Over the years, Kawasaki Mules have developed a well-deserved reputation for being some of the most reliable and long-lasting UTVs in existence.
But they do suffer from some common issues and are not known for their off-roading ability, with many owners adding any number of the best Kawasaki Mule Pro FXT accessories to help enhance their capabilities.
One of the more commonly found issues with modern Kawasaki Mules, which tends to happen most frequently in the Mule Pro FXT model, is the tendency for excessive heat from the radiator to empty into the cabin area.
A Kawasaki Mule hood scoop will help to relieve this issue while also enhancing the appearance of your ride.
What Is A Hood Scoop?
A hood scoop is a mount, usually cut from heavy duty steel, that raises your hood panel around four to six inches off of the hood.
It secures to the hood of your Mule using mounting points and brackets that attach via the factory threaded holes where the hood panel normally fits. Your stock hood panel then fits on top of the hood scoop and attaches using turn latches.
The end result is generally a very natural looking, raised hood panel.
Mule Pro FXT Hood Scoop For A Cooler Ride
As alluded to above, many riders have expressed their displeasure with the issue of hot air routed from the radiator dispersing into their cabs. It can affect the entire cabin area, especially if you have a front and/or rear windshield installed, but mainly affects the legs and feet of the driver.
This occurs as the radiator vents out under the dash, which blows warm/hot air through the driver side footwell and directly onto the feet and legs. This can be incredibly uncomfortable, and even painful, on hotter days.
Installing a hood scoop on your Mule seems to be the best solution to dispersing this excessive heat. The hood scoop raises your hood panel, which then forces the outside air through your hood and into your cab.
This increased airflow helps offset the warm air from the radiator while keeping your legs and cab cooler. It is estimated that hood scoops reduce the heat issue by 80-90%.
Insert Included Block Panels For a Warmer Ride
Ready-made hood scoops also come with a block panel that serves to block and restrict the airflow created by the hood scoop should you actually desire the warm air from the radiator during colder months.
These block panels can be easily inserted and removed as you please so that you don’t need to uninstall/reinstall the entire hood scoop.
Attaching The Hood Scoop To Your Mule
You do not need to make any modifications to the body of our Mule to install a readymade hood scoop. You’ll simply need to remove your factory hood panel, as well as the outer two 10mm bolts on the backend of where the panel sits.
The hood scoop then fastens to the hood using a combination of brackets and the outer two factory threaded holes in back that you removed the bolts from, as well as the two factory threaded holes in front that originally held the hood panel in place.
The factory hood panel then lines back up with the factory tabs it normally fits into at the backend, and attaches to the hood scoop on the front end using turn latches or thumb screws. The entire installation is fairly simple, even for someone who would not consider themselves handy.
Finding A Hood Scoop
A simple online search will reveal multiple vendors offering different variations and designs of hood scoops, which are usually compatible with all of the Mule Pro models. These will typically range from $80 – $150 and include all of the necessary hardware to attach it to your Mule.
Dirt Road Customs is an aftermarket vendor who makes highly recommended custom hood scoops for Kawasaki Mules.
If you’re handy, you may also be able to rig one up yourself using some simple hardware supplies but the finished product will likely not look as natural as those readymade.
Conclusion
Hood scoops are an excellent way to offset the excessive heat issue that arises in some of the Kawasaki Mule Pro models. They not only increase air flow and cool you down, but many of the hood scoops you can buy readymade look great and make your Mule stand out. And the minimal investment may very well be worth it to ensure the added comfort for rides during warmer days.
