White Christmas? uh, no!

[Mark Ling]

A white Christmas? uh, not here! it hasn't snowed here on our land for probably 5 or 6 years. And when it did "snow" it was probably about 2 inches deep, and was almost more of an ice, not the white fluffy stuff I see on movies. I just wish to have a week or so of snow. After a while it seems like it would get boring and maybe even annoying? ya'll Yanks tell me what your thoughts are on snow, Like it? hate it?

Here's a song that basically sums up my thoughts/feelings on this topic-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJa1rA_YVPg

Ok, come on, rub it in how nice and fun snow is! or I guess tell me how horrible it is, that will make me feel better, all I want is some snow! want to ship me some? lol

                                                                                                                                  Littleblacksmith

 

 

[ThomasPowers]

Well if you want to get some of the results of snow/ice without having it---take a sledge hammer and work over your car with it, and/or squirt salt water throughout the undercarriage.  Don't forget to drive to and from work at 10 to 20 mph too!

Though I always enjoyed watching the folks in big SUVs zooming along because they had 4WD and I didn't.  Of course we *both* had the same number of brakes when needing to slow down on icy roads suddenly.  I often saw a dozen or more cars in the ditch on the drive to work.

I remember sleeping in a hotel lobby with my wife because they closed the interstate and the hotel ran out of rooms.

Snow was great when I was a kid; not so much as an adult

[Smoggy]

All depends on what you have to do, or can choose to do. If it's getting in your way and making life and work difficult it's a pain. If you have the freetime to enjoy it then for a lot of us it's a rare treat!

Yes we've already had a show earlier last month, not a lot and barely laid, didn't last long at all. It's highly likely we will get more this season but usually after Christmas. How much is anyones guess!

Edited December 20, 2016 by Smoggy
typo

[Glenn]

Collect the ash from the forge and fire place. Filter or sift it through a window screen, bag it up in gallon or larger bags (2 gallon buckets) and put it in the trunk of the car. Makes wonderful snow melter, or throw it in front of the drive tires for traction. Kitty litter works well also.

As to the snow, wait an hour or so before going out. The roads will be clear and those that can not drive will be in the ditch. Go to the big box store parking lots and play driving in the snow. Try to avoid hitting the lamp posts and solid objects. You will find that your driving skills will return and you can then take to the streets. Go slow and at a steady pace so you do not need to use the brakes. Always leave much more room between you and anything in front of you. 

In snow, 4 wheel drive does not guarantee a safe trip, the driver makes the trip safe.

 

On a side note, you never had your tires freeze to the ground, or freeze with a flat side instead of being round did you. (grin) 

[ThomasPowers]

Back in college my Housemate asked me why I walked from our house to the University in bad weather as I had learned to drive in places that had snow.  I told him it was because all the folks out there who didn't!   I did have a set of rear tires with chains permanently mounted as it was easier and safer to swap tires than try to put chains on them when caught by a storm.

My Father used to take us down to the large empty parking lots and practice skidding and driving out of skids every year with the first good snowstorm.  I never had to be pulled from a ditch or hit anything but I was once rear ended when stopped at a stop sign.

The basic rule of driving on ice is *Don't*  Don't drive if you can avoid it. Don't accelerate, brake, turn, if you can avoid it and if worst comes to worst, Don't hit something expensive!...

[Frank Turley]

In Santa Fe, NM, at a 7,000 foot altitude, we get some snow, normally not a great deal, and if it's on the ground in the AM, it sometimes melts at midday. However, one year, I woke up to 14 inches of snow, almost unheard of. I shoveled snow off my little porch and down the four steps to ground level, We kept our dog indoors overnight, and there was no way she could evacuate her bladder or bowel unless I dug a path for her. I did so, about 25 feet long. Success! None of that was much fun.

As a kid in St. Louis, I had a "Flexible Flyer" sled, a snow suit, and some snowy hills to go down. That was fun.

[Steve Sells]

why expect snow outside of the snow belt?

[JHCC]

15 minutes ago, Steve Sells said:

why expect snow outside of the snow belt?

Well, there are Bibles outside of the Bible Belt, and the sun still shines outside of the Sun Belt.

[ThomasPowers]

Cause everyone knows snow is a matter of Altitude!  I've gone downhill skiing in Indiana, sort of.

[JHCC]

There was one -- count it, ONE -- kinda sledding hill here in our northern Ohio town, until a few decades ago when the college scraped the athletic fields flat and piled all the extra dirt into one large mound. Now the college kids go sledding there on dining hall trays and leave the hill to the townies.

[Marc1]

White Christmas ... you guys shouldn't have white Christmas anyway even in places that actually snows ... since Christmas should be in your summer not in your winter ...

[ThomasPowers]

OTOH going to the beach over the Christmas holiday is more like a punishment in the northern hemisphere...

[Marc1]

Punishment? Oh, if you choose an overcrowded beach I suppose ... I was referring more to historically accurate date.

[Frosty]

Snow is good. You need at least a foot on the ground to keep it from freezing very deep and thus your water lines. Snow is good to shine up your driving skills, here I took people to a frozen lake, much safer than parking lots. Still, learn to have fun going sideways and you're in much better shape. The way 4 x 4 helps you stop is it equalizes the braking forces to all 4 wheels, otherwise the front wheels will skid before the rear wheels putting you on a ballistic course. 

Uh, the #1 rule I tell new folk to winder driving is. "The brakes are NOT YOUR FRIEND!" Watch any stupid driver shows and the one thing every sliding vehicle has in common are brake lights. If things go south in front of you just drive through, aim for where the out of control vehicle is NOW, it's not going to be there when you pass by. 

Rear wheel drives with auto trannies can be hard to stop on icy roads because front brakes are stronger than rear brakes to take advantag of the weight shift on braking. Unfortunately icy roads make that a BAD thing, front wheels lock up while the engine is still pushing the car so you have to lock the brakes and skid to a stop. Take the car out of gear and it's all good. Front wheel drives don't have this problem for obvious reasons.

If it's just super slick take the car out of gear, your foot off the brake and coast stearing gently. The car will coast to a stop in normal distance and YOU won't be a ditch diver.

Driving on ice and snow is fun once you develop the skills and equip yourself adequately. The state snow removal equipment runs on  rubber no studs and only in rare cases, usually graders in wet heavy old show, chains.

Give yourself extra time, leave yourself lots of room and go slow. Drive safe, get there without stopping by the hospital or wrecking yard.

Frosty The Lucky.

[notownkid]

5 hours ago, Glenn said:

On a side note, you never had your tires freeze to the ground

on a number of occasions I've seen Fire Trucks froze in place after setting pumping for a number of hrs. at -15 to -25F.  Fought fires in +3' of snow and 12-15" of ice on the  pond we were trying to pump water from. Often plow or in my case snow blow snow a couple times a week.  After 70 yrs of being in it, living with it, moving it, wallowing around in it farming and firefighting/rescue I for one HATE the white stuff.  We will have a white Christmas as we have  a foot on the ground today and maybe a high of 35F for the next few days.  Bah Humbug!  Come April I'll swear never to be in another blank blank winter.  With the drought we had this summer and fall we need a LOT OF SNOW this winter for the spring melt to amount to anything. 

White Christmas looks great in movies. TV shows, Christmas cards, real life it stays longer than the Christmas decorations so it isn't all fun more like work.

 

 

1 hour ago, JHCC said:

There was one -- count it, ONE -- kinda sledding hill here in our northern Ohio town

Heck we have a nice one behind  my big shop here, neighbors grand kids were sliding on it Sat.  Next time you are in the area bring a sled, heck  I've got one you can use.   

[ThomasPowers]

So I shouldn't mention walking over the border from work today wearing just a thin long sleeve shirt, jeans and socks and boots, had the light jacket threaded though my laptop case's carry strap...Now tomorrow it's supposed to hit 69 deg F.....

[Glenn]

The one thing people forget is to NOT USE cruise control in the snow and ice. Anything happens, the car is still under power.

Front wheel drive is good for pulling in snow with for light constant traction. Once you brake traction, put a quarter in the coin slot cause you are in for a ride.

Rear wheel drive is pushing the car. When you brake traction, steer into the skid, let off the gas then adjust the gas to regain control. Practicing slides and recovery in a snow covered parking lot is just a refresher course in learning to drive on snow.

Doubt that you could find a set of real mud and snow tires at a reasonable price. Everything today is all weather tires, (yea right), and maybe you could find set of studded tires, or have the studs applied. 

Thomas, tire chains, remember them well. Installation in the snow is always an adventure, and lots of patience. Still have a couple of sets hanging in the garage, chains with the cross bars as I recall. And do not forget the whap, whap, whap noise when one of the cross links brakes.

[JHCC]

1 hour ago, notownkid said:

Heck we have a nice one behind  my big shop here, neighbors grand kids were sliding on it Sat.  Next time you are in the area bring a sled, heck  I've got one you can use.   

Probably won't be up your way until March, but we'll see!

[Glenn]

Anyone remember actually hearing the sleigh bells ringing? 

[Daswulf]

Snow here in southwestern PA. fluctuates. Sometimes we get a lot, sometimes a little. Here it can snow a foot then warm up and rain and wipe it away to a muddy soupy mess, then maybe freeze, or just warm up a little.

I remember one snow fall a few years ago where my brother and I had to trudge and dig our way down our road either end ( half mile each way) through 3 or more feet of snow cutting up all the fallen trees just so they could/would plow our road that wasn't touched for 2 days. My mother got her van stuck trying to go to work, and I got my truck stuck after pulling her out. My brother and I shoveled and winched it out the next morning. The power was also out for a week, and me having the only 4wd truck in the family at the time found the only local store that had a generator in the area to buy water and other supplies.

 I also remember a heavy snowfall as a kid where we built igloos out of 3 feet of snow, and they didn't plow the road for 3 days or so and I remember my mother complaining (being a nurse) that she Had to get to work. But as a kid that was Fun for me and my 2 brothers, playing in that much snow.

Just before the end of our sled riding hills was usually barbed wire or jagger bushes and we survived lol. you learn how to duck and cover real fast.  

So yeah, more fun as a kid then an adult having to be places or take care of stuff.

[notownkid]

12 hours ago, Glenn said:

Anyone remember actually hearing the sleigh bells ringing?

Yup a friend of mine gives sleigh rides a couple miles from me and I helped him hitch a new team yesterday.  Worked super until the bells went on after a couple steps we had a higher gear in them for a while but they will get use to them by  spring.   I have a small set hanging on my frt. door knob so hear them regular yr. around. 

Who knows the reason for the bells? 

14 hours ago, Glenn said:

Doubt that you could find a set of real mud and snow tires at a reasonable price

We still use the real winter mud tires on our 4 x 4 rigs and still have chains behind the seats and use at least once a yr.  All season in our area means they aren't worth a hoot in any season.  Use them on the vehicle that travels out of state in state winter tires only.  We use Coopers and not that expensive but cheap they are not esp. the 17", 18" rims. 

I grew up on Frt Wheel Drive as my dad was one of the first SAAB dealers, only way to go if you learn how to drive them, never let up in a slide foot to the floor.  It will either get you out of the slide or further off the road makes for a good story afterwards.

Old saying when Frt. wheel drive came out "You don't hitch the horse to the back of the wagon to push it you hitch to the frt. to pull it."

[mcostello]

I can't see anything South of the belt line here.

I have a 150' driveway,just imagine having to shovel 6" of anything off of that and Your opinion of snow will change. Snow is not regular enough to store a snow blower and use it once every 5 or 6 years.

[Buzzkill]

19 hours ago, JHCC said:

Now the college kids go sledding there on dining hall trays

That brings back some memories from a few decades ago.   It's kind of tricky to stay on the trays and have any kind of steering capability on your way down though.

18 hours ago, Frosty said:

Rear wheel drives with auto trannies can be hard to stop on icy roads because front brakes are stronger than rear brakes to take advantag of the weight shift on braking.

I bought a used car in Fairbanks and went through an entire winter without realizing I had no rear brakes.  I got pretty good at shifting into neutral, and occasionally even into reverse, to stop though.

[ianinsa]

When my wife and I visited Ric Furrer, she saw his snowplow next to the driveway,'' Don't even think of moving anywhere where one of those might de needed'" she said!

That reminds me driving around this afternoon I realized my a/c needs re-gassing grin! 

[Jim Coke]

Greetings Ian,

       LOL ..., In Michigan we only have two seasons... Winter and July..  Ya can tell when it's spring when you can see the original color of your pickup plow truck. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS 

Forge on and make beautiful things 

Jim