Ok,

It wasn't a big deal, but it was fun to finally use some of the minor recovery toys I've picked up over the last year or so. I was up at Lake Tahoe here, and was going to pick up some friends who had been off x-c skiing (lazy bums sent me back for the truck after a few hours!)

I came across a F350 4x4 that had dropped his front end over the edge of the parking area and was firmly stuck. I loaned him a shovel, and after no joy with that, we decided to pull him out instead. So we get my recovery strap out, and start hooking him up, and some brain-case in a GMC Envoy (also 4x4?) decides to skirt around behind the truck so he can continue up this ice-covered road. He swings waaaay-wide as he passes the truck, and drops two of his wheels off the other side of the road, and bingo-bongo, he's stuck too. Incidently blocking any prayer I had of helping the 350.

Now the guy in the 350 was on the ball, knew exactly what he was doing and all, but the kid in the GMC was a *real* genius. Couldn't figure out why his vehicle wouldn't move when two wheels had dug their own personal route to hell, and the other two were on ice. ("I have all wheel drive... It's just not working right!")

So his friends in a Durango behind him decided that they would pull him out, (coincidentaly volunteering my tow strap to do it with, w/o so much as asking, of course). So they drive back down to the main road where they could turn around and back up to get in position. They're backing up, and I look at the back end and start laughing. There is nothing but nothing for them to attach to back there.

So I shoo them away and get my 4runner in place to pull the GMC out, (let's see, got to use recovery strap and receiver shackle, check!). I'm on ice as well, but not a real biggie. One dedicated pull and he comes loose. I got him to pull down and out of the way, so I could get around to *finally* deal with the 350 I had orginally stopped to help.

So, emboldened with the idea that this might actually work, I hook up to the 350 and we start there. Dang that mother is heavy!!! And all of the weight on the wheels in the ditch. Well, it was amusing, but not real effective for a bit. Not to be deterred, I pull out my Grip 4x4 chains, chain up my back tires, and we give it another go. After the 4runner goes skittering all across the road like a puppy on a short leash, *pop*, one f350 comes out, cheering blah, blah, blah. So I'm terribly pleased with myself, good karma and all that. The guy with the 350 is very grateful, offers to buy my dinner, and all that. Real nice guy.

Oddly enough, the young guy in the GMC (remember him? The guy who's 4wd/awd/whatever obviously "didn't work"?) never said so much as thanks. Too ashamed of his mighty vehicle, I guess!

The big hit with the onlookers? Those Grip4x4 chains... Took me three minutes to put on one, 'cause I forgot how. about 20 seconds for the other. People just went nuts over that.

So I was all happy to use my little toys, and life was good. But then it got better.

Appparently the guy in the 350 had commented to his wife something along the lines of "why would anyone buy a 4runner?" earlier in the day. She felt no remorse in relaying this to me with a big ole' smile after I pulled him out.

 

Toyota: 1
Ford: 0
GMC: -1

 

What's a Grip4x4 chain? A snow chain for a 4x4 tire? Just curious.

Got a pic?



EDIT: Didn't see a chain big enough for a 285/75.

 

If you only have 1 pair of chains and 4wd, do you use them on the front tires or the rear tires? Excuse my ignorance, I'm from Southern California, we don't get much snow here

 

Found out about these reading an article by Bill Burke somewhere...

Here's the link: Grip 4x4 Chains

I have two sets (all four tires), but I hope to heck I'll never use em all! Expensive, but awfully convenient.

The guy in the F350 also claimed that a bag of cat litter was the best thing on earth for dealing with this situation. Gotta go get some of that next! (Cheapest bit of recovery gear I'll have!)

Edit: On the 285's, call em up. The set I have (265 75R16's) say they fit up to the 285's.

EditEdit: Grrr. Just went out and checked... They fit up to the 285 70's only for my set) Call em up anyway.

Hmmm. I think this is the article (or one like it) that I saw before buying these things... Bill Burke Link

 

re: Front or back

There's another thread somewhere that waxes poetic on this. I won't rehash the arguments. Normally I'd go front, since that's where the steering is, but that's just my opinion. In this case, I wanted it near to where my "leash" was to control the skitter a bit. I was in a hurry or I would have done all 4 wheels, honestly.

(and if I ever needed to chain it up to travel any distance, I'd go all four, so I've never really tried to figure out the answer to your question, sorry!)

 

I helped dig out a Dodge Ram this weekend. Similary scenario, he tried to pull way off the side of the road to be out of the way and didn't realize that the road dropped off sharply on the side. I offered to use my tow strap, but all we needed go do was some digging. He was very nice, and sheepishly asked if I "could keep a secret" about getting stuck. His ram was 2WD.

There are many theories, I don't claim to know the right one. but I have one pair, and if I'm using them to drive around in snow while off-roading, I put them on the front. My logic is that I want to be pulled around by the tires with greater traction, not pushed into the snow by having them in the rear. But there are scenarios where the chains in the rear make more sense and are more safe. I think on the front if you're going uphill, and on the back if you're going downhill.

 

Great stories guys!


Ever since getting my winch, I've been itching for a chance to try it. As far as the chains, I could imagine that if you were 4WD, having them on the front on your "steering" tires would be the most useful, but I bet there's arguments either way.

 

Great story.

 

Good story, I'm itching for something to use my new recovery gear for. Maybe if it snows like they SAY its going to this week I'll be able to show up some American cars!

I would also put the chains on the front tires, it helps to be able to control which way you are pointing!

Fink

 

I was in colorado a couple weeks ago and had a couple stories. First off my friend wit hhis 2wd Xterra got many tugs from the 4Runner. But the better story is coming home one night from the grocery store on the county road I discovered, just after a switchback, a trailblazer nozed into a snowbank, about 2 feet from the edge of the shoulder about to drop off about 20 feet down into the parkinglot for the ski resort below. Since she was blocking the road, I got out, and sure enough, it was a she. What happened was, imagine you're in 2wd and go around a left hand switch back corner (15 mph in the dry, and this was snow/ice covered) and your rear end started coming around, and since you don't know how to drive, you just plow across the other lane and noze right into the ditch. Well this is what she did, only she managed it with 4wd. I threw the strap on there and yanked her right out. It was an easy one. She tried to pay me. I'm like lady, I don't pull people out for money. (I should have said keep the change and use it on a driving instructor).

BTW, I had to chain up when we got to the house, it was uphill and had a fairly steep corner to it, not to mention it hadn't been plowed all year and had about 18" of snow on it. I ran up it twice (the video is the 2nd time) and then spun out and chained up the front and that thing went through the snow on the hill like a mountain goat!. Here's a video if anyone's interested.

http://comp.uark.edu/~kjharmo/driveway.mpg

 

Hey guys how are MT/R's for snow driving? Do I need chains or am I ok with the wide spaced lugs?

I go up to Big Bear a few times in the winter and sometimes they require chains but I have heard they will let you go without if you have off-road tires.

Any insights?
Thanks

 

well here in washington up in the mountain passes its either chains or 4x4 required. i've never had to chain up my 4Runner even with compact snow and ice, but i guess its all about your comfort levels in the snow and what kind of hilly turrain your facing.

 

frankly, if you have a 4x4 with good tires like that, there probably isn't an *open* road in CA you would have much trouble with. The highway patrol will generally close before they get to "4wd/ snow tires & chains" required point.

I needed chains in my story above because I was trying to pull a heck of a lot of weight out of a ditch while sitting on ice. If the "road" we were on was a "real" road, it would have been closed.

CHP can require that you carry chains, but you'd probably never have to use them. I like having mine just in case I find a road that they don't care about quite so much! If I didn't have that awful temptation to the road less travelled, I'd probably just get a set of "el-cheapo, return for a full refund if you don't use them" chains each season.

As KevyWevy says, it's all about your comfort factor. A good snow-driver can do better in a 2wd 1970 volkswagen bug than a bad snow-driver can do with 4wd uber-monster on MT/R's or whatever. (I can say that... I got to wreck a rental car proving I was a bad snow driver... once.)

Take it slooooow, and remember your brakes work just as badly as anyone elses! 'Nuf of that. There's a million threads here talking about driving in snow, definitely written by those who are better than me!