How Do Business-Minded Truckers Save Money?

Summerizing and winterizing all motor vehicles should really be routine for many owners, but also for Class 8 trucks is merely smart business. An excellent business plan includes good preventative maintenance. Downtimes last days or weeks at a time with costly problems that has been avoided with a plan. Further, catastrophic failures demoralize and are difficult to overcome. Preventative maintenance not merely avoids catastrophic failures, but extends the life of the truck (or car, or tractor, or chainsaw, or lawnmower, etc).

Regular oil changes and chassis greasing would be the cornerstones of good maintenance. Using synthetic oils alongside low-micron bypass filters like Gulf Coast, Black Gold, or Harvard gets a million miles on Class 8 engines with half the oil changes. Make sure to get regular oil analysis made available from oil and lube shops.

For general, heavy duty work, the new synthetic 15W-40 oil is okay for running the majority of the U.S. Colder regions like top of the United States and Canada might warrant a 10W-30. For engines left out in below-zero temperatures, look at the synthetic 5W-40. Synthetic oil covers quicker, more evenly, and more thoroughly with the short start-ups on the newer models of big trucks. Plus man-made oils give definitely better year-round protection compared to old mineral-based oils.

Secondly, water/glycol ratio in antifreeze should really be 60/40 for extreme winter, not the usual 50/50 as in the summertime. Water is area of the cooling system, but it will cause scaling. Plus, water gets stuck in the cylinder linings of the engine and implodes causing pitting. These microscopic implosions create holes in cylinder liners eventually. You can find three ways to deal with this problem.

Special supplemental coolant additives (SCAs) are used to coat and protect the liners. Check the labels. Secondly, organic acid long-life coolants do not want SCAs and are often best for five years and longer with boosters. Thirdly, there are water-free coolants like the ones made by Evans that not use water and have higher boiling points and lower freezing points. They are pricier than the other coolants, but avoid cylinder decay and liner pitting as there's no water to implode internally.

Thirdly, check radiator caps and thermostats. Every pound of pressure on a Mack Radiator  cap adds three degrees to a boiling point of coolant, so a fifteen pound cap will add forty-five degrees to the boiling point of your coolant. You will find counterfeits on those two items. Ask them to tested.

Engine fans need around fifty-five horsepower to cool a hot engine. Know this part is working properly. Engines fans eat fuel fast.

Keep strong batteries for cold starts. Nothing is more demoralizing on a cool winter morning than the usual car or truck that won't start. Double-check fan belts and belt tensioners. Carry extra of each. It is a straightforward repair when parts are on submit the midst of nowhere. If the belts are even glazed inside, replace them. Loose belts cause alternator drag and lowers output. Glazed belts ensure it is appear to be the alternator or batteries have to be changed rather than the cheaper exchange of belts.

Use shrink-tube over all your wiring and spray vinyl over open connections as winter salt, dirt, and chemicals will be the archenemy of one's electrical system. Damaged wire causes short circuits and mysteriously, no charging power.