Extreme winter coming....for what I have planned

Absolutely. A lot of guys hate chaining, but if the road isn't closed I'll throw the iron. If you keep a chunk of wood, like a 4" x 4" post stock, you can put it in front of a drive tire and drive up onto it which will lift the wheel duals up into the air (off the ground). Then throw the chain, wrap it, sung it, put the rubbers on, and drive down off the wood. It makes the job much easier. Personally, I prefer to chain up on the mountain runs because it's much more stable, and I'm not sliding around at all.

 

iv thrown iron many times, the blocks of wood are good for singles witch are good on glare ice deep snow however 3 railers are the only way to go. hang your iron drive over them latch snug roll the truck around grab another link then bungie them down. after you have done it a few times you can throw a set of 3 railers and be back to trucking in about 15mins.

i wouldn't head out into -40 let alone -60 without a set of 3 railers hanging on my truck

of course i would hope someone that is planning to head into thoughts extreme of temps already knows how to throw iron otherwise they may want to re-think the plan altogether.

 

Service your air dryer, and put a new heating element in it. Personally I'd want tank heaters if I was going to be in that cold of weather for an extended period of time. And get some of those 'octopus' chain tensioners, they're better rubber than bungee and wouldn't be as brittle, and them suckers work awesomely!

 

Are you sure that's a word?

One thing I haven't seen mention of is fuel tank heaters, running in that cold of weather wouldn't they be a necessity?

 

iv never seen #1 fuel gell with no additives. if your going to try to run number 2 temps like that i think fuel heaters would be the only way to go. -40 a 50/50 blend will even keep ya from jelling with no fuel heater. a running truck heats the fuel tanks to start with fuel passes threw the warm head out the return line back into the fuel tanks, touch your fuel tanks after running all day they will be hot to the touch. with modern #2 fuel temps can be down to 0 without concern of jelling below that gelling becomes a concern. i normally run #2 down to around -20 then if its going to get colder than that i throw some #1 in or if im going to shut the truck off in temps below 0 ill put #1 in

carrying a spare set of fuel filters woulden't be a bad idea though i carry a spare set year round.

servicing your air dryer is a good tip as well. any time going into fall i check my air tanks for signs of water, any water even a drop and the air dryer gets serviced.

 

Yeah, well, see how you are? Catch one word I tried to slip through and miss some others!

This is true, EZ, but it does depend on the engine. These newer common rail engines don't return much fuel, and even if it's an older truck that does, once it starts getting down to those temps, the tanks don't stay very warm when you're rolling. I've run into -40 with treated #2, but below that I blend a bit to avoid getting a wax plug at one of the fittings or the filter. And like you said, if the truck is getting turned off, it gets a good dose of #1.

 

I did read your entire post, I guess when I read the word "awesomely" my mind went blank.

 

Make sure you have good winter tires that has rubber that's suited for cold weather.

 

I've never seen #1 gel either, where you're going they probably only have #1. Most of western Canada runs straight #1 in the winter. #1 is good to at least -40C/-40F before windchill.

Here's what I would do

1) Complete service of air dryer. New purge valve, dessiccant (make sure it's not a knockoff) and heater. Make sure your compressor isn't pumping oil.

2) Check freeze point on coolant, usually at those temps you need to run a 55/45 or 60/40 coolant/water ratio.

3) Make sure your webastos are working. Not for shutting the truck off, but rather for emergencies.

4) Have a winter rated sleeping bag

5) Carry lots of extra fuel filters. At least 4. Don't forget spare #1 to fill up the filters.

6) Lots of warm clothes.

7) Several days worth of emergency food.

8) Check battery connections and replace battery, alternator, and starter if there's any issues.

9) Carry diesel 911 and alcohol for air system

Honestly I've shut my truck off at -30C without issue. I've run an additive maybe once in 10 years and that was due to water. With the correct fuel it's simply not needed. I used to park with my truck unplugged at a shopping mall in Winnipeg, mb all the time over the weekend. Two hours of the espar engine heater and voila, perfect! I remember one night it was -37 and -52 with windchill. Obviously I wasn't in the truck then. It always fired up.

Generally brakes freezing and tires freezing to the ground is more prevalent at moderate temperatures. Once you get to the consistent -15C and colder it just doesn't happen unless there's moisture in the air system.

Belly tarps probably aren't needed, they're for guys that run in the ice roads and stuff, not for the highway.

 

Check your engine oil before starting the engine, making sure it is full when you check this. Then later check your oil level with the engine idling and hot. Make a mark on the dipstick, or remember that spot on your dipstick. This way you will know the full oil level with the engine running. Many Cat engines will have a running mark on the stick.