>>> WINTER TIPS TECHNIQUES AND ADVICE <<<

[funnyman06]

I just have a few sand bags in my truck, new glow plugs and Rain-X de-ice. My truck has BFG AT and i have had very few troubles in the snow / ice we have here. O i also grabbed some cardboard and put it behind my grill covering half my Rad and the truck warms up quick now. Plus it runs about 10F warmer on the freeway.

 

[towcat]

Huh?
Travis..

I was wondering when someone was going to ask the question.
It's a cabin warmer from hell.

 

[Popeye2347]

About all I can add is when I plug in the block heater I am always concerned I will drive off without disconnecting the cord, so I always loop some of the cord over the driver's mirror.

I have also found that raising my upper radiator hose [water] temp to around 150F that my fuel mileage has increased! I had to replace the thermostat and block some of the radiator to get the temp up, but it was worth it for another 3-4 MPG. Always wondered why the fuel mileage was worse in the cold weather, and now I think I know why!

Also, don't forget the best safety device to use, especially in cold weather, the 'ol gray matter between your ears!

 

[kpj]

I was wondering when someone was going to ask the question.
It's a cabin warmer from hell.

And in my case it's just a engine preheater, since i never hooked the wires to the blower motor. Now it heats the engine faster when it isn't blowing heat to the cabin...

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

WARMER ENGINE and BETTER QUICKER HEAT

Although I haven't read much reference to it here, a lot of the Dodge/Cummins guys that live in the cooler regions will completely remove the fan/clutch assembly when winter sets in and run fan-less until spring-time.

I haven't yet tried it myself, as I do have occassion to haul really heavy, but I have no doubt that it would work out fine for a non-towing engine in any climate that stays below around 40* .


I do have a custom-cut piece of slick-coated heavy card-board that I slide between the brush-guard and grille whenever it gets below around 15*.

I even have a genuine snap-on winter-front, complete with center zipper flaps, that even has the blue oval emblem on it.

It has been laying on a shelf in my shop for probably twenty years and I can't never think to screw the snaps on the truck so that I can use it; when it is warm and nice enough outside to do such a job, I never think of it; and, when it is wicked cold, I put it off again.

 

[gatorman21218]

I have also found that raising my upper radiator hose [water] temp to around 150F that my fuel mileage has increased! I had to replace the thermostat and block some of the radiator to get the temp up, but it was worth it for another 3-4 MPG. Always wondered why the fuel mileage was worse in the cold weather, and now I think I know why!

Maybe that too but its all the junk they put in winterized diesel. My buddy from work who used to run trucks used to seriously consider getting a 10000 gallon tank of fuel in august and using it during the winter cuz he lost 1-2 mpg with the stuff.

I'm thisclose from getting a spare axle. we got potholes that rival mineshafts in depth and circumference here in richmond

 

[f-two-fiddy]

Dude, You haven't seen a pot hole until You've been up here when the frost goes out.

I'm NOT kidding, They lose cars in them!

That thousand gallons of fuel will do Him NO GOOD when it's as thick as molasses

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

IS SHE STILL PLUGGED IN ???

A common situation where extension-cords and people traffic and dogs---especially dogs---big old clumsy dogs with long tails---co-exist is the possibility that the cord that your truck is plugged to can get knocked loose.


Another common problem, especially in rural areas, is the electricity can go off for hours at a time while one may be away at work or wherever.

If this power outage goes un-noticed, or one forgets to re-set the time on the block-heater timer, then the block-heater will not turn ON when expected.


To help alert one to this situation, a PILOT-LIGHT can be devised that will be ON at the same time that the block-heater is ON.

The cut off "male" end of a length of 12-AWG extension-cord is wired into a common house duplex wall-plug that is mounted in an exterior outlet box.

This outlet box is permanently secured on the truck somewhere that is easily reached by the block-heater cord.

The block-heater cord is then plugged and zip-tied into one of the duplex outlets; the zip-ties are to prevent the plug coming loose un-noticed.

The 12-AWG cord will from now onward be your block-heater cord; the one you plug in at night.

It need not be limited to only hanging under the front bumper; you can route it to the most convenient location, which may very well be the rear bumper; a lot of the newer big trucks have the block-heater plug adjacent to the driver-door.


Now, we are ready to mount our pilot-light.

Choose a 110-volt light; this can be a simple LED bed-room nite-lite, a 300-watt flood-light, or a string of flashing Christmas-tree lights---I like the ones that make the little bubbles in a tube of colored liquid ; anything that will light up and be visible will suffice.

Plug this pilot-light into the remaining outlet on the weather-proof box previously secured to the truck.

You want this pilot-light to be easily visible from the bed-room window, so locate it on the truck accordingly.

Now, when the timer clicks ON, both the block-heater and the pilot-light will turn ON; you can peek out the window and be assured that all is well.

 

[burtcheca]

Helping your batteries cope with low temperatures.

The batteries of my '86 E350 are surrounded by insulated jackets that can be energized also with 120v to keep them warm. Inside the van I have a heavy duty charger system hook up to a charge equalizer unit that keeps both batteries in peak performance. This van was prepared to handle very low temperatures. All these three systems and the block heater are wired to a special outlet on the side where I just have to plug a power cord. I can also select which one to switch on or off. The timer idea is good, a digital one does not have the problem with the hour when power goes off. Next year I'm planning to add solar panels on the roof to produce some of the electricity I need when camping and also extra batteries w/ an inverter so we don't have to suffer the generator noise all the time.

 

[SparkandFire]

I live in Florida, it's really amazing to me see how many problems you guys have in the winter. To start the diesel engines is just one of many I hear. To put the block heater some hours before leaving in the morning, ice and snow all over, freezing everything up. Thick oil ,fuel gelling. Poor visibility in snow storms, ice in the road, and dangerous conditions in general. I would like to send some of our neighbors to spend a week in the middle of the winter to some of your places so they will not complain anymore about bugs and mud in the dirt roads here.
You guys are really tough. My hat off to you all.
Burt.

My thoughts exactly! I would love for my wife to spend just 1 week in the upper north! God, it gets below 55 deg.F and she's ready to roll over and die!

 

[SparkandFire]

The batteries of my '86 E350 are surrounded by insulated jackets that can be energized also with 120v to keep them warm. Inside the van I have a heavy duty charger system hook up to a charge equalizer unit that keeps both batteries in peak performance. This van was prepared to handle very low temperatures. All these three systems and the block heater are wired to a special outlet on the side where I just have to plug a power cord. I can also select which one to switch on or off. The timer idea is good, a digital one does not have the problem with the hour when power goes off. Next year I'm planning to add solar panels on the roof to produce some of the electricity I need when camping and also extra batteries w/ an inverter so we don't have to suffer the generator noise all the time.

Man, I would hate to pay your electric bill!!
Plugging that thing in would no doubt make the disc in your kilowatthour meter hit terminal velocity!

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

The rain-x orange winter washer fluid works great. I've hat it in -30 and no freeze up. You can splash it on an icy windshield and it will eat the stuff away.

Thanks for the testimonial; I had been meaning to give that stuff a try, but it isn't always available in the stores we frequent.

The batteries of my '86 E350 are surrounded by insulated jackets that can be energized also with 120v to keep them warm.

J.C.Whitney or somesuch used to have insulated battery-boxes that were heated; they may still have them, but I haven't seen them in a long time.


Way back in old timey days, before I had intelligent minds from all over the world to give me guidance, and the only education I had was from the school of ignorance and hard knocks, and vehicles only had one little bitty battery, many times I have brung the battery inside and parked it against the wall behind the wood stove for the night; it made the difference in whether I stayed at home all day or got to go to work for minimum wage.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

BALLAST >>> WEIGHT HER DOWN

First, if you are not a live-stock person yourself, find someone that is and ask them for as many feed-sacks as they will spare; if you are feeding a few horses or an old milk-cow, these will accumulate quicker than rats in a corn-crib, and most people will give them for the asking.

Now, using the jig-saw, cut the bottom out of that five-gallon bucket that has the split in it, or a good one if you don't have a bad one.

Equipped with your bunch of feed-sacks, as many piggin'-strings as sacks, the now bottom-less bucket, and preferably a square-cornered shovel, along with a willing assistant of amiable temperament and not prone to going off in a huff, head to the big pile of #8 stone at the local quarry.

Lacking a decent quarry, the nearest sand-pile will serve in a pinch.


Slip the open end of a feed-sack over the bottom end of the bottom-less bucket.

Have your assistant hold the bucket/sack assembly in a position convenient to the shoveling.

Shovel about fifty pounds of #8s through the open-ended bucket and into the feed-sack.

Crushed stone being about twice as dense as sweet-feed, fifty pounds of #8s will be about half full for a standard fifty-pound feed-sack; about a quarter full for a hundred-pound sack.

Once you have got the fifty pounds in the sack, secure the top with one of the piggin'-strings, using a standard "mill"-knot.

Continue filling the sacks until all have around fifty pounds of stone in them.

Five-hundred pounds of ballast is a bare minimum, with at least a ton being ideal; more is better.

Spread the sacks of stone evenly across the rear portion of the truck-bed; the farther back, the better, as being farther aft exerts the most leverage, thereby transferring the most advantage to the drive-axle.


The #8 stone is preferable to common sand, as sand is oft-times salt-laden, soaks up much moisture, holding the dampness against the metal of the truck, thereby promoting oxidation of the metal, besides being just plain old wet and nasty.

The stone, on the other hand, will not hold moisture, and will dry through and through as soon as the rain/snow stops.

The #8 stone will also provide more traction advantage, should you have cause to dump a sack or two in front of the wheels.

Being kept at fifty-pounds the sack, it is a small matter to off-load the stone ballast, should the need to haul something equally heavy arise, and then, reload it once the hauling task is accomplished.

Stacked on a pallet and covered over with a tarpaulin, or under the shed, the sacks of stone will serve their purpose for many winters yet to come.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

GET A BETTER GRIP

For the rest of the year, I keep all our tires inflated at 80-PSI.

When the snow, and more likely freezing rain, starts to fly around here, I air down the rears to around 30-PSI and the fronts at 40-PSI, thereby LENGTHENING the track.

I leave any truck that is likely to have a gooseneck behind at full pressure; heavy is heavy regardless of road conditions.

Dropping the air-pressure thus dramatically improves slick road traction.

 

[88beast]

i use lucas all year havnt froze in 3 winters
i got true mudders that can be studded but yet ahve not found the need going through 24 inches for fun in 4 low
i keep all spare parts and tools in the tool box except the scraper the scraper will clean off the box if needed
i got chains too
i use them when its too slipery for 2wd (rarely) and i got to go to fast for 4 low