Guys,
My family and I are about to embark on a 3600 mile journey from Missouri to Alaska in a few weeks. I was wondering what kind of things that you all did to your trucks before taking it on trips. I'm already hanging to oil, rotating tires, making sure that the K&N is clean and checking the other fluids. Would you suggest anything else? We will be towing a 5x8 enclosed trailer, but the weight should be kept fairly light in it. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

Well I took my 97 on a trip like that about a year ago. That was about everything I did. Oh yeah and fill up with gas dont forget to fill up with gas lol good luck on the drive man should be beautiful up there this time of year!

 

tire pressure.. lol

 

Buy MORE gas and check your trailer tires and bearings (trailers usually the weak point)

 

Save your money for gas. That is going to be expensive.

 

Make sure that you've got a spare tire (or two) and a bottle jack or something that works on your trailer.

 

roadside flares, blankets, plenty of your favorite snacks and drinks, candles and matches= heat and light just in case you break down. first aid kit, flashlight, and jumper cables. and if you got them plenty of basic tools like screwdrivers, wrenches, and sockets all in metric and you should be good to go

forgot to mention Electrical tape and duct tape

 

SPARE TIRE, double check your spare tire. Along with what everyone else they said.

Before my lift, I took a 4600+ mile trip around the Western US; OR->CA->AZ->NM->CO->WY->UT->ID->OR.

Here's what I did. We had a great trip and only one issue.

I took my truck for its checkup and told them I was taking a very long road trip. They double checked all the fluids,
lines, filters, electrical connections, lights, hoses,…everything.

I packed:
- emergency road side kit
- A couple hundred bucks in cash...smaller bills. Just in case.
- Emergency food stash
- Blanket
- A working jack
- 4-way lug wrench
- Small tool kit
- Extra fuses of various sizes
- Maglight flashlight (the big one), good for lighting and/or a weapon in a pinch

I made it all the way from OR through CA, AZ, and to NM. In NM I picked up a 1/4" bolt on a Saturday afternoon.
I rolled into my sisters driveway and heard the infamous hissing sound. The front passenger tire
was going down fast.
I hustled to get the spare tire out, it was the first time since I bought it. The thing was locked in place with
all the mud and crap stuck to it. I had a heck of a time getting it loose. After kicking it, cracking on the tire wrench,
and cussing a lot it finally came loose.
Then the stock jack was barely enough to get the truck off the ground. I had to change the tire in a gravel driveway.
As the truck lifted, the gravel compacted.
I barely got the tire to a tire place that could get me a replacement. God was definitely helping that
day because they had one, in a warehouse on the other side of the city, and the delivery guy was just
heading out when they got my order.

I didn’t have another issue the rest of the trip. The NM stop was about half way.

In hindsight, I should have checked to spare tire by pulling it from under the truck, cleaning it, checking
it’s pressure, etc... I also should have packed a base plate to use under the jack.

I should have also taken a fire extinguisher. I didn’t need it, but I was out in the middle of some lonely
roads and I wouldn’t want to be in the middle of nowhere and wishing I did pack one.

 

Well, all the stuff is loaded, just changed the oil and rotated the tires, everything else looked great! Journey begins on Tuesday. Thanks for all of your advice, you guys are awesome!!

 

Finished the trip yesterday. Just under 4000 miles with all the side stops. Outside of the blown tire resulting in the stabilizer bar end link breaking followed by some broad in a Mazda 3 rolling in to me at a red light (jacked up the plastic on my tag mount), the trip was awesome. Now that I'm here I will treat the truck to a tune up and new shocks. Hopefully with money I make I can get some wheels and tires too. Thanks again for your guys' input and with your help with the end link. Here is a picture from the trip, one of many, Haines Junction in the Yukon, amazing!!