Weather survival
 

This time, let's not talk about surviving "DRIVING" in bad weather. Instead, let's talk about surviving a "BREAK-DOWN" in COLD weather.

Temperature drops down to -27, fuel gels up, engine stops... Or, you blow a turbo, and there is not enough oil in the engine to idle for 4 or 5 hours, with the way it pumps out the exhaust and into the intake... A fuel line ruptures or snaps off, engine dies....

Your mission.... SURVIVE...

The best cure is prevention. There are fuel additives that do work. (otherwise, the Canadians would not be running the "ICE ROADS" in winter.) Not all that many years ago, my brother was running across NE, with a cold, northwest wind blowing about 40 mph. The fuel gauge was in the right tank, and that's the one that went solid. He was thinking he was gietting some fantastic fuel economy until the left tank went empty. When the engine died, he was sitting on the side of the road, and getting colder and colder, until help finally got there. (I've waited 6 hours for a service truck to come out once.) I've also known of at least one driver that was stuck in the snow for 3 days. It's been a number of years, but I remember arial pictures on the news, of truck in MT and WY... Only the tops were visible. Drifts of snow were nearly 13 feet high in some places.

An electric bunk heater (like an electric blanket) under the sheet is not too bad, but how long will your battery last. And, a discharged battery may freeze and crack, leaving you with no way to crank it back up after the help arrives.

Both Petro and T/A sell little butane stoves for cooking, but in a closed space, the fumes can be lethal.

Break-downs do happen, and they don't care if it's a seasoned driver or a new one with less then a year of experience. Let's use this thread to spread ideas around for the new people, and let them know of a number of good things for prevention and survival in the event the truck shuts down.

A couple of bottles of "MELT-DOWN" were always a must for me when the mercury started to drop, like it is now. A bottle in each tank, if I needed it, (at the first sign of sputtering in the engine), and I was on my way again in short order.

Besides food items, I would get a decent tent, and have a crowbar and an axe for tearing up the trailer floor for firewood. I would pack a couple sets of thermal underwear and invest in good winter gear, jumpsuit,skimask,gloves,etc., all Carhartt, they make good, warm winter clothing.

Actually, a very good investment would be a GOOD SLEEPING BAG. Something like a Coleman, good for -30 degrees. If you have to, you can climb into that, and keep from getting frostbite. Stay inside your truck as that will reduce the effect of the wind.

I experimented with something a few minutes ago. I have one of the little butane stoves. I opened the sleeper vents, and allowed a breeze to blow through. Then, I lit the stove inside the truck (so nothing else could catch fire) and heated water hot enough to make coffee. Didn't have the stove going very long, and it did keep heat in here, but the coffee is hot enough it's going to take a while to cool down enough to drink it. If you have a way to make warm liquids, even with melted snow, it will go a long way toward your survival.

Excellent post:clap::thumbsup:

Very good post, Windwalker.
Our winters around here are very mild. We get some of that white stuff every once in a while. Believe it or not, it can get slick sometimes.
Of course, I carry my coat with me. I have a pair of coveralls that I bought several years ago in South Dakota when I used to go on harvest. They are the heaviest things I've ever worn, but man they are warm! (I wished they sold heavier coveralls around here) I take my coveralls with me in the winter, just in case of the very same things you stated. I run out in north west Texas. There aint nothing out there but barb wire fences, and the last thing I want is a break down with nothing to bundle up in.

What would be a likely flashpoint for diesel in extremely cold temperatures?

Would a good sized can of lighter fluid be enough to get the tandems going?

With the tandems ablaze, how much time do you think you'd have before you'd have to abandon the tractor?

I'm thinking a nighttime blaze or the daytime smoke would be enough to attract a response.

Windy..this is what I carry in my truck in winter...

For me:

Water, dry foodstuffs, extra clothing, long underwear...the one piece kind, they are warmer, thermal socks, and extra coat, arctic mitts, scarf, toque, thermal vest.

For my truck:

Emergency fuel conditioner, regular fuel conditioner, air brake antifreeze..I keep this in an old dish soap bottle...amazing how well it works, extra air lines, extra light cord, 10 lb sledge hammer, complete set of air line parts...had too many freeze & shatter over the years. Also air line extenders..these are simply a piece if air line, about a foot long, with a glad hand on each end, socket set, wrench set, a small propane torch, wooden matches, a tow sling..in the far north NOBODY leaves anyone stranded. There's probably more, but can't think anything else right now.

Also, if you keep a metal coffee can with a candle it will keep the truck above freezing and the risk of CO poisoning will be greatly reduced.

Add-on to Windie's post, if the snow drifts are higher than the cab, that's a good insulator for the truck just like an igloo.

Def. get a good cold weather sleeping bag for the winter and plenty of warm clothes. That truck cab will get very cold, ice box like cold in the winter just like a car does.

After running in Alaska for many years got a few tips, some will work better for O/Os rather than company drivers.
Put a T in the fuel return line so you can feed warm fuel into both tanks. Most trucks come so it only goes to one.
At any hardware store get some plastic pipe insulation, dark gray and split down the side so you can slide it on without unhooking anything, and insulate the crossover line between tanks (the normal thing that stops up first so you are actually only feeding from one tank)
If you are stuck Duct Tape the door seal on the up wind side. Supprising how much cold air actually seeps in espeacialy when the rubber gets cold.
If you are stuck but running can cook canned things on the exaust manifold
If you don't have curtains, which should be closed, tape anything to the glass to form a barrier, old log books etc. :).
Go to any surplus store, or LL Bean, and get a few days worth of MREs. full meal with coffee, TP and heat tabs to heat water. Pork and Beans are best.
Like mentioned in an earlier post supprising how much heat a candle gives off.
Don't use propane or charcoal in the cab. Lost a good friend that way.
Carry water. Lot of people say melt snow but a 5 gal. pail of snow will only give you about 1/2 of water in the bottom.
AND most of all Don't Eat Yellow Snow :) :) :)

Thanks guys. New drivers, but also some of the more seasoned drivers also, can get caught unprepared and suffer for it. A little extra preparation and knowledge can save a live... Maybe more than one.

One driver I talked to in Canada, a number of years back, figured the only reason his Peterbuilt was still running was 3 pair of wool socks over the fuel filter, with a plastic back over that. I don't know what the temp was, but I think he and I were the only two trucks moving in the area. One of the guys I picked up and took to a truck stop only had a light jacket, t-shirt, and sweat-pants to keep him warm. He had been depending on the engine heat to keep him comfortable. When his fuel froze up, he was screwed.

The idea is... There's more to getting through the winter than just keeping it on the road. You don't have to lose control and go off the road to find yourself in a dire situation. Surviving a break-down that is not your fault is the other half.

You come up with anything more, keep on posting. I might learn something too... For example, I never thought of that CANDLE. But, with a stand and a screen on top of it, it could be used to heat up a can of soup, Dinty Moore Beef Stew, or something else too.