Preparing for Spring Rain and Wet Weather

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By Richard Kemner, Founder • RDK Truck Sales • Tampa, FL • 40+ Years in the Refuse Industry Exhaust System & Body Maintenance.

✅ SPRING EXHAUST SYSTEM & BODY MAINTENANCE CHECKLIST

☐ Inspect all exhaust pipes, clamps, hangers, and brackets
☐ Check for soot staining or exhaust leaks at joints
☐ Inspect flex pipes for cracks or deterioration
☐ Check DPF for soot loading – schedule cleaning if needed
☐ Inspect DEF fluid – drain and refill if degraded
☐ Pressure wash entire body including underside and hopper
☐ Inspect and clear all body drain holes
☐ Touch up scratched, chipped, or bare-metal areas
☐ Inspect hopper floor for thin spots and cracks
☐ Check packer panel and blade for cracks or wear
☐ Inspect all welds at body-to-subframe mounting points
☐ Lubricate tailgate hinges, pins, and latches
☐ Verify tailgate seals to prevent leachate on chassis

If my Hydraulic System Maintenance blog was about the heartbeat of your truck, this one is about protecting the skin and the lungs. Your exhaust system and your truck body take a tremendous beating during winter, and spring brings a whole new set of challenges. Wet weather, road spray, standing water, salt residue, and humidity all go to work on your equipment the minute the temperature rises. In over 40 years in the refuse industry, I’ve watched more trucks rot from the outside in than break from the inside out. The operators who stay ahead of corrosion and exhaust maintenance are the ones who get the most life out of their equipment. It’s not glamorous work, but it’s the kind of work that saves you real money.

Exhaust System & Body Maintenance: What Winter Did to It

Cold starts are brutal on exhaust systems. Every time you fire up a diesel engine in cold weather, you get condensation forming inside the exhaust pipes, the muffler, the DPF, and the entire aftertreatment system. That moisture mixes with exhaust gases and creates acidic compounds that eat metal from the inside out. All winter long, this has been happening on every cold morning start. Now spring arrives. The temperature swings from cold nights to warm days. That cycle keeps the condensation coming. Add in rain, road spray, and the salt and chemical residue from winter road treatments, and your exhaust system is under attack from both inside and outside.

Exhaust System & Body Maintenance: What to Inspect on the Exhaust

Start at the turbo outlet and work your way back to the tailpipe. Look at every clamp, every gasket joint, every hanger, and every bracket. Here’s what you’re looking for: Rust-through or thinning metal on pipes and muffler shells. Tap suspect areas with a screwdriver handle. If it sounds hollow or gives, you’ve got a problem. Loose or broken hangers and clamps. A sagging exhaust pipe will crack at the joints from vibration. Soot staining around joints that indicates an exhaust leak. Black marks on nearby components are a dead giveaway. Cracked or deteriorated flex pipes. These take the most abuse from engine movement and vibration. On trucks with DPF and aftertreatment systems, check for any warning lights or fault codes related to the DPF, DEF system, or SCR catalyst. Winter operation with lots of short runs and low exhaust temperatures is the number one cause of DPF soot loading issues. If your trucks were doing a lot of stop-and-go residential collection in cold weather, there’s a good chance the DPF needs a forced regen or a cleaning.

⚠ ️ RDK Pro Tip: Exhaust leaks don’t just waste fuel and hurt performance. They put carbon monoxide right where your crew works. An exhaust leak near the cab on a rear loader means your driver and helpers are breathing fumes every time they stop at a house. This is a safety issue first, a maintenance issue second.

DPF and Aftertreatment: Don’t Ignore the Lights

If you’ve been putting off a DPF cleaning or ignoring regen warnings, spring is the time to deal with it. A loaded DPF restricts exhaust flow, increases fuel consumption, raises EGT temperatures, and can eventually cause a derate or a shutdown. We’ve seen trucks go into limp mode on route because the operator ignored the DPF warning for weeks.

At RDK we recommend getting your DPF professionally cleaned at least once a year, and more often if you’re running heavy stop-and-go residential routes. It’s a fraction of the cost of replacing a DPF or dealing with the downstream damage that a plugged filter causes.

Also check your DEF fluid. If it sat in the tank all winter and was exposed to freeze-thaw cycles, it may have degraded. DEF that has crystallized or separated will not perform properly and can damage your SCR catalyst. If there’s any doubt, drain the tank and refill with fresh DEF.

Exhaust System & Body Maintenance: Where Body Corrosion Hides

Spring rain and wet weather create a whole new corrosion environment for your refuse body. Water pools in packer chambers, sits in the hopper floor channels, collects around tailgate hinges, and finds every scratch, nick, and bare-metal spot on the body. Salt residue from winter operations or treated roads accelerates the damage.

Here is what we recommend for every truck in your fleet coming into spring:

Wash the entire body thoroughly, including the underside, inside the hopper, and all the hard-to-reach areas behind the packer panel and around the tailgate mechanism. You’re removing salt and chemical residue that will eat your steel. Inspect the hopper floor for thin spots and cracks. Get down underneath and look. This is where leachate sits and where corrosion does its worst work. Use a flashlight. Check the packer panel for cracks, bends, or signs of stress. A cracked packer panel will only get worse under load. Inspect all welds, particularly at high-stress points where the body meets the subframe. Look for rust bubbling under paint around all the edges, corners, and drain holes. That’s corrosion starting underneath the coating. Verify all drain holes are open and clear. Clogged drains mean standing water inside the body, and standing water means rust.

Rain, Mud, and Wet Routes: How They Affect Daily Operations

Spring wet weather doesn’t just affect the truck sitting in the yard. It affects the truck on route every day. Wet loads are heavier loads. A rear loader or front loader packed with rain-soaked yard waste or wet garbage can easily exceed weight limits that the same volume of dry material would not. That extra weight puts more stress on the hydraulics, the body, the chassis, and the brakes.

Mud and standing water on unpaved roads and at landfill sites get thrown up into every gap and crevice on the truck. That mud holds moisture against the metal and creates the perfect environment for corrosion. It also packs into brake components, wheel ends, and suspension parts.

We tell our customers: if your trucks are running wet routes in spring, bump up your wash schedule. A truck that gets washed twice a week during wet season will last years longer than one that only gets washed when someone remembers.

Exhaust System & Body Maintenance: Leachate Management in Wet Weather

This is a big one that gets overlooked. In wet weather, the volume of leachate coming out of your truck body increases significantly. That liquid is acidic and corrosive. If your drain systems aren’t working properly, that leachate sits inside the body and eats the steel from the inside. Make sure your body drains are functioning and that the seals around the tailgate are in good condition to prevent leachate from running down the back of the truck and onto the chassis. Leachate on chassis components, especially on frame rails and crossmembers, causes corrosion that’s expensive to repair and can create safety issues.

This Is Blog 2 of 3 in Our Spring Maintenance Series

Blog 1: Hydraulic System Maintenance – Getting Your Fleet Ready for Spring
Blog 2: Exhaust System & Body Maintenance – Preparing for Spring Rain and Wet Weather
Blog 3: DOT Inspection & Chassis Readiness – A Friendly Reminder That Could Save Your Fleet

Subscribe to our email list or follow us online so you don’t miss the rest of the series. And as always, if you have questions or want to talk shop, give us a call.

Let’s Talk Trash

After 40-plus years in this business, I can tell you one thing for sure: I’m still learning. Every fleet we work with teaches us something new. Every season brings a new challenge. That’s what keeps this industry exciting. If you’ve got a trick that works for your fleet, a question about something we covered here, or you just want to talk trucks, we’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line, give us a call, or stop by the shop in Tampa. At RDK, our customers aren’t just customers. They’re family.

“We Service What We Sell”

Disclaimer: The information in this blog is based on over 40 years of hands-on experience in the refuse industry. It is intended for general informational purposes only. Every fleet, every route, and every truck is different. We strongly encourage you to conduct your own due diligence, consult with qualified technicians, and follow your manufacturer’s specific maintenance guidelines when making equipment servicing and purchasing decisions. If you have questions or want to talk shop, give us a call. We’re always learning and we welcome your feedback.

Getting Your Fleet Ready for Spring

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By Richard Kemner, Founder • RDK Truck Sales • Tampa, FL • 40+ Years in the Refuse Industry Dealing with Hydraulic System Maintenance Issues.

✅ SPRING HYDRAULIC CHECKLIST

☐ Pull and inspect hydraulic fluid sample
☐ Change all hydraulic filters (return line, suction, in-line)
☐ Inspect every hose for cracks, bulging, and chafe marks
☐ Check all fittings for leaks
☐ Inspect cylinder rods for scoring and pitting
☐ Look for weeping seals on all cylinders
☐ Test full system operation under load
☐ Listen for pump noise, cavitation, or whine
☐ Verify reservoir fluid level after full cycle
☐ Check breather cap on reservoir for blockage

Winter is hard on garbage trucks. If you run a fleet anywhere that gets real cold, you already know that. But what a lot of operators don’t think about is what happens when the weather changes. That transition from cold to warm is where a lot of problems show up, especially in your hydraulic systems. I’ve been in the refuse business since 1983. Started riding routes at five in the morning just to learn. Over 40 years later, I’m still learning. But one thing I can tell you with absolute confidence is this: your hydraulics are the heartbeat of a refuse truck. If they go down, you go down. And spring is when they like to remind you of that.

Why Winter Beats Up Your Hydraulics

Cold weather thickens hydraulic fluid. When temperatures drop below freezing, your fluid viscosity changes dramatically. That means your pumps are working harder, your cylinders are moving slower, and every seal in the system is under more stress than it was designed for. The rubber in your hoses and seals contracts and gets brittle. Metal components expand and contract with temperature swings. All winter long, your hydraulic system has been taking a beating even if everything looked fine from the cab.

Here’s what we’ve seen over the years: the trucks that have the most spring breakdowns are the ones that nobody looked at during winter. They just kept running them. And now, as temperatures rise, all those cold-weather microdamage starts showing up as real problems.

Hydraulic Fluid: Check It, Change It, Get It Right

This is step one and it’s the most important. Pull a fluid sample. Look at the color. Fresh hydraulic fluid is a clear amber. If yours looks dark, milky, or has visible particles in it, you’ve got contamination. Milky fluid almost always means moisture got in, and that’s a killer for pumps and valves. Even if your fluid looks okay, consider when it was last changed. Most manufacturers recommend a full hydraulic fluid change every 2,000 to 4,000 operating hours depending on the application and the conditions you’re running in. If you ran hard all winter and you’re anywhere near that interval, spring is the time to do it. One thing we tell every customer: don’t mix fluid types. If your system calls for AW-46, use AW-46. If it calls for AW-68, use AW-68. Mixing viscosities or brands can cause foaming, overheating, and accelerated wear. When in doubt, check your operator’s manual or give your body manufacturer a call.

⚠ ️ RDK Pro Tip: If you see foam on top of the fluid when you open the reservoir, you either have an air leak on the suction side or moisture contamination. Don’t ignore it. Both will destroy your pump over time.

Hoses and Fittings: Look for the Warning Signs

Walk around every truck in your fleet with a flashlight and look at every hydraulic hose you can see. You’re looking for cracking on the outer cover, bulging anywhere along the length, wet spots or oil film around fittings, and any hose that looks like it’s been rubbing against the frame or body. Winter cold makes rubber brittle. Spring warmth makes it expand. That cycle is exactly what causes hoses to fail. A hose that survived all winter can blow on the first warm day because the rubber finally gave out after months of contracting and expanding. Pay special attention to hoses near heat sources like the exhaust manifold and engine. Also check any hoses that route through tight spaces where they might rub. Chafing is one of the most common causes of hydraulic hose failure on refuse trucks, and it’s almost always preventable with proper routing and clamps. At RDK we’ve seen hoses blow on route and dump 40 gallons of hydraulic fluid on a residential street. That’s an environmental issue, a safety issue, and a very expensive tow. A ten-minute visual inspection can prevent all of that.

Cylinders and Seals: Where the Money Is

Your packer cylinders, tailgate cylinders, and body lift cylinders do the heavy lifting every single day. After a hard winter, check every cylinder for rod scoring, pitting, and any signs of oil weeping past the seals. Even a small drip means the seal is compromised, and it’s only going to get worse as temperatures rise and the system heats up under load. Seal replacement is relatively inexpensive if you catch it early. A failed cylinder because you let it go is not. We’ve seen packer cylinders lock up mid-cycle because a seal blew out and all the pressure was lost. That’s a truck off route and a crew standing around waiting for a service call.

Filters: The Cheapest Insurance You Can Buy

A key step in hydraulic system maintenance is changing your hydraulic filters. Every single one. Return line filters, suction filters, and any in-line filters your system has. Coming out of winter, those filters have been catching all the contaminants that cold weather and condensation created. A clogged filter means your pump is working against restriction, which means heat, which means accelerated wear on every component downstream. This is one of the simplest and cheapest maintenance items you can do, and it’s one of the most commonly skipped. At RDK we stock filters for every body and chassis we sell. There’s no reason to skip this step.

Test the System Under Load

After you’ve checked the fluid, inspected the hoses, looked at the cylinders, and changed the filters, run the system through a full cycle under load. Watch for slow operation, jerky movements, unusual noise, and any vibration that wasn’t there before. Cycle the packer. Cycle the tailgate. Operate the body lift if applicable. Do it multiple times and pay attention.

A system that works fine with no load but struggles under load is telling you something. Usually it’s a pump that’s starting to wear internally, a relief valve that needs adjustment, or a cylinder that’s bypassing internally even though it’s not leaking externally yet.

This Is Blog 1 of 3 in Our Spring Maintenance Series

Blog 1: Hydraulic System Maintenance: Getting Your Fleet Ready for Spring
Blog 2: Exhaust System & Body Maintenance Preparing for Spring Rain and Wet Weather
Blog 3: DOT Inspection & Chassis Readiness – A Friendly Reminder That Could Save Your Fleet

Subscribe to our email list or follow us online so you don’t miss the rest of the series. And as always, if you have questions or want to talk shop, give us a call.

Let’s Talk Trash & Hydraulic System Maintenance

After 40-plus years in this business, I can tell you one thing for sure: I’m still learning. Every fleet we work with teaches us something new. Every season brings a new challenge. That’s what keeps this industry exciting. If you’ve got a trick that works for your fleet, a question about something we covered here, or you just want to talk trucks, we’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line, give us a call, or stop by the shop in Tampa. At RDK, our customers aren’t just customers. They’re family.

“We Service What We Sell”

Disclaimer: The information in this hydraulic system maintenance blog is based on over 40 years of hands-on experience in the refuse industry. It is intended for general informational purposes only. Every fleet, every route, and every truck is different. We strongly encourage you to conduct your own due diligence, consult with qualified technicians, and follow your manufacturer’s specific maintenance guidelines when making equipment servicing and purchasing decisions. If you have questions or want to talk shop, give us a call. We’re always learning and we welcome your feedback.