How often should I drive

[dirtyfingernails]

Okay, fuel is high but I like my deuce and want to keep her. How often should I drive her to keep her in working order? Is idling in the drive acceptable? If so, how long--to operating temp? Driving once a week or once a month??

 

[Streetgliderx]

you want me to come borrow it for ya i promise to run it once a day...maybe twice.... cause you got a sweet rig! i'll furnish fuel

 

[vtdeucedriver]

My exp is try and move it so it does not sit on the same spot on the tires every couple of weeks and atleast once a month, take it on a 5 mile jaunt to let it get all warmed up. But in VT in the summer, I never had that problem, always somewhere to go, it was just the matter of which one unless I could find drivers then it would be a CONVOY.

 

[FreightTrain]

No.You gotta get the engine up to full operating temperature for atleast 30 minutes.At idle the EGTs ain't even 200 degrees.All idling does is wash down the cylinder walls to where the rings score teh walls.You gotta allow the engine to get to full temp and stay there for a while to burn all the water outta the oil from condensation.

 

[FrankUSMC]

A Marine here (he joined the Marines in June 1941, and spent 30 years in our Corps), said while he was in charge of 8th motors on Camp Lejuene. He had two Marines, that went to every truck he had in his command, and once a week, just pumped the brakes. He said that was the big item that dead lined his trucks that were not in use was brakes.
I know this does not answer your quiston on running the motor and driving the truck, but, I would start every time I walked by it , maybe getting into the cab and hitting the brake pedal a time or two.
One of the few, Frank USMC RET

 

[dirtyfingernails]

Interesting responses. Lee, thanks for offer to buy me fuel--that is what you've offered right (Ha!)? FrankUSMC, I will do that from now on. Sounds logical to me about the brakes. Okay, so I know not to simply idle it, now how often should I drive it? Once per week/month? Don't worry and fix whatever breaks?

 

[Stretch44875]

Heck, I can't resist driving 2-3 times a month. Sometimes 2-3 times a week if I'm working it.

I would recommend a decent (20 mile at least) drive once a month. Enough of a drive to get everything warmed and lubed. In the winter I've had sometimes where couldn't drive for 6 weeks, too much salt on the road.

 

[topo]

I have a pick up with poles I use around my place . I would check the oil before I would start it oil always looked good not to high and not to low and not dirty . then in December I started it pulled the choke to keep it running to warm up I got out not a few minutes got in and seen no oil pressure turned it off . checked the oil its fine . crawled under the truck pulled the oil pan plug and nothing came out pushed a screw driver up the hole and hit ice .the ice under the oil was just enough ice to plug the screan on the pump .cost me a set of bearings . so now I check oil before and after If I would have done this before I would have seen the milky looking oil . so every one be on the look out for Condensation. kenny

 

[nattieleather]

Diesels don't like to sit....so I'd say if you can run it once a week...if not at least every other week. But what fun is a MV if your not driving them right?

 

[jblack6527]

I say drive it as much as you want/can afford to.

 

[n1bnc]

Does your work have a casual Friday? It's a great excuse to drive it to work then. Otherwise drive it often, even for groceries. I got some excellent looks taking up a couple of spots for a gallon of milk.

 

[saddamsnightmare]

JUNE 8TH, 2008.

My deuce gets run 12 or 15 miles daily to work and back, and since I got her in October 2007 from BulL Dog Mack 13, she seems to be running much better then normal. Heck the Army and her two other civilian owners managed to run her only about 1200 miles in 5 years.... I'm up to 3400-4000 miles just since mid January, with two (2) trips in that, one 200+ miles to Texarkana and back, the other (440+) up to Norman, OK to retrieve that trailer...... The duece loves to run, now if I could only find some clean WMO (darn Texas... Won't let me buy any in bulk!!!).
Run them, sitting doesn't help any piece of machinery, it just deteriorates faster....

LOL
Kyle F. McGrogan

1971 Kaiser Jeep M35A2 Wo/W "Saddam's Nightmare" Desert Storm and Vietnam Veteran truck
1968 Johnson Corp M105A2 Trailer
1967 Hercules MEP023A gasoline Generator set
1963 Swiss Army Cargo unimog S404.114 MB NATO green.

 

[Oldgrunt]

I was keeping my Deuce at the farm, but then brought her home so I could drive her to work to show her off, since then I drive her to work once a week and ever saturday and sunday. The way I look at it is the more people see her on the road the more people will as questions and maybe that get more people interested in saving one. Besides the grandkids love to go for a ride

 

[Rattlehead]

I personally try not to move them unless they are going on a drive long enough to fully warm up, for the same reasons already mentioned. Though with my limited space, they do have to get shuffled occasionally. Sometimes, if I need to move one, I will take it for a drive/run an errand, and park it in the new place upon return.

 

[jwaller]

at least once a week for me at a min and you must get them up to temp for 20 minutes minimum. If your not going to drive them dont waster your time cranking it up it will do more harm than good.

 

[daithi]

This is a good thread. I am worried with the onset of winter I will have to park it for 3 or 4 months. So I am glad I read that I should NOT start it up and let it warm up in the parking lot. This will do more harm than good?


With the hills around here, I will soon be unable to run it for a 20 min jaunt around the neighborhood. Wish I could store it inside, but I guess it will just freeze outside with the horse


P.S. any thoughts on how to, *AHEM* ha ha, defrost the inside of the rig? I find a glove works fine, but anything more elegant than that?

 

[dabtl]

From December thru May mine get driven infrequently. Then 'Parade Season' opens and they get a lot of exercise at least once a month.

Once a week the engines are cranked up, run at idle for a half hour and sometimes driven four or five miles and perhaps more afterward for service work. The second is due to go to the welding shop next week, about 15 miles for work. The first gets new U-Joints next week and a trip to the lube shop afterward. I got into the habit of idling the engine when I had the stock oil filter set up on. I think frequent oiling probably kept the dry starts from being 'too dry' but with the jatonka spin on filters that is in the past.

I generally try to find some chore for them to perform, either working or entertaining friends.

For the most part I seem obsessed with fuel purity being delivered to the engines and drive line reliability more than anything else.

 

[steelandcanvas]

I start my Deuce at least once a week, and let her idle at 800-1000 RPM for twenty minutes or so. This gets the batteries charged back up, and moves the internal fluids around a bit. I'll take Her for a ride at least once a month, putiing at least a half hour on the hour meter. I don't believe starting them up and not driving them is a waste of time, any exercise is better than nothing, but driving them is obviously better.

 

[JohnnyReb]

All I can add is that when I DON'T drive it at least every 2 months, something seems to be wrong when I finally run it: Won't idle correctly, brakes are soft, steering shimmee; shifting is stiff.

I service the truck and drive it frequently for a month or so and most everything works itself out.

Would be cheaper and easier to drive it regularly.......