Five Mistakes That Could Cause Your Truck To Age Prematurely

Truck drivers tend to be especially hard on their vehicles. However, they're also often especially reliant on their vehicles when it comes to everyday work demands. You need to avoid prematurely aging your vehicle if you want to prevent downtime when your vehicle's in the garage and runaway costs on new parts.

The following are five mistakes to avoid that could cause your truck to age prematurely if you're not careful:

Neglecting to have tires balanced when they're rotated

Simply having truck tires rotated may not be enough considering all the demands put on a work truck on a regular basis. It's a good idea to also have truck tires balanced.

Driving on uneven, rugged terrain can throw off the balance on truck tires over time. It's important that the weight of a truck remains evenly distributed across the whole axle to prevent components on one side from wearing out before components on the other side do.

Uneven balance can also cause irregular vibrations while the vehicle is in motion that can wear out the suspension. Having tires balanced when they're rotated is therefore very important for truck drivers. 

Letting the engine oil level get low

Truck engines tend to pull a lot more weight than car engines, so the everyday strain on them can be extreme. It's therefore important to keep up on engine maintenance by regularly checking engine oil and refilling when necessary.

Any vehicle is likely to develop a slow oil leak as it ages. Staying on top of engine oil can prevent a small oil leak from leading to serious engine problems over time. 

Leaving engine air filters in too long

Another thing you can do to relieve some of the stress on your truck engine is regularly change the engine air filter. This will prevent contaminants in the engine from leading to premature wear and tear on vital mechanical components of your truck. 

Ignoring the owner's manual

Simply reading over your owner's manual can give you some important maintenance tips that can add years to your truck's lifespan. Pay special attention to maintenance schedules and keep up with them to keep your mechanical components in the best possible shape through the years. 

Overdoing it when off-roading

While trucks are built for rugged terrain, if you overdo it with off-roading you may find that your truck suffers significant damage that could have been easily avoided. 

Make sure you gauge the ruggedness of terrain before driving over it. Also, keep an eye on the load that you're putting in your truck bed and try to adhere to weight capability limits to avoid inadvertently causing damage to your truck. 


Share