Run the truck all night in negative temps or plug it in?

Thank goodness I don't go anywhere that's that cold, but I am curious about this if anyone could answer this.

I myself would think that if I was working in those kinds of temperatures that I would probably run extra batteries like maybe two or so maybe three even.

The reason I say that is because if your fuel is treated and your block heater has been running for several hours I don't see any reason why the truck wouldn't start except that it's so bitter cold out that having extra cranking capacity would probably help, because the better spin that you get, the easier it's going to start.

So I'm just curious if anyone does that or if that is necessary. Myself the coldest it gets where I travel to is probably 0° or something like that and I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with my truck plugged in, it'll go right off instantly.

 

What happens if a breaker goes or someone unplugs the cord? Yes a block heater could keep the block warm but you’ll still be running the Wabasto and heating the cab if you’re in it and running down the batteries. Low batteries can freeze. To me it’s just way too risky to shut it off in the cold.

 

I was shutting off my trucks here in the -30 temps in ND.

We were running the in cab webasto heater to keep the cab warm, the engine webasto heater to heat the coolant 2 hours before we got there and we were plugging the trucks in.....let me tell you it was still a hard start for those girls.

Regardless, we 4 run yellow top batteries so no issues with starting the trucks or losing power.

 

We go through this every year, I went round and round with bosses on this very issue. You didn't say if you were sleeping in the truck, then for sure leave it run, however, 7-10 hours seems like a bit much if a plug in is available. Living in Wisconsin ( at the time) I idled trucks until the cows came home, for hours, and never really felt it did any damage. While an APU is a good alternative, the cost may not be doable, and in your area, probably not the best investment. Many areas prohibit idling anyway, so if you are not by a plug, and plan a layover for hours, an APU is your best bet.

 

That truck just got an in frame so she better start every morning, ha.

 

If air leaks causes the trailer breaks to set so what? Trailer breaks freeze because they are warm when the brakes are set letting the water freeze them shut. If you wait a few minutes to an hour the brakes have cooled down and any ice that may form will. Then when the brakes set from low air they won't ice over closed as they are already iced over (which happens no matter what you do.)

 

I am glad I have an APU with arctic pack,

 

You live in Florida too, big difference between where he's at in North Dakota.