People's Perception of Snow Wheeling... Add your snow wheelin' pics too!

[H8PVMNT]

I live in an area in a rural farming area in north central Montana with great snow wheeling opportunities. Winter weather hangs on as long as 5+ months some years and we have a ton of back roads that get all drifted in.

What I find in this region is that most people, even the 4WD clubs have no idea what is possible as far as deep snow wheeling.  Most of the local club guys don't even know how to air down. They try to have snow runs but usually don't make it much past a few miles due to their complete lack of technique. Some guys don't even consider running lockers or think they would help at all.

The farmers who live out here just shut themselves in when the snow gets deep until the wind quits blowing and they get a chance to plow.

When I talk to people and try to educate them about snow wheeling, airing down and driving in several feet of snow most of them think I'm either crazy or lying...  "Oh you'll just get stuck, those big fat tires wouldn't be any good in the snow." or "Maybe if you chain up you could get down in there but you would never make it back out."

I've even had situations in work (I am a rural real estate appraiser) where I can access a place no problem and people cancel because they are sure I'm going to get stuck in a foot of snow and feeze to death.  We had a 4H meeting get cancelled this weekend because the building where we were supposed to meet had 2 feet of powder on the way to it.  Most of the people going lived within a mile and have good 4WD truck capable of busting a little powder. They were scaired to even try!

Do you guys find this is common in your respective areas or do folks where you live get it?

[OOPS]

Snow wheeling is like any other wheeling, if you know what you are doing, go for it. A lot of people around here think we are crazy for doing it, but I love it and my rig works great in the snow.

[Nimyad]

Just depends on people's knowledge of the terrain. Most people I meet tell me I'm crazy for airing down to 2-4 psi with no bead locks, but I've never had a problem. Plus in every bigger group I've gone snow wheeling with there's always a throttle jockey that makes it no fun. Just get out there and start enlightening people on how to really snow wheel!

[Rocksurfer]

When I lived in Wisconsin I didn't have a 4x4 but my neighbor did, on day after a pretty good night of snow my wife a Wisconsin native got stuck in the snow in her car the neighbor in the 4x4 was stuck also a Wisconsin native and little ol' me a flatlander from the beaches of SoCal managed to not only drive my car but I hooked up to my wife's car and drug her sorry ass down the street to get her free. I couldn't understand why they were so stuck. I do have to say that I spent my winters going to ski resorts so I wasn't a snow newb and I was and am a professional driver so maybe those plus maybe my at that time dirtbiking played into it.

I also remember a snow wheeling trip where my brother had buried his H1 in snow on the trail and I was in my 4Runner driving around him in circles on top of the snow while he shoveled it out.

Reminds me of people in LA who can't drive in the rain!

[H8PVMNT]

I overheard some people talking about how they can't handle driving on the icy roads we've had for the last week.  These are old time, multi-generational natives.  "Farm people" who in theorey should be used to incliment conditions of all kinds. I don't get it we have winter every year they get plenty of practice...

[bleakhorizon]

my experience with snow is limited, but always seems to be decent, havent really gotten to badly stuck..  but i look at it sort of like mud, In my light(ish) toyota with big tires, i just float on top, not wanting to dig down....  but it seems the heavy trucks (usually with a little more healthy motors) use the throttle they do ok too....

In my local, we dont get snow much at all, so it gets pretty stupid when we do.  people here are more worried about when it melts and brings to 4 + feet of water with it

[Dingman.]

Every snow trip there is ALWAYS people up there stuck as can be in vehicles that should not be where they are trying to go.

There is always that one guy in the group of friends who insist's he has air'd down with 20+ psi of air in the tire.

And the guys who just go full throttle and when they lose momentum, they stay at full throttle and just dig down constantly.


The snow is a blast sometimes.   I get over it pretty quickly though, and miss summer.

[Rocksurfer]

Oh and I almost forgot about this one, I had nothing to do one day, it was a nice day out plus it had recently snowed so I decided to take a putt up to the Deep Creek crossing to Dishpan Springs. I actually ended up crossing and drove as far as I could get before getting into too much trouble once I reached that point just before the waterfall I turned around since my truck kept trying to slide off the trail. Once I got down to 3N34 and Hook Creek I decided that it was too late to return the way I came in to get back to Hesperia so I would just go into Arrowhead. Along the way I ran into a Ford truck 4x2 that was stuck with some kids in shorts and tank tops, so I pulled him out since it was getting late and with the warm day and cold night coming the trail was quickly icing over as the trail went into the shade.

I informed them that this occurs here and they really needed to get out before the trail went through this transformation and that I would follow them out. As you could guess if you have been there just before you get to the paved section of Hook Creek there is a long up hill climb on the East side of the mountain, it was in complete shade and the water that had been running down the trail when they came in was an ice rink. I sat at the bottom while they took a run at it (I sat far enough back) and sure enough they could not make it and slid all the way back to me.

So now I'm thinking that there is no way that my Toyota is going to pull this fullsize 2wd truck up the iced hill, I knew I was fine alone since I had my Thornbird's on my truck but was worried that if I couldn't his heavier truck would drag me back down with him. I decided to give it a shot anyways so I hooked up my tow strap to him and started to literally drag him up the hill, fortunately every time it came to that point that he may drag us both back his truck would run off the road, which even though was partially a good thing it was also bad since he may have taken both trucks over the side. Finally after about an hour & a half I got him to the top to where the pavement started. I bent the crap out of his front bumper since I had hooked my strap to it hoping that if he did go over the side the bumper would have pulled off saving my truck. He wasn't real happy that it got bent since it was a company truck from his work but fully understood why I hooked to it that way in case I needed to try and free myself from his.

[madhunt]

i live in the mountians just south of yosemite national park every year i help more locals out of the ditch than i do tourist, people just dont care to learn to drive in these conditions , around here the snow has way more water content in it than most other places hence why we call it sierra cement, it is great to wheel in sometimes and others its a pain in the buttocks, you just have to figure out the good snow from the bad and know when to wheel it, i have traveled in three feet plus snow is a bronco 2 with 30's fallowing a friend in his toy with 36's have no problem then there are times when we are all in yotas nothing smaller than 36's and can only go two feet at a time because of the type of snow we just recieved, best thing i can tell you is learn to drive in it before you wheel in it.

[SNOW WALKER]

I live in Belgrade MT and I feel your pain. I can't count how many times I have pulled people out of a place they should not have been. I built my truck for the snow and I love snow wheelin. I get the mountain to myself. Most people think I'm crazy because I look forward to winter, but It's my stress relief.

[wampum]

i live in the mountians just south of yosemite national park every year i help more locals out of the ditch than i do tourist, people just dont care to learn to drive in these conditions , around here the snow has way more water content in it than most other places hence why we call it sierra cement, it is great to wheel in sometimes and others its a pain in the buttocks, you just have to figure out the good snow from the bad and know when to wheel it, i have traveled in three feet plus snow is a bronco 2 with 30's fallowing a friend in his toy with 36's have no problem then there are times when we are all in yotas nothing smaller than 36's and can only go two feet at a time because of the type of snow we just recieved, best thing i can tell you is learn to drive in it before you wheel in it.

I agree with this. I feel like back in California snow wheelers use bigger, balloon tires in order to float on top of the snow, whereas here in Idaho (or Montanna?) they might use tall skinny tires to get through the snow down to the dirt/road. I'm assuming this is because of the difference in snow. California's snow is super wet and packs nice whereas Idaho's snow is super dry and just gets blown around. But, I guess my question is if that dry Idaho snow gets deep, what is your best bet? Balloon tires or pizza cutters?

[SNOW WALKER]

Balloon tires! Floatation is the key. Even here in Montana the snow can very on the same road or trail. I like the wide tires for mud too. The advantage of our Toyota's  is there light weight, they just float across. I beat some high horse power rigs at the mud bogs this year, the mud was deep and my T-case didn't even get muddy. They just dug down and got stuck while I just floated my way across.

[jimbo74]

[H8PVMNT]

I have found over the past 15 years that fat or skinny, if you air down to where your tread patch is longer than it is wide it will work good in deep snow.  Right now I'm just running some 35x12.50s and they work really well at 3-4 psi.

In the past I have even used the old 34x9.50 tsl swampers and they worked really well aired down as well, not to dig down, still to float on top. Had to have those on beadlocks though they would roll beads at like 18 psi. The advantage to those skinny tires was that you could bolt them on to any stock Toyota and they would pretty much fit and you had alot more tread patch vs. 31s or whatever you had.  I have a buddy with the 33x9.50 BFGs and they work great too. I'm not saying skinny tires work better in super deep snow, they don't necessarily, but they can work really well and they don't have to dig to the bottom they can float really well as long as they are larger diameter and aired down.  Based on prior experience pizza cutters do definately offer a better lateral hold and better all around tracking in the snow, whereas wide tires tend to get you crabbing everything, but I kind of like that sideways feeling...

The skinny tires work better if you don't know what you are doing which is why the old timers swear by them, but big fatty wide tires work as well or better if you are willing to air way down and you have the truck to run them.

Obviously when it gets really deep the wider the better but if you don't air down it's going to suck regardless.

I want a set of these icelandic arctic truck 38s.  They are like $2,400 shipped to Boston though and you have to figure out how to get them from there...

[H8PVMNT]

Fresh 10" of powder this weekend and now it's blowing around into drifts....  Muahahahah!

[Cheesemaker]

What Bleakhorizon also failed to mention, is the snow we get turns into that wet sloppy crap or freezes into really shitty stuff.  It's not even fun to drive on.  When it gets icy and snowy around town, I usually air down to around 8-10 psi, and I don't have any issues sliding on the hwy.  Steering gets a little squirrely tho!!

I would love to drive on good powdery snow.  East of the Cascades and in midwest you can get by with a locker on your DD in the snow.  Here close to the coast, a locker on the hwy will get you in trouble, cause your ass end will want to be in front of you all the time. 

[H8PVMNT]

Yeah I grew up near Hagg Lake over by Forest Grove/Gaston OR, I know right where you are at and I know the nasty ice you are talking about. Silver ice with water running down it... I lived by Missoula MT west of the divide, for a few years and it was pretty much the same weather as the coast, just with more winter.  Still wet and icy and we always had the fun air inversion with constant freezing fog that would tear your antenna off. We are pretty fortunate where we are now east of the rockies when it gets cold it pretty much stays that way until we get a chinook wind and it all melts.  The roads get white but stay squeaky and OK traction for the most part.

[Crawlin85]

snow wheeling is lots of fun. We make frequent trips up in the sierra nevadas. I run 35" 12.50 km2s. I air them down to 10psi and can make it about anywhere. Wider is better. My friend was running some 14.5" wide swampers and floated over all the powder and ice. Running no locker is usually better. I have air lockers front and rear and make it much farther with them unlocked and i only lock them in when i start to dig into the snow. (wheels spinning at same speed will make you slide around alot more) people are scared because there are lots of hazards. Never wheel alone and check out this article about a woman who was just recently rescued after being trapped 6 days in the snow. Her boyfriend died when he went to look for help. Its the lack of education and unwillingness to try something new that makes people scared to snow wheel.
http://todaynews.today.com/_news/2012/12/12/15862979-snowstorm-survivor-made-video-to-say-goodbye-to-her-boys

[momar]

I love snow wheeling.  It's nicer when it's fresh, sierra cement is not so much fun, but i still enjoy it.  Just bring extra everything, clothes, food, gas, etc.  and proper equipment like extra straps/cables and shovels.  I bring snow shoes or skis now too.

Oh yeah and watch out for holes and don't be afraid to shovel a little 

[H8PVMNT]

Nice sink hole!  We started bringing snow shoes along about our second year of snow wheeling.  It's nice to keep your feet out of the snow when you are hooking up straps or fixing on the trail.  I also carry extra socks for other people who get cold toes or wet feet it comes in handy many times. The biggest challenge and the thing that makes a good trip vs. a bad one is keeping everybody warm and comfortable.

[Quick Draw]

Old people - that I don't know - frequently feel the need to tell me that my fat tires are no good for snow...  I tell them that they're wrong, but they continue to lecture me about getting skinny tires and chains.  People don't understand:  If the snow is deeper than your frame, then those skinny tires with chains that like to dig are not going to get you anywhere.  Whatever, I used my truck as a snow plow (without a plow) last winter:



Video:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/brood_mare25/8ac459c4.mp4

[momar]

Nice sink hole!  We started bringing snow shoes along about our second year of snow wheeling.  It's nice to keep your feet out of the snow when you are hooking up straps or fixing on the trail.  I also carry extra socks for other people who get cold toes or wet feet it comes in handy many times. The biggest challenge and the thing that makes a good trip vs. a bad one is keeping everybody warm and comfortable.

Yeah we found a good one there   snow was like 3" thick on the top crust, completely washed out underneath.

It's amazing how many socks you can go through and no matter how many times you tell people to bring extras they don't.  or they bring the little ankle socks

[momar]

Quick Draw, that looks like a lot of fun, makes me want to go find some snow right now!

[H8PVMNT]

One time a girl riding in a jeep with no heater fell through the ice in a creek up to her knees.  Needless to say she was happy I had some nice dry wool socks on hand...

[tgmaul88]

more snow wheeling pics    current ones!

[H8PVMNT]

OK so we went to the inlaws Christmas day in the afternoon and they had these big snow banks in their yard.  I was having alot of pent up wheeling energy that day so I aired down and went creeping up into the snow bank.  It was really soft and powdery so I promptly got buried in it due to my total lack of momentum.  After digging for 5 minutes before remembering I had a perfectly good winch I winched myself out of the white and took another stab at the snow bank, this time with some heat on it.  I blew through it with snow flying everywhere and it was just great.

Day 2 I got bored and did the same exact thing about a truck length down the snow bank.   On the approach I added a good blip of throttle with the 3RZ right before the front tires started climbing the bank...  The only thing was the temps were about 20 degrees higher and instead of loose powder the snow was the consistancy of medium packed dirt. Needless to say my front end kept going up in the air as my back tires grabbed the snow bank and I accidentally performed a kind of monster truck manouver.  Unprepaired for the full traction landing with the front tires and the drivetrain under load I grenaded the front ring and pinions.

This isn't really snow wheeling just a dumbass manouver in a drivway but it is a good example of how much snow can change consistancy with tempature.

Now I have to get some new 5.29s so I can get to real snow season...

[Cyberman]

Okay, so there wasn't much snow on the ground, but it was fun, nonetheless.

Just enough snow to hide the mud holes.

This was when the truck was still IFS.

[daniresch]

looks like fun 

[jrock]

Christmas Eve Day, snow in the in the coastal mountains of NorCal. About 2-3ft of powder under a 4in crust of ice. Slow going, doubled down and 2psi, never shoveled or pulled.

[Nimyad]

Went snow wheeling yesterday, it got dark so I didn't get any pics but this one. The whole trip was 3-5000rpm and lots of clutch drops.