Update Update

[SRanney]

Today, I steered the Mother of All Snowblowers out into the fresh 12-15" we got in yesterday's blizzard. It made it about 200 feet in a single pass (it takes six passes to clear the driveway when the snow is low enough to do it that way), and then the drive transmission shot craps. I knew it was bad when I removed the lower panel and one of the spider gears on the left differential fell out. The differential frame was pretzeled.

So, we hand-shoveled about 400 feet of driveway today, the Redhead and I. Our neighbor came to our rescue this time, and used his front-end loader to take care of the other 800 feet or so out to the road.

So, we moved 185 cubic yards of heavy, wet snow the old-fashioned way: with snow shovels.

Was that harder than moving 1200 cy of snow with a blower? You betcha.

But I will be at work tomorrow: My last day.

You have been updated.

Rick "who can feel separate and distinct pain in about 175 different muscles" Denney

Our driveway is ~200 feet long, graveled, and quite wide toward the barn. When we get a big dump of snow (which is relatively frequent), we end up just driving over the snow until it's become compact. I'll shovel off my 20' X 20' patio because that's where my grill and smoker are, but will not shovel or blow my driveway. It's just too damn big and it snows so often. I detest shoveling show.

On an update note, my email was hacked by spammers today. Bummer.

[Rick Denney]

When we get a big dump of snow (which is relatively frequent), we end up just driving over the snow until it's become compact.

What do you drive over it with? The highest ground clearance vehicle I have is a Toyota T100 4X4 truck, but it wasn't going to make much headway in our 30-inch storm last weekend, which fall on top of four or five inches that was sitting on the ground already from the previous storm during the Army Tuba Conference a week before.

When we get 6-8 inches or less in one snowfall, we usually just ignore it. But that has consequences, because it makes it more difficult to clear the next snowfall, and sometimes the conditions are such that it melts down to a sheet of ice. Then, the driveway becomes a source for a case of bustass. It took six months for my left knee to heal after I measured my length on the hard ice a few years ago. At that point, I vowed to not let the snow build up. And it will get worse as we get older. But you can only do what you can do.

We get one of these monster coastal storms once every four or five years. We had a big one in 1996, and the last one before this year was 2003. But we've been hit by four storms this year in that size category.

Rick "who tries to stay on top of it, when possible" Denney

[SRanney]

What do you drive over it with?

My Jeep Cherokee 4x4 is adept at navigating through the deep stuff. Granted, most of what we get is much drier than what likely fell at your place, but my Jeep and my girl's truck (Ford F-150 4x4) really don't have an issue making headway in at least 24" powder. A flat, graveled driveway helps with traction and there are few cases of bustass when footing is available below. That said, freeze-thaw cycles are common here and once-compacted snow can get a nice glaze of ice quite readily. When that happens, most on-foot forays to the outside world are helped by a) being extra careful, b) wearing YakTrax, or c) both.

YakTrax are fantastic for walking on ice. Tire chains for your feet. I have no issues running on compacted snow or ice while wearing YakTrax.

Edited to add: In most cases--once we've made it out of the drive way--we tend to use the same tire tracks for getting in and out. Beginning in late February to mid-March, the snow will switch from powder to the nasty wet stuff you probably received. The wet crap is no fun to walk or drive on. 4-low is often the only way to make it through and even then, stopping isn't a good idea. I've taken my Jeep into 30"+ early-season wet snow on forest service roads in the mountains for elk hunting. The only time I've had to turn around is when the ruts are too deep and muddy to drive through.

Steven "has only seen classes canceled twice in the Great White North for blizzards; when the natives are going home early from work in advance of the storm, you know it's going to be bad" Ranney

[SRanney]

Quite a few "city slickers" in middle-located climes who buy these types of vehicles obviously do NOT.

Four-wheel drive will get you into a lot of places, but it won't get you out of all of them.

A wet-lab one mile north of the SDSU campus is along this road. I was conducting some experiments there during winter 2007.


After checking on all of my treatments, I was headed home at 15 mph in 4-high. I hit a drift and began sliding into a nearby ditch. (If you look closely in the headlights, you can see the flakes of snow being driven sideways.)


No matter how much I tried and attempted to dig, I was not able to drive out. Thankfully, there was one towing company in town that was willing to come out onto a "minimum maintenance" road and pull me out.

After harvesting our Christmas tree for the year, my now-fiancee and I were driving out of the mountains and came upon someone (from Atlanta, no less!) driving a 4x4 truck who was going too fast for conditions (even in 4x4) and spun off into a ditch. He considered four-wheel drive as the "be all, end all" to driving in snow and had thought that 4x4 meant he could drive just as fast as he normally would under dry conditions. After pulling him out, I gave him the advice at the top of this post.

[tbn.al]

Snow sucks! You have been updated.

[djwesp]

Snow sucks! You have been updated.

Wait... it isn't snow covered in Georgia, is it Al?

[windshieldbug]

An update, hath thou been giveneth.

The board giveth, and the board taketh away.

[Tundratubast]

Joe,
Urban/rural 4X4 drivers are similar everywhere, even here where a 4x4 would be nice, but surely not necessary. Those that do choose them over, say, a good front wheel drive vehicle, have to much confidence in the vehicles ability to get them through the storms. Most of the vehicles, we see in the ditches happen to be 4x4's.(or young kids on cell phones) Its a mentality that goes with the machine. That "No Fear" mentality, because I drive the biggest baddest 4x4 on the road. Those drivers seems to always drive beyond the conditions. Patchy ice on a road, will but a vehicle with the 4x4 engaged in the ditch more times than not. Yah, outta see the snow cloud when one hits the ditch at 70 MPH, hopefully the top heavy truck/SUV doesn't roll and kill somebody. It is always critical to drive the conditions in this snowy stuff. Sorry, to see all the snow that far south, it would suck, when your not used to it or prepared to deal with the mess. It sucks here also, but we all have multiple shovels, snow blowers and neighbors to help each other when it get really deep.

[tbn.al]

The best thing about snow in the South is that it only lasts long enough to give the kids some fun without getting them sick. I had 3 inches on my driveway yesterday morning and then the sun came out in the afternoon and melted it. I have a nice clean dry drive now so I can get to church in a few minutes without issue. Bad news is we are expecting another couple of inches tonight. It will be history by 5 PM tomorrow though. If you don't like the weather in Atlanta just wait a few hours and it will change.

[djwesp]

If you don't like the weather in Atlanta just wait a few hours and it will change.

This is one of the things I miss the most about the south, Al. In Minnesota, if you don't like the weather, you have to wait 6 months!

[The Jackson]

UPDATE:

Today is my 18th birthday. It was suggested by some friends of mine to pay visits to certain establishments with names like "The Booby Trap" and "Goldfinger" but I politely declined and elected instead to enjoy some nice Miami BBQ with mom. It was a good day.

Jackson "who would like to be portrayed by Ryan O'Neal when HBO eventually does a docu-drama based on his life" Parodi

[bearphonium]

Happy Birthday, Jackson!

Note to all 4x4 drivers: 4 wheel drive does not equal 4 wheel stop, or 4 wheel control. And it is not snowing in the PNW. You've been updated.

[tbn.al]

And it is not snowing in the PNW.

You don't have tell that to the downhillers. Are they ever going to get the medal runs in?

[djwesp]

UPDATE, UPDATE!

I see the sun! We have over 15 inches of snow on the ground. Our first snow was in early September and I'm going crazy. AAAAAAAH!

[tbn.al]

Tee hee hee, They said we were in for a couple before sun up, which would have been a mess, but we got nothing......nada. Tee hee hee.

[Todd S. Malicoate]

UPDATE:

I am unemployed. Thank you for your attention.

[bort]

I finally saw Avatar over the weekend.

Going in, I thought to myself "I don't really know what this movie is about, no one really talks about the plot."

Found out, it's because the plot stinks. The graphics were pretty cool, but overall, I didn't like the movie.

[rocksanddirt]

so....the snowpocalypse is true....bloke's got high speed internet....snow in every state except one with a 14K ft tall mountain....

[tbn.al]

AW!, MAN! You're not gonna eat Aflac are you?

[SRanney]

The sun is shining for the first time in many, many days and the ground has begun to thaw.