{"id":2738,"date":"2021-12-20T08:00:42","date_gmt":"2021-12-20T13:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/?p=2738"},"modified":"2021-12-20T04:24:33","modified_gmt":"2021-12-20T09:24:33","slug":"protect-food-truck-equipment-freeze-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/protect-food-truck-equipment-freeze-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparing for Winter: How to Protect Your Food Truck Equipment from The Freeze"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it seems like there\u2019s one holiday after another and temperatures drop, you know that winter\u2019s on its way. All seasons bring with them their own potential challenges, but winter can be particularly challenging if you\u2019re not prepared, especially if you run a culinary business of any sort.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have a food truck or any kind of mobile kitchen, it\u2019s not just <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/food-truck-ideas-holiday-season\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">holiday marketing ideas<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> you need to come up with in order for your business to make it through the winter. You also have to take necessary precautions to protect your truck and your equipment throughout the colder months. Whether you\u2019re thinking of putting your truck away or you\u2019ll keep plugging along throughout winter, here are some important points you need to remember.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"border: 3px solid; padding: 10px; width: 100%; border-radius: 25px; border-color: #F4A70F; color: #007bff;\">\n<strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #007bff;\">What&#8217;s Inside<\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"#howtoprotect\"> How to Protect Your Food Truck Equipment During Winter<\/a><\/li>\n<ul>\n<li><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"#howtoprotect1\"> Make sure to keep up with your truck\u2019s maintenance<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"#howtoprotect2\"> Check your tires<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"#howtoprotect3\"> Take steps to ensure you can drive safely<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"#howtoprotect4\"> Prevent rust<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"#howtoprotect5\"> Add sources of heat<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"#howtoprotect6\"> Reduce chances of injury in the back<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"#howtoprotect7\"> Ensure the back area is sanitary<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><b><\/b><br \/>\n<b><\/b><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"howtoprotect\"><strong>How to Protect Your Food Truck Equipment During Winter<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"howtoprotect1\">Make sure to keep up with your truck\u2019s maintenance<\/h3>\n<p><b><\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019ve been busy throughout the year, it\u2019s important that you stay on top of your truck\u2019s maintenance. The most important thing is to check fluid levels: oil, brake fluid, transmission fluid, and power steering fluid. You should check antifreeze and radiator levels, too, and switch to cold weather protection motor oil for added protection.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next, you\u2019ll want to check your battery to make sure there are no leaks; after all, you don\u2019t want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere when your truck won\u2019t start. Don\u2019t forget to have a mechanic inspect the truck, too, to make sure all hoses and fan belts are still in good condition because they\u2019ll stretch or snap more easily in cold weather. Replace any hoses and belts that are noticeably worn out.<\/span><br \/>\n<b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"howtoprotect2\">Check your tires<\/h3>\n<p><b><\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is particularly important for those in areas that are prone to snow storms. When the weather is cold, air pressure in the tires will drop, and you wouldn\u2019t want to risk a flat tire, or a tire blow-out. Check the treads to make sure they\u2019re not worn out and ensure that the tires are properly inflated. In the best case scenario, you should be using snow tires, although all-season tires will work, too.\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"howtoprotect3\">Take steps to ensure you can drive safely<\/h3>\n<p><b><\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Besides making sure the truck can run properly and safely, you\u2019ll want to check the defroster, wipers, and heating system. You\u2019ll need those to de-ice the truck and make sure the windshield isn\u2019t obscured while someone\u2019s driving in cold weather. Make sure you also have extra engine oil and washer fluid, to ensure you don\u2019t run out.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"uv-lst\" data-category=\"20\" data-count=\"6\" data-type=\"new\"> <\/div>\n<h3 id=\"howtoprotect4\">Prevent rust<\/h3>\n<p><b><\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You wouldn\u2019t want any part of your truck to rust, especially the hinges, since that could affect the truck\u2019s appearance and make it hard for you to open the doors. So to prevent that from happening, spray crevices, hinges, and anything shiny with some WD-40 or any sort of rust-inhibiting coating. If you\u2019re thinking of having the truck washed and waxed at some point, apply the coating a few days before then.<\/span><br \/>\n<b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"howtoprotect5\">Add sources of heat<\/h3>\n<p><b><\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s not just the number of customers that will get affected by winter temperatures. Your workers and the food being prepared will also be affected. So install heaters inside the back part of the food truck, if you haven\u2019t already done so. This will make sure that employees stay comfortably warm during the colder months. Consider investing in special equipment like warming plates, too, to keep hot dishes at the temperature you need them to be.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For added safety, you\u2019ll want to use an electric heater or two rather than propane-powered ones, since the former would be less dangerous than the latter. Just make sure you have a way to power said electric heater (or heaters).\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"howtoprotect6\">Reduce chances of injury in the back<\/h3>\n<p><b><\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Optimally, most of your kitchen equipment and any <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/truck-shelving-systems-mobile-business\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">shelving systems<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> should be bolted securely to either the floor or the walls, and loose items secured in some way. This way, whenever you drive, any employees riding in the back won\u2019t get hit by anything heavy or sharp and nothing gets knocked over. This is especially important when the roads start icing over even just a little.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Making sure all your equipment can\u2019t hurt you or your employees when the truck is in motion isn\u2019t just for your safety. Remember that how well you take care of your equipment will also affect how long they last and how long they can continue to function without issues. So you\u2019re not just keeping employees from injury; you\u2019re also keeping your equipment from getting too banged up and damaged to work well, and ensuring that you didn\u2019t waste money on that equipment only to have to buy a replacement.\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"howtoprotect7\">Ensure the back area is sanitary<\/h3>\n<p><b><\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019re sure you already wash all your equipment properly at the end of the day and make sure everything is clean before storing them. However, you\u2019ll want to be extra careful and check that there\u2019s no food left in any containers, in the fryer, and so on. If left alone for long enough, leftover food could wind up spoiling over time, even in a cold environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take some time to ascertain that the inside of the oven is completely dry; the same goes for any refrigeration units if you\u2019ll be emptying them while your food truck business takes a winter break. Moisture can lead to mold growth, because not only is that unsanitary, but it can affect the equipment, too.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All in all, it doesn\u2019t take a sanitation professional or mechanic to know how to protect your food truck and the equipment throughout winter. In fact, it\u2019s similar to caring for any vehicle you own, plus taking care of appliances in your home kitchen. Make the effort, and you\u2019ll be rewarded with not just a truck, but equipment that\u2019s still functioning well when winter ends.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it seems like there\u2019s one holiday after another and temperatures drop, you know that winter\u2019s on its way. All seasons bring with them their own potential challenges, but winter can be particularly challenging if you\u2019re not prepared, especially if you run a culinary business of any sort.\u00a0 If you [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":191,"featured_media":2741,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[27,642,868],"class_list":["post-2738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-trucks","tag-food-truck","tag-food-truck-equipment","tag-food-truck-protection"],"modified_by":"Titus Asher","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/191"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2738"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2744,"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2738\/revisions\/2744"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}