Alaska "wants" on a truck

[jojo2012]

We are looking at moving to Alaska in the next year or so. What are some things you would want on a truck up there? I currently have a 2016 2500 Laramie with stock size Falken Wildpeaks on it. Just trying to figure out what are some things that I need to consider about having on a truck for living in Alaska? I'm also looking a getting a new 1500 instead of the 2500. Will it really matter much difference between those 2 up there, or should I just wait for the new 2500s to come out, lol. I will take all the suggestions you can give. Thanks

 

[crash68]

I would imagine block and/or oil pan heaters is a must unless the truck will be parked in a heated garage is available.

 

[HDHNTER]

If you opt for a new 1500 I would make sure it does NOT have an air suspension. From what I've read, they can often be problematic & unreliable in cold environments. A block heater would be a wise call as well I would think.

 

[Pull Ya]

I think there are a couple of members that currently live in Alaska. Hopefully they will see your thread and respond. sbarron is one of them.
Jay

 

[22hemi13]

I think there are a couple of members that currently live in Alaska. Hopefully they will see your thread and respond. sbarron is one of them.
Jay

We wanna go to Alaska ourselves. But more than a few years out. Does depend on where you’re going to be in Alaska. I was looking at Ketchikan and that’s not nearly as cold or snowy. But a crew cab long bed 2500 in that town would be a nightmare since it’s small and an island. I dont think you could ever go wrong with a pw or a crew cab short bed.

 

[Big Terry]

Proper bumpers with a bullguard for sure- the moose are no joke and will destroy a vehicle if you hit them. and a winch with plenty of rope, a couple of straps and a quality snatch block.

source: i lived in BFE north of Seward some years back. however, if you plan to be a townie, then a block heater ought to suffice.

 

[TRCM]

block heater, seat & steering wheel heater, heated external mirrors, remote start, windshield washer fluid heater (mine freeze up in VA, hate to see them in alaska)

good bumper & winch/accessories as has been said

tire chains if legal and if they will work on the truck (some they don't fit the body/suspension or aren't recommended)

Just a few......but I've never been there......

 

[JohnnyMac]

I just moved from Alaska a few months ago after living there for 24 years in Ketchikan, Juneau, Kodiak and Wasilla. I'll throw my .02 cents out there....

Much depends on where you are going in AK. The east coast of the lower 48 has worse winter weather than some parts of AK. If you're moving to the Anchorage bowl area, then it gets uncomfortably cold, but they keep the roads pretty clear of snow, lots of street lights and overall it's pretty easy driving. If you're moving to Southeast or Southwest, it gets more rain and less snow/ice, however the issue there is the temp hovers around freezing it'll snow at night, warm up, rain and melt the snow during the day, then cool back down and refreeze the water at night and turn into black ice. That's where you have to watch yourself. Roads are tighter and so driving slower is the ticket.

If you're moving North of Anchorage, then that's a whole different kind of cold. The kind of cold that puts flat spots on your tires for the first 5-10 miles of your drive in the morning. The kind that makes engine oil so thick your starter burns up trying to turn the engine over without a block heater. The kind of cold that will kill you if your car dies out on a lonely road. You'll want to keep a survival kit in the truck with blankets/food/propane heater/ropes/straps/etc no matter what you drive.

Probably the most important options to us were certainly 4x4, a good set of aggressive AT/MT tires, a block heater and a remote start. You'll want to start your car and let it warm up and start clearing ice off the windshield before you drive it in the winter unless you park inside. That being said, if your truck sits out in the parking lot of your workplace all day, a remote start will be your friend.

Anything else is pretty much a luxury, but you will not go wrong with heated seats/steering wheel. Southeast/Southwest are coastal and fairly temperate, and we didn't see much below 20f in those cities as a general rule but Wasilla got pretty cold (-30f) and a non-heated steering wheel will be so damn cold that it'll freeze your skin right to it....like sticking your tongue on a light pole? Leather seats help with durability but unless they are heated, they are rough to sit on in winter.

As far as bumpers and bull bars, I had a bull bar on a couple of my rigs, but in 24 years, never hit a moose/deer/ram/sheep/human. I did hit a black bear once but they're soft and cushy so just dented my bumper and door a little. Moose are big and tall and generally come over the hood and through the windshield. Usually a show stopper. Bull bars are good for extra lighting though, and if you live somewhat remote, a bunch of big LED lights on the front of the truck will help you see the moose quicker.

1500 or 2500 won't matter. I drove both up there and either were fine. Some folks switch religiously to studded tires every winter, but in my years up there I only used studded tires once and probably got stuck more with them. Diesel trucks have their own set of issues operating in such cold weather. I never owned while in AK so can't speak for them.

All that being said, I have seen tons of people that live and work in Alaska getting around with nothing more than a fwd sedan their whole lives. It takes a bit more finesse and occasionally chaining up, but lots of people make do. I personally tried it and I went right back to my truck, but they do a pretty good job of keeping the snow cleared in town and it's certainly doable with most anything you bring up here.

Sorry, I ramble sometimes....Good luck!

 

[savage_46]

Block heater, 4wd, spare tire. I only use studded tires for winter. If you're not familiar or comfortable with winter driving; find an empty parking lot & practice accel, braking, hard braking without engaging ABS, controlling a slide....basic winter driving stuff. As already mentioned, our roads are pretty good during winter. Neighborhood intersections are usually the worst. The roads are maintained pretty well, cleared fairly quickly, & sanded. The few big snowfalls we get do slow things down a lot between accidents & rubber necking. Traffic lanes mysteriously get narrower cause you can't see the lines & it seems like most people can't remember exactly where they are. Then theres the springtime potholes...

Between the earthquake, warm wind storm followed by immediate freeze over, & prediction of "guaranteed" snow (all in 4 days) city driving is a little slick but nothing out of the ordinary.

 

[jojo2012]

Thanks so much for the advice. I can handle snow and ice driving pretty well, as we have lived in a lot of different weathered areas. I have all the "luxury" heated items as I will have at least a Laramie. Do I wait until I get up there to get the oil pan heater, block heater installed? What about a transmission heater? I heard those are good to have as well. We are thinking of being around the Anchorage or Fairbanks area

 

[TRCM]

Just thinking out loud, but I'd have them installed here, so if you have to stop on your way up, you don't have issues.

Transmission heater may not be a bad idea either.

I would also suggest making sure whatever you get has the rear window defroster option.

 

[sbarron]

If you ht a moose, a bull bar, heavy bumper, etc isn't going to make any difference at all. It'll just be one more piece of scrap that needs cut out of the way before repairs can begin.

My Alaska list must haves:
Good tires (not the stock SRA's), preferably something 10 ply and a good full-size spare
block heater
good battery and a GOOD set of long jumper cables
extra lighting - my favorite subject!

Nice to haves:
camper shell or hard tonneau
tow line
battery heater
Heated seat & steering wheel heater
heated external mirrors
remote start
chains

 

[JohnnyMac]

Thanks so much for the advice. I can handle snow and ice driving pretty well, as we have lived in a lot of different weathered areas. I have all the "luxury" heated items as I will have at least a Laramie. Do I wait until I get up there to get the oil pan heater, block heater installed? What about a transmission heater? I heard those are good to have as well. We are thinking of being around the Anchorage or Fairbanks area

It would probably be easier to get the block heater installed down south and if you are buying a new truck, I'm pretty sure you can just get one with the cold weather package, which would include the block heater. As far as a transmission heater, I don't know anyone that had one and honestly, I don't think I have ever even heard of one. It does get cold as hell in Fairbanks though so I guess it wouldn't do any harm for sure. I actually only had a block heater on my last vehicle and prior to that, I just remote started and let it warm up. Block heater makes it much quicker and is probably easier on the motor, but not necessarily a show stopper.

 

[BackCountryAK]

Transmission heater is the same type of silicone pad that is used for the oil pan. Some say it's bad because you're prematurely wearing out the fluid because of the heat. To me it's not a big deal because the 8 speed transmission already has a heater trying to get it up to around 185 degrees anyways. Another thing that I haven't seen mentioned is changing out your coolant to a 60/40 mix so that it won't gel at super cold temperatures.
Of course a lot of this has to do where you plan on living in the state. If you stay in south central AK, most of this isn't necessary. But if you do live in the interior, then I would say it's mandatory. I bought my last Ram in Anchorage and they don't have a standard weatherization package besides the block heater that gets ordered with the truck. You come to Fairbanks and all the dealers will have a weatherization package that includes the block heater, oil, transmission and battery heater along with changing out the coolant. Some will even want to sell your the special "nitrogen" air package as well lol. Just simpler to add a few extra pounds of air to the tires when the temperatures drop.
Good luck!

 

[sbarron]

Transmission heater is the same type of silicone pad that is used for the oil pan. Some say it's bad because you're prematurely wearing out the fluid because of the heat. To me it's not a big deal because the 8 speed transmission already has a heater trying to get it up to around 185 degrees anyways. Another thing that I haven't seen mentioned is changing out your coolant to a 60/40 mix so that it won't gel at super cold temperatures.
Of course a lot of this has to do where you plan on living in the state. If you stay in south central AK, most of this isn't necessary. But if you do live in the interior, then I would say it's mandatory. I bought my last Ram in Anchorage and they don't have a standard weatherization package besides the block heater that gets ordered with the truck. You come to Fairbanks and all the dealers will have a weatherization package that includes the block heater, oil, transmission and battery heater along with changing out the coolant. Some will even want to sell your the special "nitrogen" air package as well lol. Just simpler to add a few extra pounds of air to the tires when the temperatures drop.
Good luck!

More good advice^^&.

Also, remember when it's REALLY F'N COLD, rather than just DAMN, IT'S COLD, is that even if your engine and tranny are warm, the rest of your running gear isn't. Tires can be stiff and even flat spotted, diffs can be full of extra thick oil, and other metal bits can be more brittle than normal... drive slow and easy until the rest of the systems come up to temp. Again, much more an issue in interior Alaska than in south central.

 

[AKAllen]

Was in AK for 37 years and commuted from Wasilla to Anchorage everyday and was only in 3 wrecks. The previous posts leave little for me to add but I can still think of a few things worth having with you in your truck, especially in the winter. Carry a near full jug of windshield washer fluid and paper towels. They put so much sand on the roads in the Anchorage bowl area that when it warms up and rains, you need to stop and clean your headlights off about every 20 miles or so. You'll want to keep your washer fluid reservoir full as much as possible because it's no fun trying to see through mud on your windshield at 8AM rush hour when it's dark. Winter wiper blades are good to have also. Fairbanks roads usually get pea gravel put down at the intersections and because of fewer freeze/thaw weather events, your headlights and windshield stay cleaner longer. As others have posted, block heater is a must have both in Anchorage and Fairbanks, but don't forget the extension cord; a high quality one that can take the cold without cracking and with a lighted end so you know the power is on when you plug it in. Anchorage businesses don't provide plug-ins so a remote start is really nice. Most Fairbanks businesses will have plug-ins for their employees to use. i can't emphasize enough the importance of survival gear. Blankets, boots, gloves, flashlights, candy bars, etc. that you might use to help someone who has broken down or gone off the road at 20 below, if not yourself. I could go on and on so will leave you with this. Have extra patience with you when driving in bad weather, and slow down. 4x4s help a lot with acceleration, but not so much when trying to stop on glare ice.

 

[arthur dwyer]

get the laramie with heated seats-steering wheel-rear window defrost -heated mirrors-remote start-engine block heater-emergency kit-lived there for 3+ years and survived!

 

[Fishhaggis]

In Yellowknife we have a winter package that would go into your truck. Don’t do it down south, you need a Northern mechanic who knows what to do. Here, a basic package in almost every vehicle is block heater, battery blanket, maybe a battery maintainer, full synthetic oil, auto start, and decent AT tires. The cold weather kept my factory tires going flat and square until I put on KO2’s. The auto start is by far a great thing to have. Auto start in your warm home or work and let the truck warm up so it does not scream when you finally move it. 1/3 of my engine hours are at idle! I had the 2500 power wagon which I still miss, and have a 1500 Bighorn now, which is a beautiful truck as well. If you can, buy a new truck up there on an extended warranty. Warranties do not factor in extreme weather, and I typically have a bunch of hoses, clastic clips, boots replaced every spring under warranty. The dealer says they just can not handle the extreme weather and they prefer to just putting new parts in under warranty. One truck I had needed a different power steering fluid as the stock stuff blew out the power steering at cold temps. I suggest you talk to a mechanic or two when you get there and heed the locals advice on what you need.

 

[BWL]

Basics are block heater, battery warmer, synthetic oil and a good set of tire chains. Bonus items are remote start, steering wheel and seat heater. Worth considering to me is trans and oil pan heaters, but consider that most power outlets are only 15amps. A radiator grill cover if your 2500 is a diesel. The grill cover will get the engine temp up enough so your egts get high enough for fewer problems with the def and regen systems on the newer diesels. If they can't burn off the soot in the exhaust it will keep trying until it gives up and puts you in limp mode. Of course this must be removed on warmer days or the truck will overheat.

 

[Gero]

Definitely beefy bull bar/brush bar, upgraded lighting, block heater, skid plates and I would even consider a 4inch lift. I'd also get a new battery if yours is near or over 5years old.