Far North Truckers
Posted by OsBaculum@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 14 comments
Have you ever had problems with metal parts or frames breaking in extreme cold? I remember reading somewhere that in arctic temperatures (like -40 to -60F,) metal can become brittle. Is this something you've ever had to worry about?
One_Cheesecake6368@reddit
I just came off the ice roads for the winter, coldest we saw was -65 Celsius (ambient) stuff does break when it gets that cold, but we only have a short window to get shit done so we make do, and fix what we can
OsBaculum@reddit (OP)
Is it often big stuff like frame or suspension components? Or is it random?
One_Cheesecake6368@reddit
Just generally anything with a weak spot, we’ve had everything from airlines to the bridge frame on a super B
Laffenor@reddit
Which ice roads was this? Temperatures that low has never been recorded anywhere in neither Alaska nor Canada?
One_Cheesecake6368@reddit
Tibbit contwoyto, going by the trucks thermometer
Appropriate-Log-812@reddit
Yeah my dad used to work construction up north and always said trailer hitches would snap like twigs when it got that cold - apparently the steel just turns into glass basically
beavismorpheus@reddit
My coworker collected a pile of hammer heads. In cryogenics every new guy has that happen, where we use brass (non sparking) hammers with steel handles. Some of the cryogenic liquid spills onto the hammer and when they go to tap the nut on the fill hose the steel snaps like a twig.
jqmallah@reddit
Cold makes small cracks matter more. I would look hard at frame rails, crossmembers, suspension hangers, brake lines, and any old weld repairs before going into that kind of weather.
The ugly part is that something can look fine in a warmer yard and then fail once vibration and deep cold team up. If a shop already sees corrosion or a hairline crack, I would not treat it as cosmetic.
One-War4920@reddit
The coal mine I worked at would stop at -45, too much breakage to be worth it
Would still truck the coal, it's soft, but the pit would shut down
The-Shartist@reddit
Mechanic cracked the flywheel trying to start my truck while in gear after sitting all weekend in -20 to 30ish temps. Tried to blame me for leaving it in gear. I probably accidentally put it in gear with my ass while gathering my shit out of the truck on Friday night. It happened before. Did you make sure it was out gear before trying to start it, dip shit? Nope. Shop boss said he'd never seen that happen in his 3 decades of experience
OsBaculum@reddit (OP)
If they didn't give it the 'ol wiggle jiggle before starting that's definitely on them. Interesting though, thanks!
jqmallah@reddit
Hi, the cold can matter, but the bigger issue is usually the part that already has stress, old cracks, bad welds, or a sharp impact point. At those temps I would be more worried about sudden shock loads, suspension parts, fifth wheel areas, landing gear, and anything that was repaired once already. You still inspect it the same way, just less forgiving when something has been abused.
OsBaculum@reddit (OP)
Cool, thanks!
Strong-Mall-2280@reddit
You know, when you’ve parked after driving for awhile, and your tires freeze a flat spot in them, and it takes 20 miles for them to warm up enough to take the jiggle out of it… almost as bad as touching your back against the bunk wall when you’re sleeping. IYKYK