What do I need to know.....

[f-two-fiddy]

Good Luck finding one up here. I've been scouring CL for years looking for one. Seems Mn's were not too keen on the little diesels???

I've been driving My B2000 (whats left of it) as a winter beater for over 10 years. I think last winter was about it. There's not much body left on it.

 

[jhnlennon]

Keep your truck off the road if you want it to stay clean. I have personally brought 2 vehicles back from Wyoming to Wisco and by the end of the 1st winter, you can already see the rust scale on the frames and underbody. That was also with completely coating the undersides of the vehicles with gear oil. ROAD SALT SUCKS and it will eat through anything you try to do to protect your vehicle. Also winter time up here is all hype. Rarely is there ever a blizzard anymore, whatever snow storms we get, the municipalities keep up on very well. Even up in the U.P. around the snow belt where 300 plus inches a year isnt uncommon, getting around is seldom a prob. Its the 21st century after all, cell phones work most everywhere now, and our highway depts. have huge budgets to waste, I mean spend....

 

[kas83]

Like everyone else has said, keeping it off the roads during the winter is the only way to keep it rust free around here. Wyoming and Colorado, you could run it year round, plenty of rust free trucks that have seen severe winter weather out there.

I bought a CTD down in Texas, absolutely rust free and cherry condition, drove it one time the whole winter, and that spring you could see rust. I washed the undercarriage two or three times before parking it in the shop, but the salt still got to it.

 

[RLDSL]

Eagan, Mn. Is a part of Minneapolis. I HIGHLY doubt You'll ever be stranded in a snow storm for more than 10 mins. Besides, the Weather ****'s on the local News Stations will give You plenty of lead time on ANY foul weather. They blow a 2" snow storm into a Major News Story.

10 years of diesel ownership, and NEVER a fuel gelling problem. It's a well known fact that it gets cold up here. The refineries have plenty of lead time to get the fuel mixed correctly. 4 Oz's per tank of Your favorite fuel additive and You'll be fne.

If Your concerned about rust. The only true way to prevent it is to park the vehicle around the end of November, and leave it until around the end of March.

I specifically said , out on the interstate. In town they are real good about keeping roads clear, but getting between cities can be a real adventure at times.

The fuel stations don't always get fuel treated well enough for conditions. I was at a station in northern Il 2 winters ago and the fuel was freezing in the pumps as folks, including me were trying to dispense it into their tanks and the pumps finally all locked up. I had howes already in the tank so what went in before the pump stopped was OK. I ran into similar situations many times in the past when I drove a big truck. You can't count on fuel being what it is supposed to be.

 

[Ottoparts]

Thanks again everybody