How often should I start my truck?

If it’s a mechanical truck, they can sit for a month and still start up in -27°c weather. (Only if there is no power draw)

If it’s a electronic truck, I’d unplug the batteries as the electronics will trickle drain the batteries over time.

The last thing we need is frozen batteries because they were drained of charge. Often times the batteries are never 100% again after that happens.

Our cement trucks sit for winter. We take all the batteries out and bring them inside.

 

My Pete 379 will run once a month for the coldest 4 months of winter. We just turn off the battery switches and leave it. 24 hrs before it needs to run we plug in the block heater. No issues at all.

 

In all honesty, cold weather starts are hard on an engine. You're probably causing more harm in the long run by cold starting it once or twice a week. Never mind the aftertreatment system never getting up to proper temperature.

 

OP just park the truck. Fire up the APU 4 hours before you want to start the truck. You could disconnect the batteries to prevent a complete discharge and freezing of batteries or put a trickle charger on them.

 

Probably doesn't take that long for the block heater to get the engine as warm as it will get. (Probably not even 12). I try not to cold-cold start anything in the winter either.

 

That's what I do. My battery charger is "smart". So I just set it on 40amps and leave it. Once the batteries drop enough, it fires itself back up. I have a little Alpicool 12V cooler in there I leave running 24/7.

 

Sure are. Ever watch those idiotic utube vids of cold starts? Then they gun the engine and make it blow smoke. I know its for the views, but just STUPID.

 

I like the ones where they crank the engine over for like 3 seconds and then stop.

 

I started my truck today after being off for 10 days. I plugged in the block heater when the water temp hit 40'F I started it. Batteries were a bit weak.

 

Pull the batteries, take them to a warm place and put them in a trickle charger,