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What should you buy to spoil the special truck enthusiast in your life?

Christmas is almost here! If you haven’t picked up your presents already, you’re on a serious time crunch! Maybe you have no clue what to get your significant other! If they’re obsessed with their pickup truck, there are numerous gifts that are very useful but won’t break the bank! Some of most useful accessories also happen to be the cheapest accessories you will find. If you have no idea about trucks, you probably wouldn’t think of them. I’m going to help you out. Here are my 5 best Christmas gift ideas for truck lovers in 2019!

1. Dee Zee Tailgate Assist $25-$30

One of the most useful Christmas Gift Ideas for truck owners in 2019 also happens to be the cheapest. The Dee Zee Tailgate Assist stops you from ever slamming the tailgate again. When you drop your tailgate, the tailgate assist controls the fall of your tailgate by using a shock absorber. The other benefit is that it makes it easier to close your tailgate too. This is extremely useful because it allows you to easily open or close your tailgate when your hands are full. It also makes tailgates safer to operate for kids. Installation only takes around 5-10 minutes and should be very easy for anyone with basic hand tools.

Check out our Dee Zee Tailgate Assist review for more information. Keep in mind, the tailgate assist isn’t necessary for recent GMC or Chevrolet trucks. They come equipped with the EZ-Lift tailgate that provides these same features. Here’s a couple of links directly to the Dee Zee Tailgate Assist on Amazon.

Dee Zee Tailgate Assist in action

2. Rubber Floor Liner Set $80-$200

Floor Liners have a huge impact when it comes to keeping your truck clean. This is especially the case in areas where you experience snow or muddy conditions frequently. Floor Liners are contoured to fit your truck perfectly. This means they are shaped perfectly to match the floor of your truck. They are significantly better at keeping your truck clean too because they aren’t flat. Floor liners have an inch or two depth to contain spills, mud, snow, or whatever else you throw at them. These are an excellent addition to a truck that frequently has little kids riding in the back. Depending on your truck’s cab configuration, Floor Liners will be different. We recommend using Husky Liners because they’re high quality and we have used them on numerous trucks. I’ll include some links below to Floor Liners for popular trucks.

Husky Liners For Ram

Husky Liners for Ford

Husky Liners for Chevrolet & GMC Trucks

2014-18 Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab, 2015-19 Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 2500/3500 Crew Cab

3. Bug Guards/Hood Shields

Where I’m located in Florida, we have an unbelievable abundance of love bugs. Not only do these love bugs make a nasty mess when they hit your truck, but their remains are acidic which can cause paint damage if it’s not removed quickly. Bugs aren’t the only thing bug guards like the EGR Super Guard Hood Shield protect against. Rocks can also cause damage to your truck’s hood. At only $60-$80 bug shields are a must-have.

I personally like the EGR Super Guard Hood Shield. Why? I love this specific bug shield because it requires no drilling and doesn’t use tape either. It mounts using factory holes under the hood and two clips. It takes at the most 5-10 minutes to install, and it does a tremendous job at keeping my 2018 Ram 2500’s hood clean. There are other available bug shield options too though! They can be found in Chrome, matte black, or gloss black configurations. You can find links to the EGR Super Guard Hood Shield for popular trucks directly below.

EGR Super Guard for Ram Trucks

EGR Super Guard for Ford Trucks

EGR Super Guard for Chevrolet Trucks

4. Bolt Locks – Receiver Locks $31

Does the person you’re shopping for have a hitch on the back of their truck? If they do, they probably have a receiver lock to keep their precious hitch safe. If they don’t and they’re just using a pin, they NEED one. Hitches are very easy to steal and frequently taken off of trucks in parking lots. Receiver locks are a must-have.

The problem with receiver locks however, is that they use a separate key. You then have to add this key to your key chain or store it somewhere in your truck. What if it gets lost? You’ll have to break your lock to take your hitch off. Bolt Locks offers a receiver lock that utilizes your truck key. It memorizes the 1st key that is installed in the lock. This is much more convenient than having extra keys you have to keep around. Check out the links below to find which bolt lock you need.

5. Programmers & Monitors

Programmers and Monitors provide real time data about a truck’s performance. This includes engine oil temperature, coolant temp, fuel economy and other things. Many monitor units also offer tuning that increases horsepower and torque, improves fuel economy, and make the truck more fun to drive. They also allow you to read and clear diagnostic codes, and adjust settings like the speed limiter. Just be aware of whether the programmer you pick offers clean emissions compliant tuning or emissions delete tuning!

Bully Dog BDX - #5 on our list of the best Christmas gift ideas for 2019.

Quality programmers include the Edge Insight CTS2 and Bully Dog’s BDX or GTX. I’ve had all three on my trucks and they all feature highly customizable displays and valuable insights. They’re universal so these units will work with pretty much all trucks. The Bully Dog/SCT BDX and GTX offer tuning with their units however, so if you’re looking for more than just a monitor, that is the way to go.

Want More Christmas Gift Ideas for 2019?

Need More Christmas Gift Ideas For the truck obsessed person you love? Find out 6-10 on our list of best Christmas Gift Ideas for 2019.

Build Your Next Super Duty 6.7L Powerstroke

What is an Oil Catch Can?

Catch Cans like the Mishimoto Universal High-Flow catch can are primarily responsible for catching blow-by that is re-routed by your diesel truck’s crankcase ventilation system or CCV. This blow-by consists of oil and fuel vapors that enter the crankcase after combustion. Your truck’s CCV system will then re-route this oil and vapor through the intake.

Catch can’s have been around a while for gasoline powered automobiles, but what about Diesels? Because of their high compression ratios, diesels are especially susceptible to blow-by. Standard catch cans designed for most gas-powered vehicles won’t work for diesels though. They’re too restrictive, and they can cause serious issues like putting your truck in limp mode. Why does this happen? The high horsepower and torque of diesel trucks leads to very high crankcase pressures. A bigger, high-flowing catch can is needed for diesel applications.

Why Should You Get A Catch Can?

The crankcase ventilation system causes blow-by to enter your truck’s intake. This means your turbocharger, intercooler, intake, and other crucial parts can experience carbon build-up causing premature failure. Wouldn’t you rather pay the small price of a catch can to help prevent major failures like a bad turbocharger?

Why Choose Mishimoto’s High-Flow Universal Catch Can?

Mishimoto’s High-Flow Universal Catch Can was made for diesel trucks. They offer high-flowing catch cans that won’t restrict your CCV system but still capture significant blow-by. Inlet and outlet ports feature 1″ diameters compared to the standard 3/8″ outlets. A massive filter featuring CNC-Machined baffle catches harmful vapors and oil while simultaneously letting crankcase vapors pass through.

Worried about having another part to worry about or having to do more maintenance? Mishimoto makes it easy by allowing you to drain the catch can without removing the filter by using a 3/8 NPT plug on the bottom of the casing. They also provide the necessary hardware and a mounting bracket for easy installation too! Mishimoto also has a lifetime warranty on all of their products.

Want to see my thoughts on the High-Flow Catch can? Check out my review of Mishimoto’s High-Flow Universal Catch Can that I installed on my 2018 Ram 2500. This catch can is also one of the products mentioned in my “10 Best Gift Ideas For Christmas 2019” blog post.

Universal High-Flow Catch Can Kit Components — Included Items in the **Universal High-Flow Baffled Catch Can Kit**

Want To Buy Mishimoto’s High-Flow Catch Can Kit?

Click the Amazon link below to take advantage of your Amazon Prime membership and get this high-flow catch can for your diesel!

Drive A Powerstroke? Mishimoto Has Specific Catch Cans For Your Truck.

Own a Powerstroke? You don’t have to use the Universal catch can! Mishimoto makes specific catch cans for your truck. Find the links below!

2011-2016 Powerstroke

2017+ Powerstroke

Learn more about this particular catch can by visiting Mishimoto’s R&D blog post on the Universal high-flow catch can.