Normally, when I tour with bands, I leave my truck for someone to drive at least weekly. This will not be the case this time. It'll be parked under a carport from dec 28th till feb 24th. I have a brand new motorcraft 750 cca battery, it'll have new oil and a filter in it. Has fresh coolant and new tires, along with a new alt and serp belt.

What steps should I take? Even though the battery is a month old, should I disconnect it?

My LT load c (50psi) tires flat spot just sitting over night in the cold. I have them set at 42psi. Jack stands aren't an option. Should I fill them to their max psi before letting it sit?

Anything else I should do? Full tank of gas, etc? I just don't want to have any problems when I start it up again in late feb and have to drive 350 miles home.

I know two months isn't that long and people do it all the time. But in the 5 years I've had the truck the longest it ever sat without someone starting it was a week and that's when my alternator failed.

Thanks guys!

 

Full tank of gas and disconnect the battery. Go get 4 scrap carpet squares and put them under the wheels.

 

^ Exactly what I was going to post. I would also suggest putting some moth ***** under it to keep critters away.

 

^Agreed w/above. I'd go ahead and inflate them to max psi.

 

Take the key out and lock the doors.

 

My truck basically stays parked all winter because I'm not gonna expose it to New England Road Salt. I just start it up once a month & let it run for a good 20 mins to get the temp up all the way. The tires will flat spot but they return to normal after a drive. I replaced the original battery last summer with a Sears Di-Hard Platinum which will keep a charge for months on end so I'm not worried. I just fired up the truck this week after sitting for over a month in very cold temps. Fired right up no problemo. I also use a quality syn oil just for this reason. No worries you will be fine.

 

I'd add some fuel stabilizer to the gas, top it off, park it, disconnect the battery, and drive off. Two months really isn't that long. FWIW, disconnecting the battery eliminates any parasitic loss and guards against a fire should something malfunction. Makes it more difficult to steal too.

 

Two months isn't long at all. Thousands of cars sit on new or used car lots for that stretch and longer outdoors uncovered with no ill effects. Battery drain is probably your biggest concern and keeping the fuel tank full. Not a bad idea on the tires, but again 2 months really shouldn't affect anything if they are at max. A few mile drive will correct any flat spotting from sitting. Good idea on the moth ***** above, and if you have small chipmunks, mice, etc. it's not a bad idea to put a rag in the exhaust pipe.

 

Do you disconnect your battery? Or do you go as far as pulling it from the truck and bring it to a room temperature climate?

 

No I don't disconnect it at all. Even when I had the original battery in. I put in a Sears Di-Hard Platinum last summer as the original was getting tired. This battery is AGM & Military Spec & holds a charge for months on end. If it rains & washes the roads free of salt I will take her for a nice highway run when the roads are dry for a charge. I'm the only guy around here who parks a 4WD truck in the winter! I won't let salt get to my truck! LOL

 

nothing wrong with that....

 

I fully agree. I try to do the same with mine even though the frame is pitted, there is no need to accelerate deterioration until I can handle it with POR-15. Not to mention a true gem of a real Harley Davidson edition! I'm happy to hear you keep it out of in-climate conditions and plan to keep it for a long time to come!

 

Last summer I painted the whole frame in Rustoleum black. Took me 4 hours but it came out great. I used a brush to get a thick coat & no overspray. My 08 is a Genine Harley Truck too. I don't even drive it in the rain in the summer if I don't have too. Winter months it stays parked. I really luv the truck & want to be driving it for as long as she will run. I don't want a rust box on wheels! She has 43K miles right now. Someday I hope to be the 85 year old geezer with 300K miles on her! LOL

 

These are all good recommendations. Put the STABIL in and run it for about twenty miles. If you are leaving it in a high moisture environment you might consider either disconnecting the power to the fuel pump or disconnecting the fuel rails and run the engine until it stalls.

 

For only 2 months, you don't even need to use Stabil, much less disconnect any fuel system components.