How to Prep Vehicles for Winter Weather

Wiring needs to be tucked and tied up into its run so that ice can’t dislodge it. If a wire has to be exposed, a wire tie can often prevent failure due to ice build-up.

4. Choosing a harness design that uses male pin lamp terminations “is always a safer and better idea in all seasons, but especially so in winter,” Blackford says. “If ice does succeed in pulling wiring free of a lamp, the free wire will not short out its circuit by contacting metal surfaces on the trailer.”

5. Check to see that drip loops are not in a place where unseen ice builds up. In winter, drip loops no longer always deflect water as they do when the temperature is above freezing.

6. There should be no taped splices in the wiring. All splices should be heat-sealed with shrink splices. This is always true, but winter grime build-up often hides splices that need attention.

7. Battery connections need to be checked to make sure the required current is present. Terminals should be cleaned, tightened and greased to protect the battery and the overall electrical service.

All truck OEMs agree that the initial time and associated cost of winter preventative maintenance is well worth the investment as it will keep vehicles operating reliably when the snow falls and the temperatures drop.