This is my first diesel truck and I'm wondering if there's any precautions I need to take for cold weather. My truck came with the block heater so last spring when ever it would freeze I'd plug it in. This year I have a late hunting trip. I'll be in the mountains for 2 weeks right after Thanksgiving. This year might be on track for a pretty bad winter, here in town at night we are already getting to the high 30's and we're we plan to go hunting at 9000' is in the mid 20's at night. I'm planning on running optilube winter for the duration of the trip since it will probably be in single digits if not negative around that time. So here's my big questions should I be concerned about my def fluid, and how about cold starts at that temp? There's no electricity up there so plugging in is not an option.
The good thing is that the diesel won't be my only form of transportation, I will have a side by side and four wheelers also I will take my older gas f250. The diesel will only be used for going on highway, to and from home and if we need to go to the store for anything, or if we need to change our hunting area to the other side of the unit. Day to day would be the smaller machines unless the snow gets to deep then we will chain up the older f250.
We have a small generator as an option but I know it definitely won't make it through the night on a tank of gas, but it is small only 2,000 watts and I think constant 1600 is that enough for the heater?
Any feed back is greatly appreciated!

 

 

I hunt at 9000' here in Colorado. I'll add PM-23a (winter version of PM-22a) but that's it. Mine starts fine in the cold. Like the OP I'm not starting it every day during the hunt.

 

The 6.7L Ford starts very well in cold weather. The owner's manual mandates plugging in I think at -9F but it will still start below that...just with increased engine wear. DEF freezes at 12F but that is designed into all these trucks...they have an onboard heater to heat the tank, lines, and pump...and the truck runs fine without DEF until it unfreezes. Northern states that Ford designates "cold weather states" include several options for "free" including the block heater and electric supplemental cabin heater. You can option for these separately as well.

I'd say the worse possible problem you could run into is fuel that has not been properly winterized...the fuel distributors are supposed to start blending more #1 diesel in with the #2 at some point, but last year they didn't blend enough in my area for an unexpected cold snap around New Years. My 2017 truck, with only 2100 miles, would not run. Many times I received a "low fuel pressure" warning and then other times "reduced engine power" which basically renders the truck un-driveable. This is despite me dumping a lot of Ford-brand anti-gel in the tank before hand. So be careful of that:

 

 

So at what temp does everyone start using the anti gel??

 

I'm thinking that when day time temperatures don't go above 10 degrees F I'll add PM-23a. That depends on when I next fill up with fuel also. The later in the season the more likely the winter fuel is to be in the station's storage tank and the more likely the percentage of winter/summer blend favors the winter version. It also depends on how much summer blend fuel is still in my truck's tank.

 

I was at 10,000 foot last week and truck worked just fine.
I have not started adding an Anti-Gel yet this year and won't worry about it until I see single digit temps. And probably shouldn't
worry until I see sub-zero.
As stated Don't over fill DEF. It will freeze at 13° F and if too full can crack the filler tube on your tank. The tank itself has a heater and will thaw the DEF out as you drive and the truck runs fine for the few miles this takes.

My truck ran great with no trailer. But I needed chains when trying to haul my trailer over the summit at about 10,000 foot

 

take a spare set of fuel filters. Everyone speaks to the don't overfill the def. IMHO the best way to prevent this is with the ford filler spout. Not only will you not drip any as you fill but it will shut off when full preventing an overfill situation.

 

I have not filled my DEF from a plastic jug in several years. It's just too easy to pull into a service station and pump DEF @ $2.60 gallon directly into the tank.
It's cheaper, I never have any partial jugs left over and 10 months of year, I get a complete fill. I just make sure that Mid December thru Mid February I don't completely fill the tank. To be honest, I usually just fill my DEF around Thanksgiving and it will last thru most of the winter without needing a refill. So I don't have to worry about shutting the pump off 1/2 gallon early.

I've had a couple of new stations pop up in my area with DEF at the pump and they also usually have the cheapest diesel and have lanes dedicated to diesel trucks with lots of room in case I have a trailer behind.

 

That's great if you have easy access to a station that has DEF pumps. Many of us, like me, don't.

 

So if I plug in the truck will it keep the def from freezing?. Just for further reference. I have about 3,000 miles til my next service and part of it is topping off the def. I'd hate to tell them not to just so I could get me moneys worth, but if it's going to cause problems then I definitely will.

 

No, plugging in does nothing for the def.

As long as they use the ford filler spout then it won't overfill and therefore no issues with filling or overfilling the def. Just inquire if they use the ford spout.

 

What's the difference between any other spout and Ford's spout??

 

Ford spout seals and won't allow over filling. it will stop when full vs aftermarket that will leak and over fill.