sbryan@vtbryans.com wrote:
Grit dog wrote:
Oh yeah, forgot. You need more than just a block heater to start the rig up after sitting for just one night in around the clock -30 or colder. Add an oil pan heater, trans pan heater and an onboard charger and sometimes electric battery blankets.
Even then if it sits for extended periods or through one good blow you'll need to just drag it indoors and thaw it out.
Modern diesels have little issue with starting at 30-40 below F. Fuel gelling isn't an issue because it is blended for these temperatures. DEF will freeze but there are heaters in the DEF lines to thaw it out. Our truck has started at 30 below after sitting for weeks without being used. Modern diesels (assuming they have one) are a lot less tempermental with respect to temperatures than in the "old days". As for all the other electronics - less said the better.
30 years in the military in all kinds of climates and you learn that anything is possible. Not always fun or pleasant, but possible.
I agree you can get a truck started at below -30. I've let my personal rigs sitting in those temps and yes new diesels start better than ever.
However until you've experienced (maybe you have, but upstate Vermont -30 is nothing like the Arctic) that kind of weather in the Arctic, you sort of can't understand.
Yes def tank and line heaters work, but sometimes they don't. And sometimes Frozen def just blows the end off an injector or explodes the tank if it's full.
I'm a fairly hearty person and spending an Arctic winter in a mini size truck camper is just a ridiculous notion.
Just to be clear NOONE had a camper on the north slope in the winter. There are heated camps where you roll over and your arm sticks to the frozen wall!
Sunlight is an amazing thing even when it's real cold out. There's 2 months where the sun never comes up! Even up there, -30 in January is much colder than -30 in March at noon!
