Yesterday I visited my friend with the hickory forest, and we made the year's first fire in the snow-filled fire ring. The stones for this ring are the ones in the back of my car as seen in my Gallery section.
My friend had been drinking, um, all day. (I had only started with chilled vodka at lunch with my parents, but that's another story.) I got a small fire started, and my friend said he was going back to his house to sleep for a while. Fine, I thought, I'll just enjoy hanging out in these snowy woods with my car and the radio.
So I was surprised several minutes later when he drove up in his Honda Passport. But he didn't quite make it to the campsite...
He did not apply the throttle steadily, and he could not make it up the slope to the site. The truck started to dig through the snow and into the leaf litter. I stood and watched as one front wheel spun and the other stood still. To be fair, I should mention that the tires were half-worn and they didn't have much bite.
Ahh, the aromas of hot axle grease, rubber, and steam...
After enough of this amusement, I told him to wait while I pulled out my tow strap. I hooked my OB up to the truck, but I didn't have enough weight and grip to pull it up out of the holes it had dug. I could have tried harder by snapping the tension on the strap, but I didn't want to stress my rig. Plus, I had the sense to quit before I dug myself in, too.
Later, I looked at my car's wheelspin spots, and saw that three of the four tires had spun.
Well, it was time to bail him out. So I got in the truck, and backed it out of its wheelsipn holes, downslope. Then I very gently pulled it forward at a different angle, and got it out under its own power, with very little fuss. He got in, and I drove back to his house.
Conclusion: the OB was better in the snow, without feeling like a truck when you drive it. However, it's a bit lightweight for pulling a truck out of a hole. And both vehicles suffered from not having a slip limiter in the front diff.
PS: I haven't been out to the car yet this morning, but I'll bet it smells like wood smoke.
My friend had been drinking, um, all day. (I had only started with chilled vodka at lunch with my parents, but that's another story.) I got a small fire started, and my friend said he was going back to his house to sleep for a while. Fine, I thought, I'll just enjoy hanging out in these snowy woods with my car and the radio.
So I was surprised several minutes later when he drove up in his Honda Passport. But he didn't quite make it to the campsite...
He did not apply the throttle steadily, and he could not make it up the slope to the site. The truck started to dig through the snow and into the leaf litter. I stood and watched as one front wheel spun and the other stood still. To be fair, I should mention that the tires were half-worn and they didn't have much bite.
Ahh, the aromas of hot axle grease, rubber, and steam...
After enough of this amusement, I told him to wait while I pulled out my tow strap. I hooked my OB up to the truck, but I didn't have enough weight and grip to pull it up out of the holes it had dug. I could have tried harder by snapping the tension on the strap, but I didn't want to stress my rig. Plus, I had the sense to quit before I dug myself in, too.
Later, I looked at my car's wheelspin spots, and saw that three of the four tires had spun.
Well, it was time to bail him out. So I got in the truck, and backed it out of its wheelsipn holes, downslope. Then I very gently pulled it forward at a different angle, and got it out under its own power, with very little fuss. He got in, and I drove back to his house.
Conclusion: the OB was better in the snow, without feeling like a truck when you drive it. However, it's a bit lightweight for pulling a truck out of a hole. And both vehicles suffered from not having a slip limiter in the front diff.
PS: I haven't been out to the car yet this morning, but I'll bet it smells like wood smoke.