Winter driving

The western part of North Dakota, northern Wyoming and eastern Montana was where I mispend a good portion of my 20s and 30s on Drilling rigs. Most of it as a derrick hand, Often 85' above the floor with nothing but steel wind walls, either pipe fingers or grating or nothing below me below and nothing above. 12 hour shifts. Coldest I ever saw was 45 below and that is without windchill. Getting dressed took about 20-30 minutes. Long handle underwear, 2 pair of wool socks, wool pants and wool shirt or hooded sweat shirt then either insulated bib coveralls or full length coveralls and a near knee length denim coat with a wool liner. Bunny boots, some jersey gloves the leather mittens with wool liners and a stocking cap. No hard hat cause your on top of the work. The monkey board grating was laced with cotton rope and we would tie a 5 gallon bucket full of soda ash up there and use it to sit on. an old towel at our feet. Keep the towel and the laced in rope coated with soda ash for traction. No harnesses in those days, justt a belt around your waste with a rope back to the rear of the board. As long as you kept moving and working it was OK. if something happened and they quit moving pipe it got miserable fast. Once I went to drilling I had this big tough stud derrick hand. I noticed his fingers were all nasty and a couple split. When I asked him what happened he said Froze em the other night when we were tripping pipe. I told him why didn't you say something. His reply, I have never shut a rig down for myself and never will. That guy was one tough stud hand. About 6'5" and 320# of cat fast power. Bronc riding, bull riding and dogging cowboy. Died in his sleep. REST IN PEACE CASPER

Some time after the frozen finger episode, the big boss tool pusher was kind of a jerk and said something to Casper and Casper just flattened him right there on the floor. Bent over and said don't fire me I quit. Bummer, I liked Casper more than the Pusher so I left and went with Casper to another rig . LOL Those were some great days.
My son was a fracker for three years. The winter he spent setting up and taking down the water lines had me worried just a bit. Got out with no injuries other than a bit of frostbite-whew!
 
Reminds me of the joke about the guy that found a magic lamp and the genie granted him one wish. His wish was to be changed into a "really cool stud"...
Poof... he found himself in a snow tire in Eastern Montana

When I first heard that one, it was a "Really cool stud muffin" and he found himself in a studded tire going through Wyoming meadow muffins!

Ivan
 
No mention of engine block heaters? At least I think that's the correct name. Had them on many vehicles over the years. Plug in to heavy extension cord and magic, easy to start and a warm vehicle.
When I lived in Kremmling, CO, the apartment building I lived in had assigned parking spaces(outside) that had plugins for block heaters. When I would get home from work, plug in the truck and just before I went to bed, flip the switch in my apartment and the truck was ready to go the next morning with the outside temp of -25 to -40.
 
I carry chains for my Frontier and the wife's Xterra. Not for my FJ4.

WE got stuck in a winter snowstorm outside of Thermopolis while hunting elk and deer one year. It snowed horribly, then thawed. Roads turned to gumbo. Most everyone had 4WD but nobody could get better than 3/4 of the way up (Me in my Toyota truck) the slope out of camp. Most could only go 1/2 way. A buddy borrowed a second set of chains and chained up on all four with 4WD. He went on the shoulder of the road and pulled everyone the last 100 yards or so with a tow rope/chain. Spooky driving out a road made of gumbo with 12 foot rain channels (full of water) on each side.

Got stuck in my previous FJ40 while hunting wild pig at Ft Hunter Liggett in Central Cali. Tires gummed up and I slid onto my side in a rain ditch. Took 3 days, busted 3 rigs to get me out==when you get stuck in an FJ, YOU ARE STUCK!!!!!
 
WINCHES, straps, chains and snatch blocks, plus, a couple old car axles with the wheel studs knocked out and the spline ends made into points for those places with little to hook onto. Or you can dig a hole about 18" or so deep and toss your spare in it, hook your cables hook to the center hole and then bury it. They also make a take apart anchor that looks like an old plow when assembled. Pull on it and the angle of the attachment point makes it bury the wedge. I got stuck 2 hunting seasons in a row when I move back home. No fun, so got a big Warn winch. If I ever call for help because I am stuck everyone is going to go hide. LOL
 
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My uncle was good friends with Bill Stroppe (My cousin got a Stroppe Bronco for a wedding present). He once drove the Baja in a 2WD Toyota P/u with a winch and a shovel. Walked out 20-50 feet and stuck the shovel blade deep into the dirt at a 45 deg angle. Held the top and winched himself out.

I think that was the year Stroppe, Mickey Thompson and Dick Cepek got stranded on the beach by a hurricane. My uncle was pre-runner for M/T.
 
My 2¢ worth.

It's the inexperienced drivers of this era, and their driving skills, that scare the dololly out of me.

Old age has stopped me, from driving in any kind of weather. My loving family decided that I should no longer drive, and I've honored their wishes. Our beloved Chrysler 300, is sitting our garage unused. My automobile travel option is now done as a passenger, with eyes wildly staring out a window, hands gripping the handholds, and buns trying to grip the seat bottom.

I've tried to determine the reason for the amazing, and sometimes terrifying driving techniques, that most of each years' supply of new drivers, as well as some of the old seasoned ones use. Some of my theories are, as follows.

1. That they, are, like a migration of lemmings, bent on self destruction.

2. That they believe, that the faster that they drive, the less time they'll have to spend in hazardous driving conditions.

3. Since some of them were, from their very birth, assured by their doting parents, that our maker, made the earth for their exclusive use, and will support them regardless of how they drive. So they drive exactly as they want, with no consideration of other drivers.

I'd like to offer some unsolicited advice. Enjoy your driving, while you can. Do it carefully, politefully, and with respect of your fellow drivers, as you will, with absolute certainty loose it. OBTW, this advice is of the 'do as I say, Not as I do' variety.

Chubbo
 
. He once drove the Baja in a 2WD Toyota P/u with a winch and a shovel. Walked out 20-50 feet and stuck the shovel blade deep into the dirt at a 45 deg angle. Held the top and winched himself out.
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That is why it is best to carry 2 stakes. hook the top of the first take to the bottom of the second. That way the first stake does not just tip over. Some times like with the shovel it don't take a whole lot to get you moving and back up on top
 
Snows fun as long as you have the clothing,equipment and some experience with it 😁

I got no experience with it.:D I'm 63 and 8 months old. It only snowed once during these years, when I was 50. And it snowed for almost 20 minutes.;)
 
When one needs chains on a 4Runner, Mother Nature is trying to tell you to stay home and pop a cold one!

That is so true! I spent two years as an international police officer in Kosovo, working in a UN police mission. 50+ countries sent troops and police officers to the mission. Japan sent no one, but did send a boatload of diesel 5 speed Toyota 4Runners. Those were tough trucks! Any vehicle that can survive being driven by Indians, Africans and other third worlders is outstanding.

There was one small mountain (about 3000' that I drove over every day. When it snowed, there was no snow removal equipment, so it was up to the vehicle and the skill of the driver. One snowy day, just to prove to the third worlders that it could be done, I drove my 4Runner to work in 2 wheel drive. :)
 
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There's some raw video on Twitter. What a mess . . .

A big problem is the "very experienced" drivers that think their huge truck should continue to drive at summertime speeds, and blame the slow drivers for wrecks. I saw one this morning on "black ice" driving at least 65, and letting his stupidity and ego put all the other drivers at risk. Those are the stupids that deserve to wreck out.
 
As a lot can remember, people didn't use to have cell phones or quick communication access in times of need. Breaking down on the highway in a cold winter could be actually life threatening. Can remember a certain 1965 chevy van that overheated one very cold night and had to drive it short way, then let it cool off again (repeatedly) till got close to friends house. To this day, when driving in the winter, am dressed or have extra clothes handy, to survive outside the car for awhile. Was -25 f this morn, and maybe colder over weekend. It can get cold enough up here (-40's) that they shut down gooberment and some business to try and keep people off the roads.

An advantage to the cold is you get more traction on snow/ice.
 
I used to use studded snow tires back in the 70's. I don't think they are legal now, but they worked great. Then I got a 4WD and never looked back.

I love my Toyota's. I have gone so far as driving one out into a marsh with a duck blind in the bed. As long as I drove where there was vegetation growing, I had no problem at all.

People need to understand throttle control is a must, momentum can be your friend and wheel spin is the enemy. Automatics make it tougher, I loved a stick shift truck. It gave you much more control over the amount of power you were transferring to the ground.

Just like on a dirt bike in the hills of southern Ohio. No matter what happens in a tough spot, don't STOP !
 
I bought the most expensive chains I could find for the back of my 4-wd truck.

I figured that was the best insurance that I'd never need tire chains.
 
When I used to go fishing in Mt , I used to see signs that said chain up area.

Sent from my LGL455DL using Tapatalk
 
That is so true! I spent two years as an international police officer in Kosovo, working in a UN police mission. 50+ countries sent troops and police officers to the mission. Japan sent no one, but did send a boatload of diesel 5 speed Toyota 4Runners. Those were tough trucks! Any vehicle that can survive being driven by Indians, Africans and other third worlders is outstanding.

There was one small mountain (about 3000' that I drove over every day. When it snowed, there was no snow removal equipment, so it was up to the vehicle and the skill of the driver. One snowy day, just to prove to the third worlders that it could be done, I drove my 4Runner to work in 2 wheel drive. :)

I wish we could compile a book of forum members military, police, first responder—heck even Air Force* stories. I think it would be a best seller. We had a police officer stories thread that had a couple of seasons of excellent screenplays for weekly episodes and would be far better than anything on TV.

(*My dad was a pilot in Korea and loved to sit around the VFW as the Frozen Chosin, Tarawa, Bulge, men would tell their stories. After an hour or so he would tell of the officer club on Guam running out of gin and he had to drink a vodka martini. It always would bring down the house.).
 
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