan moves. I don't know what the Argo fan is rated for but I would try to find a blower with a similar rating. -ozzy

[Roger S]

I've had an argo squirell cage blower fan apart.. they spin in bushings and look just like a typical smaller boat blower. The argo fan might be a little better quality. Mine said 8 amp draw. I replaced it with a Rule brand blower, which is a propeller/fan in a tube type blower. It draws 4 amps. CFM is similar, except the squirell cage blower maintained pressure better in the stock argo air supply hose, which isn't smooth inside.. one of those spring wound and fabric wrapped flex hoses. I replaced it with a smooth aluminum flex hose (3" home ventilation) and the flow of the Rule was good. Attwood also makes one like the Rule, a 3" tube. Rule also makes a 4" tube fan, which is has a lot more CFM for just another amp or two.

[racerone3]

we have been using the bilge fans for brake cooling on race cars for years. they run 4-5 hours non stop in extreme heat and we rarely see a failure. if you use the atwood, or detmar blowers (the most common marine brands) put a dab of silicone where the wires connect to the fan motor as they are a crimp on blade terminal and sometimes fall off with vibration. also remove the screws that hold the motor into the plastic housing (1 at a time) and locktite them in. otherwise you should be good to go

[plott hound]

thanks guys,good to see great minds think alike.