Storing my 2011 dodge ram.

[Dgriffi2]

I bought myself a toy this summer - a '94 Z28 convertible- and since where I live we average 200" of snow each winter, I'm obviously storing it, lol! Everything I researched led me to decide to add fuel stabilizer, top off gas tank, put extra air in tires to prevent flat spotting , connect battery tender (which isn't same as trickle charger, battery tender will maintain battery at 100%, cycle on and off as necessary), and don't start it till spring. Lots of YouTube videos out there on winter storage. And tons of ideas on rodent prevention. Keep in mind if you or neighbors have pets before choosing a method. My neighbor lost his beautiful yellow lab a few years ago when he gobbled down some rat poison that was in the back corner of his shed.

 

[Arth]

So those of you storing vehicles... are you storing them in your garage that you use regularly and placing these traps or no?

I will be going away for a little over two months so my truck will sit while I am gone. My truck will be in my garage and my wife will still be driving her car regularly so the garage will be active. I don't really feel the need to do anything extra besides fuel stabilizer and my battery tender unless I should still use some sort of rodent prevention?

 

[fourpoint7]

Oh....my word, loosing a pet over rodent control is insane. I do have poison blocks under my truck but they come in sealed plastic trays with a entrance for the rodents, they have to walk in and eat the poison. I don't have any pets and either does my neighbors. I also have 4 mouse traps set under my truck but that's getting to be a real pain as they go off but I'm not catching anything. Something is eating the poison, I can see part of the block is chewed on.
Thanks for the advice, I haven't had to put my battery on charge, I been starting my truck once a month and leave it run for about 10 to 15 minutes. I also have fox ***** sprayed on cotton balls and are in yogurt cups under neath my back seat- (Quad cab)
Fox eat mice. I use the fox ***** as cover scent when I go deer hunting. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE.

 

[marks146]

Hi everyone. I am new to this site so please bare with me. I recently purchased a 2011 dodge ram 4.7 V-8. I want to put my truck away (Store it) for winter. I want to keep it from the salt here in Indiana. I have my old truck I drive for winter- (1995 dodge ram.) My truck is stored outside with a truck cover over it. Should I take out the battery and trickle charge it over the winter? Or leave the battery in and start the truck every week? And if I do start it every week, will moisture mess up my engine? Any advice would be very appreciated.

What I do is put a trickle charger on the battery to overcome the parasitic discharges from the computers. I've done this for the last two years and no issues. I may start it once in a while for no particular reason other than I like to sit in the truck. Make sure to let it warm up so the humidity burns off or you'll rot your exhaust system.

I drive an old Honda in the salt brined snow if I can make it through. I try not to let the state destroy my property.

 

[Mike Flea]

If you're going to let the truck sit, and not move it, you might consider either putting it up on jack stands to prevent flat spotting, which is not really a problem with radials, or like I have done with my hot rods, put a square piece of wood under each tire. It prevents dry rotting of the rubber.

 

[turkeybird56]

Tires on wood if possible, lil extra air, fuel stabilizer and battery tender. For critters: guess all depends: traps/poison, watever works and U R comfortable with and not be a danger to pets, all IMHO....

FWIW, I have a Honda Trike in garage under a tarp. It stays on a tender, but I do run and move once a week regardless of weather (yes, it does get cold here also).....

 

[fourpoint7]

Arth, No I don't have a garage. Unfortunately I am storing my 2011 outside. I have a taeau cover over my truck bed and a truck cover over the whole truck. I helped a friend and his wife move to a new house a month ago with an attached 1 car garage, they offered to let me store my truck in their garage but after they moved in, the garage is full of moving boxes and it looks like it will take them all winter to get it cleaned out. As for storing ur truck in ur garage and me being well educated on rodent control from the nice members on this forum, I would definitely put some sealed plastic poison blocks up against the walls in ur garage. Eventhough ur wife will be using the garage for her car, rodents will still come in.

So those of you storing vehicles... are you storing them in your garage that you use regularly and placing these traps or no?

I will be going away for a little over two months so my truck will sit while I am gone. My truck will be in my garage and my wife will still be driving her car regularly so the garage will be active. I don't really feel the need to do anything extra besides fuel stabilizer and my battery tender unless I should still use some sort of rodent prevention?

 

[BWL]

I use the victor tin cats and bait them with poison. That way the big ones dont end up dying in a vent or something smelling up the place and the small ones that manage to escape still eat the poison, but the blocks stay put and no pets or unintended animals die. I hear the electric zapper ones work well too, but you have to clean them out every catch. I once caught 17 in a tin cat in a night so I know they tend to catch them all in 1 shot.

 

[slacadjuster]

No problem starting it up, but be sure to run it for at least 15 minutes, to get everything warm, and drive out moisture. Depending on where you store it, your biggest risk is mice getting into it and chewing things up. Parking it 'out back' someplace, on grass is a recipe for trouble. Moth balls and dryer sheets can help. Put a few traps around to see if there is any activity.

Battery in or out won't hurt the truck as much as mice will.

Yeppers, well "said". Or rodents period!!