Getting Your Rig Ready for a Central Oregon Winter

Every October I go through the same routine with our vehicles and equipment. Central Oregon winters are hard on machines. One week it's 60° in Sisters, the next it's 5° with a foot of snow on Santiam Pass. Here's the checklist I use.

Trucks and daily drivers

• Check your oil change interval against your owner's manual and how you actually drive. Towing, idling and short trips in the cold all count as severe service.
• Make sure you're running the viscosity your manufacturer specifies. The AMSOIL Product Guide will list it by year, make and model.
• Test the battery. Cold weather finds weak batteries fast.
• Check coolant, wipers and washer fluid, and look over your tires.

Equipment going into storage

• Change the oil before storage, not after. Used oil carries contaminants you don't want sitting in the engine all winter.
• Treat the fuel in mowers, boats, dirt bikes and anything else that will sit. AMSOIL makes a gasoline stabilizer for exactly this. Ask me which product fits your equipment.
• Grease fittings on trailers and implements before they sit.

Sleds coming out

If your snowmobile has been sitting since spring, check the chaincase and injection oil, and look over the belt before the first ride. Use the snowmobile lookup to confirm what your sled needs.

Questions on any of this? Call or text me at 541-316-9643. I keep the common stuff on the shelf here in Sisters.

Posted by Mark Ossinger, Independent AMSOIL Dealer, High Desert Synthetics, Sisters, Oregon. Product claims are those of AMSOIL INC.