Winter maintenance and preperation check list

I'm learning a lot from everyone because I'm looking to go out for my own truck later. Every thing you all speak on we as truckers who dont know some of the trucks and trades should be listening and taking notes... I know I am. Thanks trucker brother

 

Get a pair of rubber like airlines. Not the nylon plastic like crap in bright colors like red and green etc. That cheap stuff snaps on you when you are coming round in a full jack seeking to dock or park in -35 or lower. Don't think it wont.

A few pairs of wheel chocks. Preferably enough for all 4 of your drives. There will be times you need to park with just the trailer brake engaged. Have a torch on hand in case you do freeze lock it back there. The last time I beat brakes loose with a ball peen hammer the truck got loose a little bit.

Vice grips that lock are good for airlines that wont hold air. Fold em over and lock it.

A good check light of sufficient beef to check anything on your rig in terms of adequate amps and volts. Don't be sticking litte cheap ones into big pigtail stuff that can fry it. A analog micrometer will accept and endure problems long enough to get a reading. Digital ones will nuke the chips inside rendering them brain dead in a hurry if you crossed a short and completed the circut.

A tool box big enough to handle everything bolted to your truck, if you are lucky. Really big bolts is a shop problem. Don't as a rule try to use impact guns. Most truck air systems wont drive one worth a #### and the batterys don't have the voltage beef long enough to get a bolt off much less back on.

New tires before first ice. New set of batteries before first ice. Call that pricey? Consider a few tows will be worth about that much for dead batteries and bald tires. I usually replace tires when the drives spin off on me when applying a smidgen of power for a turn on frost or ice. If you can walk on that ice, you can drive on it usually. Particularly the dirty gravel ice. Not the wet smooth break your ### on ice.

Expect the unexpected at any time. What seems to be going well aint if you wait a hour. Once we were in East OKC and 90 degree frontal thunderstorm mid December of 2000. By 20 minutes and central west OKC later on I-40 trucks had slid off into medians on pure ice that was being rained on. We took refuge on a hill until the sun rose enough to heat things above freezing again. Mr Drip off your mirror brackets tell you it's time to roll. It had gone from 90 and humid storm straight to 26 ice in 20 minutes flat or 8 miles even.

Listen to NOAA weather radio. A storm or blizzard warning 100 miles ahead or for later that night says you find a truckstop before you get to it, before it fills up after the fact. Change your appointment times and dates too when you pull in, cite the severe winter storm etc. No need to plow through three feet when you don't have to. (I can, but I don't bother anymore nothing short of war is that important)

 

Couple sets of these:

Fluid Line Clamp Set 4 Pc

One of these:

Van Alstine S-100 Heated Tire Siper

One or two of these:

Traction Magic Ice Management Agent

One of these:

https://www.moosejaw.com/product/black-diamond-lynx-shovel_10258924

One of these:

321 SteelGuard™ 20 Below Insulated Coverall from Aramark

Add those to your non-winter complement of tools and equipment, and you should be fine.

 

Oh God.

 

I like those fluid line clamps though. I might have to try an get some of those. Thanks

 

Why would you ever park with only the trailer brakes engaged? I park with only the truck brakes engaged all the time, but never only the trailer.

 

Food and water!!

Two or three years ago there was an accident on I-80 in Ohio that had the interstate completely shut down with nowhere to detour. I sat there parked for 8 hours on the highway before traffic finally started rolling again.

 

Make sure Heater works !