Basically what do you guys do to your trucks to prep them for winter? I get my snowie tires put on my stock rims and get some sandbags and thats going to be about it for this winter...
-Kirin

 

Winter? Whats that?

 

I'm one of these people that loves to hate winter. I seem to thrive on disaster so when they say the "Storm of The Century" is coming, I am elated. Then when I have to drive to work, I get pissed off... not at having to drive, but at everyone else on the road who is incapable.


SAND BAGS! Those "Tube Sand" things are great, I always keep 4 or 5 of them in the garage. When there is ice/snow in the forcast, I put them in the bed of the truck. These are much safer than cinder blocks that some people like to use, Never put any of the weight further back than the rear axle. Lots of people are lazy and put it against the tailgate. BAD. This just adds momentum if you start to spin and cantalievers weight off the front wheels.

Gather an ice scraper, big snow brush, and a can of that spray deicer. Keep it in the box behind the seat or something. Don't be an ***. Brush the snow offf the roof, cover, and hood of your truck so it isn't blowing on the cars behind you.

I keep a very small tarp around and put it over the windshield if I have to leave the truck outside while it is snowing. I close the doors on it to hold it in place.

Windshield wipers! Even if they don't need to be replaced, replace them and buy some spares. They will get trashed. I've never found the "winter blades" to really be much better than normal ones in anything but ice storms. Deicer is your friend.

Washer fluid with deicer. Don't be cheap and put the generic blue crap in there. Get the good stuff with deicer in it. You'll appriciate it.

Look at your tires. DO they suck?? Are you using the wear bars for added traction? Now would be a good time to replace at least two of them if you want to break up the costs. Look at tirerack.com's customer reviews of winter traction. (Hint: Dunlop Radial Rover or Mud Rover :) )

If you've never changed the tranfer case or diff oil in a few years, do it. Nothing is worse than your 4wd crapping out in a blizzard.

While your in a nice warm garage, check all your lights. Headlights, taill lights, signals, parking lights, brake lights, license plate lights, etc etc. Change them now while your not freezing your *** off. Do you want to change light bulb when it s -3 with a 40mph wind?

 

Thank you for coming to FireRanger's "Winter Warm-Up" Seminar, todays message was brought to you by the generous people at Dunlop, Where we belive the smell of hot rubber and the crunch of asphalt beneath beefy wheels are two of life's finest experiences.



I have 4 bags of sand waiting to go, Ice scraper, new kicks, and the DeIcer stuff. I need to refill my washer fluid (don't buy the crap with rain-x in it!), oh, and if needed, a Libby with 4wd that can climb mountains of snow (of course, I don't know how though )

 

get it got it DONE!

 

Well FireRanger covered most of them, but I will add two......Block heater and heated wiper blades.

 

we have no winter down here....

 

same here.

 

What he said...

 

this will be my first winter in my truck.. last winter i survived in a little dodge neon, so.. im actually looking forward to this winter!

 

yeah, removing the 17s and stuffing in some stock edge wheels, ill post pics later, but im sure ill be tucking tire with my 5inch drop...

thats about it,

oh, and ive had my truck for over 3 years now and still havent needed sand bags in the winter, and dont plan to get them for this year either

 

I don't think your 4 banger would pull the extra load of a sandbag :D

 

Even a 2WD Ranger is pretty good in the snow if it's raised like and Edge and has decent tires. I do the sandbag thing also.

 

i usually go over all the zerk fittings and hit them with some grease, check the trans-case fluid, diff fluid, trans fluid, get new wiper blades. also make sure ur 4wd is working fine and check the tie rod ends, steering linkages, CV boots, u-joints, half shafts, wheel bearings and keep at least 1/2 tank of fuel in ur vehicle at all times. i got some new meats to so im set. also its time to dig out ur snow brush/scraper, emergecy shovel, tow strap (to tug the unfortante people who cant drive in the snow out of the ditches), first aid kit/survival bag. i keep everything but the shovel behind the seat although i usually just brush all the snow off my truck and, drop it into 4x4 hi and it'll walk right out all but the deepest snow...had snow up to the bottem of my doors last year and she walked out with a little throttle. all i shoveled was a path to get the door open after the plow plowed me in...sorry to brag but i love the snow if u couldnt tell

 

I toss 2 (60#)sandbags in the back. they are close to the tailgate. I'm not worried about them adding momentum to a spinout. I just stuff them behind a board jammed into the slot of my bedliner. Plants the rear tires abit.
I'm also going to snag some "winter" anco wiper blades. They dont freeze up overnight and actually hit the window if i need them too.

Mud tires are better for very deep.. or virgin untouched medium deep(6" or so)
All terrain are much better on packed or light snow 4" less
Thats generic though. There are aggressive a/t like the cooper s/t
and then you have tires like the good4ayr rt/s thats more "mall terrain"


Rand

 

"Walks out side.......admires truck.....walks back in" Thinks to self..."Yup shes ready for winter" :)

 

:D

 

Lol I hate you guys that don't know what winter is.
Where I live the majority of the time it never snows but if it does watch out for chaos because everybody with an SUV doesn't know how to drive in the snow. I do quite a few trips up into the mountains though and well the highway I traverse has been known to be shut down in severe snowstorms....
-Kirin

 

My winter consist of wet roads, thats it...

I love me some wet roads...

 

not hurricane season :D

 

i flip the climate control to heat and turn the temp up. oh...and i only go to the car wash on nice days.

 

Gary bite me :butthead:

 

Actually, I think sandbags are more important for the lighter 4-bangers and 2WD trucks than it is for the bigger Rangers. I had an XL Sport for years. It was hell on earth w/o those bags. The last winter I had it even 4x 60 lbs. bags weren't enough! This is part of what prompted me to swap up for a 4x4.

This is my 1st 4x4 truck. All of my friends that drive 4x4s NEVER put weight in the bed for winter. One guy laughed at me when I said I had (I did last winter). I'm toying w/ the idea of skipping it this year. .. Ya'll can say 'I told you so!' if and when I wrap it around a telephone pole..

That being said, yes, 4x4 is the greatest thing on earth when it comes to avoiding shovels. My apartment building offers below ground garage parking for a small monthly fee. I go for it year round because of the bike and because it is an assigned spot rather than the free-for-all on the surface lot. In the winter if they're predicting a big storm and my GF is staying over I have her park in my spot and I back the truck into a spot topside. It is wonderful to just punch it and let someone else shovel the snow!

 

never used sand bags in the *** end...sometimes ill shovel some snow in the bed if its really deep but it doesnt matter. ah the joys of a fullsize =D

cant wait to test the ranger this winter...even though it has the shitty goodyear tires...

 

The closer to the tailgate the sandbags are, he more weight they put on the rear tires. I've been driving for 45 years and have lived in Minn., Vt., and Mont. all my life and have always put the sandbags right in front of the tailgate. They have never caused me to spin out or swap ends. A spinout or end swap is caused by poor driving under the conditions, or by poor tires, or by inadequate weight in the rear, or by 2 or all of those things. The idea that spinout and endswapping is caused by weight right in front of the tailgate is a myth based on a theory by people who have not driven a lot on ice and hardpacked snow with the sandbags in that spot or by people who have, but don't know how to drive on ice and hardpacked snow and blame their problems on the sandbags being in front of the tailgate. The more weight on the rear tires, the less likelihood of spinout anyway. Cut a 2x4 so its 2" less in length than the inside width of the box and put the 2x4 behind the wheel wells and the sandbags won't slide forward, because the 2x4 will stop them. For a Ranger, 200-250 lbs of snow bags is sufficient.

I carry a shovel, short scraper, long scraper-brush, 2 space blankets, an acrylic/wool blanket, heavy warm gloves, a heavy stocking cap, a heavy jacket (in addition to whatever jacket I'm wearing, jumper cables, tow strap, and a bottle of gas line de-icer.