Towing in the snow
This is my first post, so excuse my ignorance. Last winter we were pulling our 30' trailer out I10 in west Texas, and the bridges were frozen over or had slush on them. I kept feeling the trailer get...
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If you hit ice then you definitely don't want to lift, switch gears, accelerate, turn the steering wheel, brake, take a bite to eat, cough, think about something else, etc. Any one of those actions can cause you to break traction which is very bad.
Think of your combo as a curling stone. It's important to set the correct speed and path at the very beginning (before you get to the obstacle). You want to be on the turtle setting, not the rabbit. Just like a curling stone, once you are set out on a path and speed, you'll want to continue on that same path and speed. Corrections can be done, but they're small and take some time to complete. That's why it's important to make sure everything's in order before you get into it. You'll have a little bit more control on the slushy stuff since your tires can pump some of it out of the way, but you won't be so lucky on ice.
One winter while heading to Canada, we (I) decided to continue our travels in a named snow storm that turned into a named ice storm. When you're driving and your only buddy is a plow truck then you know it's bad. When the plow truck suddenly does a U turn and you continue then you know you've messed up. There were no more turnoffs, exits, or civilization until you hit the border. The first 10 miles were ok since it was snow covered and we had some grip. The next 20 miles to the border was covered in 1 in thick ice. We were the only fools out there! We slowly crawled to the border with the hopes that the grass was greener on the other side. Sure enough it was a night and day difference once we crossed. Although the Canadian side of the border was equally as desolate, their side was constantly plowed and salted.
Two things I've learned from my travels in winter months. 1) Anyone can learn drive in winter weather, even Texans and Floridians lol. It just takes a while 2) You would think those who've spent their entire lives in areas that received lots of snow and ice would automatically be expert drivers in it. Boy is that way of thinking completely wrong. So wrong.
Think of your combo as a curling stone. It's important to set the correct speed and path at the very beginning (before you get to the obstacle). You want to be on the turtle setting, not the rabbit. Just like a curling stone, once you are set out on a path and speed, you'll want to continue on that same path and speed. Corrections can be done, but they're small and take some time to complete. That's why it's important to make sure everything's in order before you get into it. You'll have a little bit more control on the slushy stuff since your tires can pump some of it out of the way, but you won't be so lucky on ice.
One winter while heading to Canada, we (I) decided to continue our travels in a named snow storm that turned into a named ice storm. When you're driving and your only buddy is a plow truck then you know it's bad. When the plow truck suddenly does a U turn and you continue then you know you've messed up. There were no more turnoffs, exits, or civilization until you hit the border. The first 10 miles were ok since it was snow covered and we had some grip. The next 20 miles to the border was covered in 1 in thick ice. We were the only fools out there! We slowly crawled to the border with the hopes that the grass was greener on the other side. Sure enough it was a night and day difference once we crossed. Although the Canadian side of the border was equally as desolate, their side was constantly plowed and salted.
Two things I've learned from my travels in winter months. 1) Anyone can learn drive in winter weather, even Texans and Floridians lol. It just takes a while 2) You would think those who've spent their entire lives in areas that received lots of snow and ice would automatically be expert drivers in it. Boy is that way of thinking completely wrong. So wrong.
