French Toast Alert! -- State of Emergency in Missouri

originally posted by: TheRedneck
a reply to: Natas0114

I drove a semi long-haul for 8 years and logged over a million miles, preventable-free, across the entire country and some of Canada.

Nothing grabs traction on ice. Nothing. You might be heavy enough with studs to punch through it (that's what chains do; they break up the ice) but you just got lucky. I have run chains a couple of times, just long enough to get to a close truck stop, but that's it. If it's bad enough for chains, it's too bad to drive.

Please, no one listen to the bragging. You will likely end up in a ditch if lucky, dead or freezing to death isolated from help if not.

TheRedneck

I wasn't encouraging people to blind run the ice.
I drive ice every day of winter, as.does everyone else up here. We have ice roads as soon as superior freezes to the apostle islands. Also lake winnebago has an ice road east to west that's 50 minutes out of the drive time, and eases congestion on slippery roads. I also have my cdl. 298,554 logged. No preventables, no fines. I log in the chequamagon forest here with an oshkosh 6x6 heavily modified for the task. No tractor and trailer is going through the sugar on fresh cut road. Don't assume that because something is rare in your area doesn't occur regularly somewhere else. People drive ice every day in many places.
Like I said, if your accustomed to it, and prepared for it, it's not a big deal.
Our ice roads generally have no traffic fatalities, however, fatalities from inexperienced snowmobilers kills a few every year. Same with the atv enthusiasts every summer.
It's all about experience.
We use the 6 p system here.
Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

a reply to: Natas0114

I'm not going to debate you over driving in ice. You've been very lucky. I hope that continues.

TheRedneck

a reply to: Phage

I decided, after spending a bit of time in a temperate climate, that it's a bad idea to live someplace where you can die of cold. Never mind driving on ice.

Ain't natural.

We don't agree a lot Phage, but this time I'm right there witcha!

TheRedneck

a reply to: Caver78

Pickups are the worst vehicle to try to drive in any condition which hampers traction. Rear-wheel-drive is bad enough, but when there's very little weight over those wheels? That's asking for trouble.

4 wheel drives don't keep you safe either. When the traction drops to zero, what's 4x0? Zero.

TheRedneck

Lower than -30 Celsius is different ice. Not slippery. Unless it melts and re-freezes. Then it's back to being slippery ice. Saskatchewan and northern Manitoba probably have the best ice to drive on - it doesn't thaw out in the winter. Alberta can be okay until the temperature rises again. Awful stuff. Temperatures in this province fluctuate wildly.

I'll take really really cold all winter like Saskatchewan as preferable over a freeze thaw freeze thaw situation any day.

I'd hate the ice in the US. Nothing but slipperiness there.

a reply to: Natas0114

Great driving record wishing you many more years at it!

If they would at least toss some sand down like they do north of me it'd make all the difference. Unfortunately municipalities worry more about the storm drains instead of drivers. Had I had an inkling that schools had called an unprecedented 4 hr. delay I'd of thought twice an called in late instead of my backroad predawn nightmare commute.

Being "simple" I was also looking for deer, which I should have known were too smart to be out. Or just couldn't find footing either?

DUH!

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: evc1shop
I decided, after spending a bit of time in a temperate climate, that it's a bad idea to live someplace where you can die of cold. Never mind driving on ice.

Ain't natural.

Are you saying I'm unnatural?

Funny thing is, if you live in extreme environments and are properly equipped for it, it ain't no big deal, except for sissies.

Yeah, I've about had enough of this climate to be honest and I'm now considering going south, since I'm nearing retirement.

Be safe everyone! Pull out the old Monopoly board or a deck of cards and a bunch of toothpicks for chips and cuddle a lot under blankets. Mostly cuddle under blankets with someone who cuddles back. Ice is most certainly no joke. No tire chains, don't drive.

a reply to: TheRedneck

I see you didn't get a star for this comment
So it must be BS.
If this were so, why are 50%+ of the vehicles on the road on Alberta pickup trucks?

a reply to: muzzy

Pickup trucks are in fact the very worst on ice, unless they have a lot of weight in the back. High center of gravity and not enough weight over the rear wheels. It's basic stuff really.

I've driven four wheelers, pickups and the like my entire adult life and lived around snow, ice and mud. People who own and drive pickups, who are paying attention know that's entirely true.

a reply to: Blaine91555

Or as many have said... It ain't the elements, it's the idiots out in the elements. Like the ones who tear down icy streets in their 4x4 pickups at street speeds, spin out, then blame the city for their idiocy... Gee, the just happened about an hour ago just outside the living room window...missed my car by about 12 feet.

a reply to: seagull

12 feet?

Oh, come on. You could have said 12 inches. Much more impressive and no one would have been the wiser.

a reply to: Phage

Oh, man... I didn't even think of that...

Trust me though, watching that idiot do two complete spins while getting ever closer to my car, 12 feet was more than sufficient...!

a reply to: seagull

Yeah. Terror distorts perceptions.
12 feet can look like 12 inches. And vice versa.

I just went to the grocery store and lost my faith in humanity.

Again.

We're supposed to get a1/2" of ice or more here tomorrow and Monday and people are snatching up stuff like they won't be able to leave the house for a month.

It's going to be in the 40's on Tuesday.

a reply to: Phage

I will admit, when it was happening, it looked like it was going to be less than 12 inches...more like totaled. But when I went out a bit ago, it wasn't nearly as close as I thought it was going to be.

The really cool thing is, it didn't even slow the moron down. Off he went, just as fast. I just hope he doesn't kill anyone.

a reply to: c2oden

I've seen that, too. More than once. Oh, my god, 3 inches of snow.



PANIC!!



Shopping carts full of water. (Can't you melt snow for water?? ) I can see fuel for a camp stove. Candles. Things of that nature, and a little bit of extra canned food. But shopping carts full of water, bread, etc...? For three inches of snow...

a reply to: seagull

3 inches here means absolute disaster. Nothing opens and the hospitals fill up fast with accident victims. My strategy is simple: if the roads are passable, I just stay put until 10:00 or later, and drive by all the wrecks with no problem. I refuse to play with traffic until then.

If a snow is forecast, I will grab a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk. We always have canned food and can heat it either over the kerosene heater or on my wood stove in the shop. Those two items will keep us from even being uncomfortable for a week. This area is one of the hardest in the nation to forecast snow in, so mention a flurry and we're getting ready for a blizzard.

Better to be prepared and not need it than to need it and not be prepared.

TheRedneck

a reply to: TheRedneck

That's how I look at it, too.

We've got packed snow and ice on the road with, at the moment, clear sky. If you're careful, you can get about. But my car hasn't moved. There are too many idiots out there in their super-suv's and pickups for my comfort.

Tomorrow, I may move my car into the yard for a few days. Freezing rain is expected. Not a lot, and temps are supposed to be up in the high 30's and low 40's. But I fear for the continued well being of my car parked along the street.

a reply to: seagull

One big advantage of living in the country... cars are up next to the house. I have a 6' deep ditch separating my place from asphalt.

TheRedneck

a reply to: Blaine91555

No use blaming the vehicles, if you don't know how to drive on ice it doesn't matter what you are in.
When I lived in Toronto I had both a 3/4 ton GMC 4x2 pickup and 74 Pontiac Transam 400cu in. I used to leave for work even on the worst days in the GMC before the plows even got the 401 plowed and I never spun out once.
I lost it only one time in the Transam doing 100km on the 427, touched the brakes a little too hard on the icy concrete , did 3 x 360s in the middle of the highway before coming to a stop facing the wrong way. Lucky the hwy was virtually empty.
I actually sat my Ontario drivers test in the middle of Winter, did a 360 during that too, thought I had failed, but the Tester said I passed fine, handled the spin perfectly.