Keeping those truck parts fresh (1 Viewer)

[jonheld]

OK, so this may be borderline tech, but I found a new use for my wife's vacuum sealer. Since I store parts in my garage which gets humid in the summer and freezes in the winter, I thought I would take an extra step by vacuum sealing wheel and kingpin bearings and protecting the rest of the front end rebuild kit.
The bearings are a full vacuum and seal, the rest of the seals/gaskets/bits are partial vac and seal in 1 large bag, and the pieces are individually packaged within.

This also helps keep things organized when parts get thrown in boxes for wheeling trips and the Foodsaver bags are pretty heavy duty.

 

[inkpot]

You could just put a light coating of oil on them. Might keep ya outa divorce court. It would work for me!

 

[MDarius]

I'd put one of those little dessicant packs in there. If you're in a humid area you're sealing moisture in. You can get them at dry-pack locations or on Amazon. I suppose oiling them thoroughly would work too.

Is it weird that the first two posts are just like, "Yeah. That's reasonable." We have an illness.

 

[jonheld]

I'd put one of those little dessicant packs in there. If you're in a humid area you're sealing moisture in. You can get them at dry-pack locations or on Amazon. I suppose oiling them thoroughly would work too.

Is it weird that the first two posts are just like, "Yeah. That's reasonable." We have an illness.

If it's vacuum sealed there can be no moisture.

 

[MDarius]

I get it!

 

[Kernal]

That's a good idea; I keep most of my new (and some old) parts inside the house for the same reason but they take up a lot of space. What brand of vacuum sealer did you use and how large a bag can it handle, what do the bags cost?

 

[jonheld]

It's a FoodSaver product. For the kingpin bearings I used a quart size bag. Everything else went into custom sizes that I cut off a roll.
We bought this before I had my ARB refrigerator and we were using regular coolers with ice. We threw out so much food from water contamination, etc that it made sense to pre-package raw meats before throwing them in the cooler. I haven't used it in years, but it is a very good unit.
You'll have to do your own research into current pricing. All this stuff was just sitting on a shelf in my basement for years.

 

[Hornd]

OK, so this may be borderline tech, but I found a new use for my wife's vacuum sealer. Since I store parts in my garage which gets humid in the summer and freezes in the winter, I thought I would take an extra step by vacuum sealing wheel and kingpin bearings and protecting the rest of the front end rebuild kit.
The bearings are a full vacuum and seal, the rest of the seals/gaskets/bits are partial vac and seal in 1 large bag, and the pieces are individually packaged within.

This also helps keep things organized when parts get thrown in boxes for wheeling trips and the Foodsaver bags are pretty heavy duty.

View attachment 1205441

I do socks and matches when camping. Yet to have either get wet.

I also vacuum seal cash when I get paid, then I freeze it in a milk jug so the wife can't spend it too fast.

 

[Kernal]

Did some searching; prices range from around $100 to $200 for FoodSaver vacuum sealing machines, the higher end sealer will do zippered bags also. Pretty neat.

Amazon.com: FoodSaver 4840 2-in-1 Vacuum Sealing System with Bonus Built-in Retractable Handheld Sealer, Starter Kit, Heat-Seal and Zipper Bags: Kitchen & Dining

 

[landcruiser80]

To seal a lot of parts this way would get expensive, but it is a really good idea.
Thanks for the tip Jon

 

[Kernal]

The price of the bags seems reasonable, depends on size and thickness. Looks like you can also buy a continuous roll of a specific width:

Foodsaver Vacuum sealer bags and rolls wholesale Weston 50 ft rolls

 

[math]

Are they edible afterwards?

In all seriousness, a light coat of oil would be quite sufficient. I suppose this is marginally faster and easier, though.

 

[MDarius]

Are they edible afterwards?

In all seriousness, a light coat of oil would be quite sufficient. I suppose this is marginally faster and easier, though.

Yeah, but then you get oil on stuff. This is the LX method of storage.

 

[blkprj80]

I have a cheap polar fleece jacket that I bought and vacuum sealed years ago. It's still vacuum sealed, and takes up very little room.

When you're ready to use your parts, you can boil them in the bag before you use them!

 

[DSRTRDR]

 

[ChaseTruck]

OK, so this may be borderline tech, but I found a new use for my wife's vacuum sealer. Since I store parts in my garage which gets humid in the summer and freezes in the winter, I thought I would take an extra step by vacuum sealing wheel and kingpin bearings and protecting the rest of the front end rebuild kit.
The bearings are a full vacuum and seal, the rest of the seals/gaskets/bits are partial vac and seal in 1 large bag, and the pieces are individually packaged within.

This also helps keep things organized when parts get thrown in boxes for wheeling trips and the Foodsaver bags are pretty heavy duty.

View attachment 1205441

Could have used the vacuum to at least suck grease into the bearings... just saying

 

[Kernal]

I have some used parts oiled up and in zip lock freezer bags but I like the idea of the vacuum bags which seem less likely to leak, easier to pack away.

 

[Dubbinchris]

If it's vacuum sealed there can be no moisture.

IF the parts have any moisture on them and then you vacuum seal them, where do you think the moisture goes then?

 

[BILT4ME]

IF the parts have any moisture on them and then you vacuum seal them, where do you think the moisture goes then?

In a vacuum, the water flashes off to a vapor (because the vapor pressure has dropped) and then the vapor is removed from the bag, assuming that it has achieved a vacuum of -28"HG. This is why theey vacuum out your AC on your truck, as it removed the moisture from the drier as well as flashing off the oil and the freon.

However, I would be concerned that if they were coated oil, then bagged, the oil would break down the plastic. and then it would be exposed again anyway. Also, the oil would evaporate at that low of vacuum.

 

[AlaskanLX450]

I have greased and vacuum packed parts for all my trail rigs! Vacuum packer packs grease quite well, and its already packed when SHTF and you are on a trail rebuilding a spindle.

As much hunting and fishing as there is in Alaska, I think I have used my Foodsaver just as much for stuff like this than sealing food