Mark_in_NH
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2002
- Messages
- 1,554
- Location
- Moultonborough, New Hampshire
- Tractor
- New Holland TC35D w/ 16LA FEL
Every pick up truck I have ever owned has been 4 wheel drive. I also put weight in the back for winter driving. I made a simple box, with a PT plywod bottom, higher back end and side walls. The end toward the tailgate is lower. In the winter I keep the box full of sand, I have to add salt to it to prevent freezing. It sits in the back between the wheel wells. It still leaves me plenty of room for other things.
The town use to keep a pretty good sand / salt ratio but now they don't seem to use any salt so I just add my own. The sand is free for town residents as long as it is for personal use. As has been said. The sand / salt mix serves 2 purposes. Added weight for traction and I also have it to use in walkways, driveways and in case I or someone gets stuck. If I need to sand a clients walk or driveway, I just charge them for my time and the sand is free. This keeps me legal with the town.
In 30 years of driving 4x4's in the winter I have only used 4 wheel drive once in actual road travel.
I use the 4 wheel drive mainly to get up and out of some of my driveways and for getting out of parking lot and driveway entrances out onto the road, so that I not sitting there spinning. Once I am up the incline or out onto the road, I shift back into 2 wheel high.
I have always found that once the truck is on level ground and rolling the added weight and decent tires is all I need.
None the less. When there are severe icy conditions or black ice, there are times when 4x4, snow tires or all the added weight in the world just aren't going to make much differance. As someone else already mentioned, I also tend to test the road conditions occasionally by briefly hitting the brakes "when there is nobody else near me in either direction" it lets me know what to expect just in case I have to do it for real. I also reduce my usual driving speed in the winter, slow down and brake earlier for intersections and corners, I ease off the throttle for corners and more or less coast through them, keep extra distance from the vehicle in front of me etc. etc.
The town use to keep a pretty good sand / salt ratio but now they don't seem to use any salt so I just add my own. The sand is free for town residents as long as it is for personal use. As has been said. The sand / salt mix serves 2 purposes. Added weight for traction and I also have it to use in walkways, driveways and in case I or someone gets stuck. If I need to sand a clients walk or driveway, I just charge them for my time and the sand is free. This keeps me legal with the town.
In 30 years of driving 4x4's in the winter I have only used 4 wheel drive once in actual road travel.
I use the 4 wheel drive mainly to get up and out of some of my driveways and for getting out of parking lot and driveway entrances out onto the road, so that I not sitting there spinning. Once I am up the incline or out onto the road, I shift back into 2 wheel high.
I have always found that once the truck is on level ground and rolling the added weight and decent tires is all I need.
None the less. When there are severe icy conditions or black ice, there are times when 4x4, snow tires or all the added weight in the world just aren't going to make much differance. As someone else already mentioned, I also tend to test the road conditions occasionally by briefly hitting the brakes "when there is nobody else near me in either direction" it lets me know what to expect just in case I have to do it for real. I also reduce my usual driving speed in the winter, slow down and brake earlier for intersections and corners, I ease off the throttle for corners and more or less coast through them, keep extra distance from the vehicle in front of me etc. etc.
