cold weather and the m35a2 what do i need?

[wyomingjeep]

I will be going to fairbanks Alaska in Aug and I was wondering what kind of heater would i need and where to find it? I figure i would need a block heater and oil pan heater. It gets -60 10 days out of the year i do not want to drive it while its that cold i just do not want a cracked block or anything like that. Does anybody have any experience with severe temps like this?

 

[DanMartin]

I would also add a battery heater to your list. Also anti-gel additives for the fuel and maybe an ether-start kit. Most of this is included in the artic kits you will see around from time-to-time. These also come with a hood blanket and radiator cover to keep the engine up to temp when out in the cold. I wouldn't be out in -60, but even at -10 the above would be good to have.

A luxury would be a fuel-fired heater to keep you comfortable. There are kits for them as well.

You might also consider different lubrication fluids for the drivetrain during the colder months.

For some inspiration on cold-hardening a deuce, look to the Canadian MLVW (their version of the M35). They did some great stuff to make them run well up there in the great white north.

 

[rosco]

You want 75/90 GL in all the gear boxes/rear ends. Steering too, or the equivellant. You can do that before you get here. I run it year round. Make it a point to seal up the air leaks - a pencil sized hole will cancel your heaters. Rocket tape is good around the windlows, etc. Naturally, you wnt good weather stripping. A couple of 750 watt freeze plug heaters will start it. I would not recommed anything but a can of starting fluid. Otherwise you get too much at a time, while starting. I believe in lots of heat to start it. Push the clutch in while cranking it - that minimizes the drag & it will spin faster. -60 is rare & you best be very prepared with all the cold gear, for safety. When that cold traveling, I always carry a 20# propane bottle, weed burner torch. You should have the alcahol snifter bottle on you compressor. in the "Old Days", the driver got one too. Ice in the air system is the most likely thing that will shut you down. Always carry some Power Service, or the equilivant pour point depressant, for you fuel, but otherwise, be sure that you have #1 fuel in your system.

I always think the -20 F is perfect traveling weather. Good traction on ice/hard pack. NDT tires are notoriously dangerous in those conditions and contrary to some Folks opinion, it renders the Duce and other vehicles with that tread, Vulnerable! So be careful. In general, those conditions can be dangerous. One should always use care! I've been here almost 40 years and, and... I think it was along in 1970 that I got my M37. It was many years, that it was my daily driver, along with a couple of M211's for the heavy stuff.

Lee in Alaska

 

[rosco]

Also, when its bitter cold - don't shut it off, for any reason. Even it you have heaters and all that. If your staying over night. let it run. Not at an idle - pull that throttle out to about 1100, or 1200 RPM. Even at today's prices for fuel, having a toasty warm running truck is well worth the half dozen gallons of fuel it will take. The COLD plays tricks and once you have spent half a day re-starting the thing, you will not have to wonder if your saved anything by shutting it off. -50 below is a light year away from zero. You might have heaters on your engine, but what about the other stuff like your compressor?

Lee in Alaska

 

[cranetruck]

Good suggestion Lee, I found that it was good to run the engine for 1/2 hour at a time every 6 hours or so, even in not-so-cold weather (around zero) when the truck was needed on a short notice some years ago....started instantly every time.

 

[wyomingjeep]

Wow thats a lot of good info i did not even think about the air system freezing up.

 

[cranetruck]

Re: RE: cold weather and the m35a2 what do i need?

Wow thats a lot of good info i did not even think about the air system freezing up.

This is where the alcohol evaporator comes into the picture....

 

[themunitionscache]

I have an M35A2 here in Fairbanks. We use it almost on a daily basis. We dont like to take it out colder than -20 but we have had it out at -40 before. We put Mobile 0-30 synthetic oil in the crank case so that the oil stays fluid in the extreem cold. Then we also have a circulating water heater. That is all we did to winterize this. The circulating heater is 2000w. And if we plug it in at -15, it will fire rite up in less than 30 minutes of warm up time. You can touch the top of the engine and it will be warm to the touch in less than 30 mins. This is what I would recommend. Once it gets cold though, you may need to tighten your water hose clamps and oil filters. We went out and started the truck in -25 for the first time and it was leaking antifreeze pretty bad and oil was pouring out the seal of one of the oil filters. It turns out we just needed to re-tighten everything after it got cold cuz the gaskets shrunk and the rubber shrunk causing the leaks. The truck does really good up here in fairbanks we use it just about everyday. Ours has the winch but we just stripped the gear out of it, so it is out of commision until we get a new gear. We would use it a lot for pulling people out of ditches on slippery days and pulling trees down! When we took the winch apart, it appeared that it never had oil in there. I think that they may have taken the oil out for extreem temperatures. But I think that is a bad idea. I think it would be bad to try to use the winch in extreem cold if you had 90 gear lube in there, but I think it should have a thinner lube in there anyway. Anything would be better than none. Anyway good luck! That should be a fun drive