Ford F-150 Maintenance Before Camping: Checking Your Winch and Electronics (Part Four)
If you have a winch or other parts that need a battery source to power up that were not part of the truck, you’ll want to make sure they all work. Especially that winch as it will end up being your lifesaver if you get stuck on the trail!
For all of your outside lights, you’ll want to check their operation. Turn each light on and see if all the bulbs or LEDs light up. It’s a good time to make sure all of your OE lights work, too.
Grab a friend or a “helpful” kid and get them to turn on your signals, hit the brakes, put the truck in reverse, and operate the headlights to check for dead bulbs. Don’t have a helper? A broomstick or a prop of some kind will help you check the brake lights. If you want to check reverse, do it with the key on but the engine off and chock a wheel or set the parking brake.
Inspect wires for worn sheaths and exposed wires as these will get you in trouble in a hurry if not taken care of. Electrical tape can protect a worn sheath, but more extreme measures will require a butt connector repair or even a full wiring replacement.
Your winch is going to be in operational order if you’re going to go wheeling while you’re camping. You’ll want to check the line for frays and you will want to pull it all the way out. This is good for checking to make sure you spool clutch is working properly as well.
Check your fairlead head for gouges and, if it uses rollers, check that they spin freely. Then engage the clutch on the spool and reel the line back in after checking out your controller for wire frays and damage.
You’ll also want to check your winch gear, so look over your gloves, snatch block, and straps. Happy camping!