Snow and cold weather wisdom

[ron45]

I've spent a fair amount of years working at ski areas. The consensus there was the colder the snow the better the traction. I just had a guy with several tractors and backhoes tell me the exact opposite. I went back out to try his idea an hour or two after noon. Solely from my experience it was not true for me, at my skill level. I was out in it @ seven am the drifts were still too big to drive thru. I was down hill from the snow I wanted to remove. Nuff said on that subject. Kioti didn't want to back in or drive in. Drifts were deposited in at least 50 mph winds. Some neighbors said higher that that but suffice to say they are fairly dense. The drifts are five feet and over in height and perpendicular to our road. Some are more than 15 feet wide but it's a tapered shape not a wall.Still snowed in here in paradise.

Ron

 

[oosik]

I've had experience in very cold ( -45F) conditions with snow. Believe it or not at those temps you can spin the tires on your car and leave black rubber marks on the snow. Snow is always going to be slick but my experience says the colder the snow the better the traction.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Used to live in Roswell and friends still there says this has been epic weather.

 

[Thomas]

I found wet snow tires load up quicker and stick harder to turn,cold snow for traction I like....easier to push w/plow.

 

[Looking4new]

The wetter the snow, the slipperier the snow for driving. That has been my experience in the 69 years I have been dealing with it.
Others WILL come on here and disagree with me, but that is my experience.

 

[Threepoint]

Ron, wow, I've seen reports that winter has arrived somewhere! Wouldn't know it around here!

 

[ron45]

Ron, wow, I've seen reports that winter has arrived somewhere! Wouldn't know it around here!

Epic is pretty close, a helicopter pilot near us has an anamometer and we are at about the same altitude, saw 60 mph winds. Another neighbor said she had 55 mph on her weather thing. The drifts were awesome to look at but a real problem till some local tractor jocks gave me some good advice. Over the phone of course..... At first I couldn't get around the first big drift so I could work it down down hill. I finally got thru the first drift from below and the rest is going well. I should be able to get out tomorrow. It's been three days since we got out to get mail or groceries. Not a big deal except for some meds my wife needs. We would have had a pro do it but no one could get up the switch backs to the top of the mesa. They all have many water bars, that what I call them, they are humps the divert water over the side. There is a mile of that but nearly half of it is level once you get on top of the mesa. It's worth every bit of trouble for the solitude and quiet. Air craft are the exception and it's usually military.

Ron

 

[ron45]

Yea, with the open country around there the winds must have been fierce. Don't know about snow levels tho. We don't watch tv. I get weather info on line. It's my umbilical to the world. I want to get a blade if this sort of stuff is going to keep happening,

 

[ritcheyvs]

Ron, Just curious but where in NM do you live? We lived in Alamogordo for a couple years and visited most of the state. Snow was rare those years except on the mountains, which were visible for MANY miles.

 

[Garandman]

Wind-packed snow is a completely different animal, regardless of moisture content.

I'd think traction depends on your tires. Winter tires on cars remain flexible down to extremely low temps. Not sure standard tractor tires would maintain traction at extreme low temps.