Ranger on the ALCAN in winter

[LIMA BEAN]

That hwy is not near as bad as people think. I drove it my first time with two chicks when I was 18yrs old in 1980 and it was no sweat even then. All we brought was cloaths, booze, smokes and condoms, now its a cake walk.

 

[feellnfroggy]

well from what I heard you got lucky. But in any event, in winter that far north you need to plan for what you dont think will happen otherwise youll be found in a frozen pose that would embarrass your mother.

 

[LIMA BEAN]

well from what I heard you got lucky. But in any event, in winter that far north you need to plan for what you dont think will happen otherwise youll be found in a frozen pose that would embarrass your mother.

Well yea that trip was summer but many after were winter. I grew up 100 miles south of Fairbanks in the Alaska Range so I know the drill about doing it right with road vehicles, snow machines, dog teams ect. not many second chances when you make a mistake in the Alaskan bush let me tell ya.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

A GOOD battery doesn't need a blanket.

My Fords have never needed anything special, other than a block heater (rarely used anyway) in the winter. We see -30 every year just about, sometimes in the -40s. It's -15 right now. My trucks always start and drive, they're just a little slower to do so at first when cold.

Make sure you'll be self sufficient and don't have to rely on other motorists to save you. Have clothes that can keep you warm. I would not want to be stranded in those temps, or even -10 with just a couple blankets. If you have to walk, layers work better. Good boots, hat, gloves, bibs, jacket with hooded flannel underneath is my regular gear for cold weather exposure. My black lined carhartt bibs, with fuzzy pajama type pants or sweats underneath are comfortable to about -20. But fingers, nose and toes can get cold fast and they are hard to get warm again on their own.

Do you have good shocks? Everyone I talk to when they get done mentions the frost heaves.

Make sure your windshield washer fluid is rated for the cold. Get the washer/de-icer stuff.

I've never driven the Alcan myself, but I'm pretty familiar with the conditions you'll be seeing. A normal truck from the factory with a block heater (what most of us drive here) will do just fine with a little common sense behind the wheel.

Oh yeah, very important, always watch for those moose.

A good battery doesn't need a blanket but if you want the battery to last a decent amount of time get a blanket. Anythig that you can use to plug in your truck and get engine parts warm is ALWAYS a good idea especially in the winter time where it gets in the negatives.

Engines run warm so the warmer they are to start with the faster they will warm up and the better off the motor is.

 

[feellnfroggy]

A good battery doesn't need a blanket but if you want the battery to last a decent amount of time get a blanket. Anythig that you can use to plug in your truck and get engine parts warm is ALWAYS a good idea especially in the winter time where it gets in the negatives.

Engines run warm so the warmer they are to start with the faster they will warm up and the better off the motor is.

Im sure our vehicle batteries are different than aa's but i always put batteries in the freezer to keep them fresh longer I assume that dont apply to our vehicels? I thought it was the starting components freezing that destroyed the battery.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

Im sure our vehicle batteries are different than aa's but i always put batteries in the freezer to keep them fresh longer I assume that dont apply to our vehicels? I thought it was the starting components freezing that destroyed the battery.

WEll freezing them to keep them fresh longer does make sense but you still ahve to warm up the batteries for them to work at full potential. And yeah cold or frozen components would wear on a battery as well.

I know when my battery was going out it would crank amazingly if I plugged it in to the battery blanket and barely turn over if I just tried to start it.

 

[feellnfroggy]

Thats kool I didnt know that, Obviously it dont get -40 here in knoxville but 5* is close enough for me to invest in the blanket one day.

 

[dirtcowboy]

I've driven the Alcan many times and have two pieces of advice;

1. Watch your rearview mirrors, all the time. When you see those 18 wheelers coming up on you get out of the way.

2. Watch for ANIMALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The moose on that road will flat out scare the crap outa you!! They are EVERYWHERE!! They run out of the ditches like the whitetails do around here. STOOPID and as big as a horse.

 

[zx6rrdan]

Ford agrees that a batter blanket is a good idea... if you buy a Ranger/B-series in Canada they come with a plug wired to a blockheater and an electric battery blanket