Hunting season opens across Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota through September and October, and truck traffic picks up right along with it. Deer stands, ATVs, firewood, and gear all need to get from point A to point B, and a truck that has not been checked over since spring can turn a straightforward hauling trip into a headache. Here is what to look at before your truck starts earning its keep this season.
Know Your Payload and Towing Capacity
Every truck has a limit, and it is usually lower than people expect once a trailer, a full bed, and a couple of passengers are all factored in together. Check the yellow sticker inside the driver's door jamb for your truck's exact payload rating, and check your owner's manual for towing capacity if you are pulling a trailer. Overloading a truck does not just risk damage. It changes stopping distance and handling in ways that matter a lot more once you are on a gravel road in the dark with a trailer behind you.
Tires Built for the Terrain
Field roads, gravel, and mud are a different environment than daily pavement driving, and tires take the brunt of it. Check tread depth before the season starts, and look the tires over for sidewall damage from summer driving on rougher roads. Inflation matters too. A loaded truck typically needs higher tire pressure than an empty one, so check your door jamb sticker for the loaded rating rather than assuming your everyday pressure is correct once you have gear in the bed.
Manage the Bed
A truck bed full of loose gear is asking for trouble, especially over rough terrain. A bed liner protects the truck itself, but tie-downs and a cargo net do the real work of keeping equipment from sliding around or bouncing out entirely. If you are hauling a deer stand, ATV, or firewood, take the extra few minutes to secure the load properly rather than trusting gravity to keep it in place.
Run a Pre-Season Maintenance Check
Heavier loads put more strain on a truck's systems, so it is worth confirming everything is in good shape before the season really gets going:
- Brakes: stopping distance increases significantly with a loaded bed or trailer, so worn pads matter more now than they did in the summer
- Fluids: check transmission fluid and coolant, both of which work harder under load
- 4WD or AWD system: engage it before you actually need it in the field, so any issue shows up in the driveway instead of two miles down a muddy trail
- Battery: cold mornings in the stand mean early starts, and a weak battery is the last thing you want to discover before sunrise
Most Kunes service centers offer a complimentary multi-point inspection that covers the bulk of this list in a single visit, which is an easy way to head into the season with confidence instead of guesswork.
A Truck That Is Already Been Checked Out
If you are looking to add a vehicle to the fleet before the season gets underway, whether that is a truck, SUV, or car, our No Fear Certified lineup includes vehicles that have already been through a multi-point inspection covering brakes, tires, fluids, and the drivetrain, before real miles ever get put on them. For trucks specifically, that means the inspection happens before real cargo weight gets loaded on too. Inspection coverage can vary by vehicle age and mileage, so ask your Kunes team for the specifics on any vehicle you are considering. For someone about to put a truck to work hauling gear and game all season, that is a meaningful head start over a used truck with an unknown history.
