Diesel TV Experience in the Arctic Vortex!
Ten days ago, we got a bad phone call here in sunny Arizona that my DW's sister was in the Ohio State University Medical Center ICU with a list of very serious health issues. So, after discussing the situation, we decided the best course of action was to drive from Arizona to Ohio in order to support the family. Her sister is still very sick and in the hospital, but is stable and no longer critical. We made the drive home, and safely arrived today.
We drove the 2013 F350 diesel TV for the trip because it has 4WD that we could use in ice and snow. Thank God we had the traction. I'm a native of Southern California and Arizona and have very little experience driving in winter weather.
When we hit Indiana, the wind was howling, and the snow started blowing across the fields and drifting onto the highway. The temperatures were in the teens, and the roads quickly became very slick. We saw many vehicles that slid off the roadway, but the Ford kept a nice solid track. By the time we got to the Ohio border, we were in white out conditions, but fortunately, we were able to find a place for the night.
Now mind you, the temperatures here in Tucson have been running around 70-80 degrees for the last six weeks. Last week in Ohio, it kept getting colder and colder. By Tuesday, it was -14F! The wind chill varied from -25 to -30. My truck does NOT have a block heater, and I was worried that the fuel would gel up and it wouldn't run. On Tuesday morning, I left the relative warmth of the hotel room and took the painful 50 yard walk to the truck. I put the key in the ignition, turned it on, and waited about 8-10 seconds for the glow plug light to extinguish. The truck fired right up and ran great. I'd treated the fuel the night before with some cetane booster and anti gel formula.
I wish it had a block heater, and there would have been a place to plug it in. It took quite a while for the temperature to rise enough to get some heat from the heater. It's okay though, I'm sure the skin grafts will heal from where my hind end was frozen to the leather seat...
We drove the 2013 F350 diesel TV for the trip because it has 4WD that we could use in ice and snow. Thank God we had the traction. I'm a native of Southern California and Arizona and have very little experience driving in winter weather.
When we hit Indiana, the wind was howling, and the snow started blowing across the fields and drifting onto the highway. The temperatures were in the teens, and the roads quickly became very slick. We saw many vehicles that slid off the roadway, but the Ford kept a nice solid track. By the time we got to the Ohio border, we were in white out conditions, but fortunately, we were able to find a place for the night.
Now mind you, the temperatures here in Tucson have been running around 70-80 degrees for the last six weeks. Last week in Ohio, it kept getting colder and colder. By Tuesday, it was -14F! The wind chill varied from -25 to -30. My truck does NOT have a block heater, and I was worried that the fuel would gel up and it wouldn't run. On Tuesday morning, I left the relative warmth of the hotel room and took the painful 50 yard walk to the truck. I put the key in the ignition, turned it on, and waited about 8-10 seconds for the glow plug light to extinguish. The truck fired right up and ran great. I'd treated the fuel the night before with some cetane booster and anti gel formula.
I wish it had a block heater, and there would have been a place to plug it in. It took quite a while for the temperature to rise enough to get some heat from the heater. It's okay though, I'm sure the skin grafts will heal from where my hind end was frozen to the leather seat...
