2 degrees
- Thread starter KHornet
- Start date
Pistolero
Well-Known Member
If there is anything more dangerous than black ice, I can't think of it right now.
Good call to just stay home. Pretty cold for your neck of the woods, Ian.
Sunny and 9F now in KC.
Yikes, fiver. Scary driving. I have done it thru the mtns of WVA a couple of
times, but pretty scary stuff. That was back when I was younger and more
bullet proof, or at least thought I was.
As to state colors, I thought of that, but the kids needed something better.
Bill
Good call to just stay home. Pretty cold for your neck of the woods, Ian.
Sunny and 9F now in KC.
Yikes, fiver. Scary driving. I have done it thru the mtns of WVA a couple of
times, but pretty scary stuff. That was back when I was younger and more
bullet proof, or at least thought I was.
As to state colors, I thought of that, but the kids needed something better.
Bill
Ian
Notorious member
My '83 Chevy longbed with the 4-speed manual, divorced NP-203 t-case run "open", Eaton posi in the rear, and E-locker in the front (also run open unless I'm stuck), propped up on skinny 33x9.5" BFG mud terrains is a black ice machine. I built it for west Texas granite "slickrock", similar to Moab, and the secret is open drivetrain with a diff in the t-case to prevent binding/breakage, and very high contact pressure from the narrow mud tires. Generally I don't even air-down from highway pressure when rock crawling. About 15 years ago we had a few days below freezing and then a couple hours of misty rain at night, covering every square inch with an even, 1/8" coating of glassy black ice, and I decided to try the truck out on the icy roads. I was the only one who made it to work that day, ended up spending the day pulling people out of ditches with a strap. The truck would pull hard on road surfaces that I could not stand up on. I haven't registered the truck in a few years, and I don't need to get to work THAT bad today, but could if I had to.
RicinYakima
High Steppes of Eastern Washington
Bill, You did a really really good job on Washington State!
Pistolero
Well-Known Member
Fiver, I do not doubt you, but I am truly amazed.
I had an old 63 VW that would pull on black ice well enough to go, but still way scary. 155x15 Michelin
XAS radials. And my wife had a VW Squareback with 165x15 Semperit M401s, which has a LOT of little
squiggles in the tread pattern, seemed to do very well on ice and snow, too. We came upon
a full sized early 70s GM station wagon (monster) off the road with rt side tires in a shallow ditch on the
uphill side just past a hairpin turn in the mtns of WVA (Rt. 60) one night. The wife walked back a hundred
yards with a flashlight to stop traffic from around the blind curve, we could be seen for at least 300 yds the
other way. I pulled her rear end sideways, straight across the road out of the ditch with the Squareback.
Once her tires were on the road, she could back up and go again. She had 3 kids in the car.
Skinny tires with the right tread and a good weight distribution can help. Before I pulled her I popped
the front trunk and moved two suitcases to the back end, too. Weight distribution.
RicinYakima - thanks! Tried to do as good as I could, didn't want the kids to learn their geography
wrong. BUT-- Vancouver Island is missing, I figured it was a US map, so if part of Canada got lost, not
too bad. Hope the other states are pretty good, too.
Bill
I had an old 63 VW that would pull on black ice well enough to go, but still way scary. 155x15 Michelin
XAS radials. And my wife had a VW Squareback with 165x15 Semperit M401s, which has a LOT of little
squiggles in the tread pattern, seemed to do very well on ice and snow, too. We came upon
a full sized early 70s GM station wagon (monster) off the road with rt side tires in a shallow ditch on the
uphill side just past a hairpin turn in the mtns of WVA (Rt. 60) one night. The wife walked back a hundred
yards with a flashlight to stop traffic from around the blind curve, we could be seen for at least 300 yds the
other way. I pulled her rear end sideways, straight across the road out of the ditch with the Squareback.
Once her tires were on the road, she could back up and go again. She had 3 kids in the car.
Skinny tires with the right tread and a good weight distribution can help. Before I pulled her I popped
the front trunk and moved two suitcases to the back end, too. Weight distribution.
RicinYakima - thanks! Tried to do as good as I could, didn't want the kids to learn their geography
wrong. BUT-- Vancouver Island is missing, I figured it was a US map, so if part of Canada got lost, not
too bad.
Hope the other states are pretty good, too.Bill
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Pistolero
Well-Known Member
SW MT was a whole lot warmer at the low than we were for our high today.
Kinda weird.
Thanks, Keith. As you know, making stuff is cool. This is just a different way.
Learned how small a jigsaw blade you can use, too. They are amazingly flexible,
let you thread them thru a tiny hole and start from that. Never did that before.
Cool to learn new techniques.
Bill
Kinda weird.
Thanks, Keith. As you know, making stuff is cool. This is just a different way.
Learned how small a jigsaw blade you can use, too. They are amazingly flexible,
let you thread them thru a tiny hole and start from that. Never did that before.
Cool to learn new techniques.
Bill
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KeithB
Resident Half Fast Machinist
One of my professors and later my friend and colleague was from a family with Persian heritage. He did beautiful fretwork in some traditional themes, something I would absolutely NOT have the patience to do. Panels for room dividers, bookends, etc.
Another good friend has two MAs, one in blacksmithing and another in jewelry. Amazing what he can cut out with a jeweler's saw.
About the time my hat gets to fitting a little too tight I look around at the kind of things you and Ian and Brad and fiver and many others here do with your time and talents and all of a sudden my hat band falls down somewhere around chest level.
Another good friend has two MAs, one in blacksmithing and another in jewelry. Amazing what he can cut out with a jeweler's saw.
About the time my hat gets to fitting a little too tight I look around at the kind of things you and Ian and Brad and fiver and many others here do with your time and talents and all of a sudden my hat band falls down somewhere around chest level.
F
freebullet
Guest
Pistolero
Well-Known Member
Keith, this is a really neat bunch of folks. I am always impressed with what other folks
do with their spare time and their skills. No doubt that this group keeps me pretty humble,
when I feel like I accomplished something by not screwing up my knurling, or successfully
cutting a new thread that I never did before.
Watching Ian's rebarreling is really cool. I have a Mauser 98 action that needs a barrel, and
I am wondering if I can do as good a job as Ian is doing on the Savage. Of course, then Ben
shows us one of his amazing stocks......wow, now THAT will make me humble.
Bill
do with their spare time and their skills. No doubt that this group keeps me pretty humble,
when I feel like I accomplished something by not screwing up my knurling, or successfully
cutting a new thread that I never did before.
Watching Ian's rebarreling is really cool. I have a Mauser 98 action that needs a barrel, and
I am wondering if I can do as good a job as Ian is doing on the Savage. Of course, then Ben
shows us one of his amazing stocks......wow, now THAT will make me humble.
Bill
Pistolero
Well-Known Member
OK, it warmed up to upper 40s today, warm enough to get the John Deere 425 ready for real winter.
My wife suggested that this readiness may prevent a big snowfall. If so, the two hours pulling the belly mower, attaching the
blade, and bolting on the wheel wts and fitting the chains would be well worth it. Somehow I doubt it will be a factor.
Bill
My wife suggested that this readiness may prevent a big snowfall. If so, the two hours pulling the belly mower, attaching the
blade, and bolting on the wheel wts and fitting the chains would be well worth it. Somehow I doubt it will be a factor.
Bill
We are expecting a little rain changing to snow Sun into Mon. Looks like most will stay west and north of us. I'm OK with that.
We almost got to 50 yesterday. Roads are in good shape. Got the truck thru a car wash to remove 14 layers of salt and grime. Life is better.
We almost got to 50 yesterday. Roads are in good shape. Got the truck thru a car wash to remove 14 layers of salt and grime. Life is better.
Kevin Stenberg
Well-Known Member
That rain snow combo always causes major prob.
My son lives in Georgia. An everything closes down even if the weather says they are in line to get measurable amount of snow. Last week for them was a 3 day week.
My son lives in Georgia. An everything closes down even if the weather says they are in line to get measurable amount of snow. Last week for them was a 3 day week.
We live in an enigma of a place. 15 miles E of the Divide we get a large amount of wind and sunshine, 30 miles in any direction is at least 10-15 F colder than we are. No one I know around here has a snowmobile where it is a common toy elsewhere. Most of our moisture comes from late March to early June. If we get a snowstorm it is really rare to have it stay over a week. Wind blows it somewhere else. We got an inch of snow yesterday morning and it was gone by 3 PM.
Eutectic
Active Member
That's the pattern we have been in for about a month. Unseasonably warm so snow is wet and heavy. We'll get 4" or 6" snow then a rainstorm after that..... So my main driveway (1/3 mile) and my steep driveway to the house wants to freeze. I pushed the wet snow out of the steep driveway before the rain hit. I tried to plow the main road and got maybe 50 feet and couldn't move. It tried to push a flat of snow some 50 feet long in front of the blade!
I use a Suzuki 500 with cleats all around. Always could plow in 4wd..... even 8'' or 10". No way this time..... I found an old set of tire chains I have had for years.... nice cross lugged ones. I was able to shorten them a little and put them on the front. A reason behind this.... The angled blade would push me sideways instead of the snow! Not to mention trying to steer on the glare ice! I plowed the lower part to Freeman Creek (200 yards) It was glare ice underneath 1" thick. I couldn't push snow up hill as the snow stayed in front of the blade it was so heavy and wet! Finally I wondered what would happen if I 'shaved' the wet snow. I raised the blade and left about 1"-1 1/2" of snow on the deck. The remaining 300 yards was a breeze then. Since I've had to dirt/gravel the road and hill. Just too hairy to play on even in 4wd!
Pete
Rally Hess
Well-Known Member
It's been down right balmy here the last couple days. Temps up to 38 during the day. After a couple weeks of -20's that seems almost like summer. Was tough on the wood pile, but I fixed that.
Now if the elves would come cut and stack it too!! About 25 cord, with Tamarac in the foreground and Oak in the background.
Now if the elves would come cut and stack it too!! About 25 cord, with Tamarac in the foreground and Oak in the background.