I'm not sure how widespread this mod is, or who originally came up with it, but several Nor'easters coaches have it. @Richard RV might know. For your consideration:
My coach came with a cow catcher / roo bar / bull bar to protect the radiator
- Thread starter Christo
- Start date
It's a wrecker bar. For before wheel lift wreckers were developed. Kept from crushing the radiator.
There's instructions and diagrams in the manuals for the same put together from blocks and chains.
There's instructions and diagrams in the manuals for the same put together from blocks and chains.
That modification has been around for decades, no idea who started it, but I imagine that it was sometime in the 1980s.
Back in the day when front wheel lift and rollback towing were not common, and tows were done by attaching chains to the front crossmember, the manual detailed the 4x4 wood cribbing to be used to protect the bottom of the radiator and front bumper. The manual never explained where to keep the 4x4s in a GMC - the cross piece was ~4' long.
So someone came up with a permanently attached steel tube. Good idea.
I recently saw another interesting idea where someone added some plumbing to use the steel tube as a vacuum reservoir for backup braking...though I'm not sure how rust inside the tube would affect things.
My radiator was crushed by the tow truck boom 
. I can see why you'd want to add this modification
. I can see why you'd want to add this modification
My radiator was crushed by the tow truck boom
It is an air scoop to increase the air flow to engine water cooling radiator and the added air doesn't have to go through the grill. The new scoop air seems to bypass the air conditioning condensing coil above, so it may also be compensating for the increased air conditioning rejection heat.
This scoop is pretty robust, privets the radiator and add air flow to the radiator.
Many variations on an air scoop for the radiator - a very different animal than what Christo posted and Kelpies' crushed radiator lamentation.
It is an air scoop to increase the air flow to engine water cooling radiator and the added air doesn't have to go through the grill. The new scoop air seems to bypass the air conditioning condensing coil above, so it may also be compensating for the increased air conditioning rejection heat.
This scoop is pretty robust, privets the radiator and add air flow to the radiator.
The lower part of the radiator is vulnerable to road debris bouncing up and radiator scoops increase that vulnerability. It's a good idea to add some wire mesh to block projectiles from punching a hole in the radiator.
