Snow driving lesson

[IGL002]

On Saturday I went for a drive from Queanbeyan to Cabramurra in the Defender.

I didn't have snow chains nor are 4WD vehicles required to carry them in the KNP.

Once inside the national park light snow began to fall but the road for 15-20 km either side of the incident was snow and ice free so no need for chains in any case.

The incident occurred when I drove approx one metre off the bitumen into the snow/ice blocks that the snow plough had piled up on the road side at Delaneys Hut.

Progress was immediately halted in both directions by wheel spin on the icy blocks. Various combinations of CDL on/off or high/low range and even low 2nd or 3rd gear failed to move the vehicle.

Tried to dig it out with a shovel but probably needed to dig down to the dirt to get any grip. A fellow in a Pajero pulled up and offered to yank me out.

One tow strap slipped over two tow balls later I was back on the bitumen.:)

I was amazed how one of the best 4WD's in the world was so easily rendered useless 4 feet from the bitumen by a bit of frozen water!:mad:

The vehicle is a 2011 Defender 110 Wagon running Continental Crosscontact tyres at 36 psi. Even if I had chains, I would have been unable to fit them as I couldn't drive onto them.

Driving onto a track of virgin snow wouldn't have been a problem as I proved a fortnight ago in the same area.

I hope this will prevent others the embarrassment of being pulled off by a Pajero...:D

Cheers,

Iglooist

"I started out with nothing and still have most of it left"

[Gidget]

Maxx Tracks (http://www.maxtrax.com.au/)Get you out of all sorts of binds :D

Isn't the rule, if there isn't a photo it never happened :p

Glad you got a yank out, might have been a chilli wait other wise :o

[Lotz-A-Landies]

<snip>. Even if I had chains, I would have been unable to fit them as I couldn't drive onto them.<snip>"You don't need to drive onto chains to fit them, it only makes it easier if you do.

The other method of fitting chains is to drape the chains over the wheel, lie down in the mud and slush, even if you have to dig a little and reach around to the back and hook the inside and also the outside. Spin the wheels a little so the wheels move part of a rotation and fully tighten the chains.

[austastar]

Hi,
a sacrificial mat may have got you out.

cheers

[IGL002]

Maxx Tracks (http://www.maxtrax.com.au/)Get you out of all sorts of binds :D

Isn't the rule, if there isn't a photo it never happened :p

Glad you got a yank out, might have been a chilli wait other wise :o

I was watching the 4WD show on Aurora channel (FOX) on Sunday
and saw the boys use maxtrax to get out of some mud. Very impressed by that product...

[alexturner]

Oh you poor guy. Would deflating your tyres help you out on the snow? But yeah, Maxx tracks are the way to go man. Buy just a heads up - in Spanish Pajero means ******...

Alex

[Gidget]

I won a set of maxx tracks a few years back. Never thought I would use them ;) & I never have for myself :p But geez I have got a lot of other people out of some sticky situations with them :D They live permanently on the floor between the front & middle row of seats :cool: One of the best bits of recovery gear I have in a 1 vehicle recovery :eek:

[IGL002]

Oh you poor guy. Would deflating your tyres help you out on the snow? But yeah, Maxx tracks are the way to go man. Buy just a heads up - in Spanish Pajero means ******...

Alex

Did you note the last line of my original post?:cool:

[Don 130]

You may not have had an option, but pulling out a stuck vehicle from the towball is asking for trouble. Towballs have snapped off in some cases and shot like missiles into the other vehicle. It's aways best to attach to proper recovery points if you have them, or something very substantial otherwise.
Don.

[Treads]

You may not have had an option, but pulling out a stuck vehicle from the towball is asking for trouble. Towballs have snapped off in some cases and shot like missiles into the other vehicle. It's aways best to attach to proper recovery points if you have them, or something very substantial otherwise.
Don.

First thing I thought when I read the OP ;)

Also IGL002 - snow chains don't have to be driven over to fit them :p

[solmanic]

Just a thought, as Max tracks are pretty expensive... Just keep the cutout bottoms of a couple of milk crates in the back. Smaller, cheaper and will provide just that necessary bit of grip when they are wedged under the wheels to move you off the worst of the slippery stuff. I wouldn't feel too bad about the Defender getting flummoxed by ice blocks. Ice will stop anything. I have been stuck digging out a coach that had chains fitted and still couldn't make forward progress.

[Xtreme]

I like things to be dual purpose - so I have a fire grate which is basically a 36" x 18" piese of ARC weldmesh (like they used to have on school fences) with four bolts welded on which the legs (suitable length 12mm bolts) screw into.

With legs unscrewed for carrying/packing, it fits neatly into an old fertiliser bag, lays flat and can also be used as a traction aid in sand, snow, mud etc when required. Sometimes it gets bent a little but you just jump on it to straighten it out before cooking your tea &/or boiling the billy.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/07/1044.jpg

If your travelling companions also have similar fire grates, then if necessary you can shackle a few together to get through that extended bog hole. :D

PS - I also carry tyre chains if I'm heading into country where I think I might need them, but for smaller bog holes, the above works a treat.

[Celtoid]

Ice is Ice mate....even if super flat it's hard to get any 'real' traction. The first obstacle you come to, like a frozen block of ice, will probably stop you unless you don't have all four wheels on the ice in the first place, maybe have chains fitted or are running spiked tyres....LOL!!!

I wouldn't feel too bad about it. :)

[IGL002]

Just a thought, as Max tracks are pretty expensive... Just keep the cutout bottoms of a couple of milk crates in the back. Smaller, cheaper and will provide just that necessary bit of grip when they are wedged under the wheels to move you off the worst of the slippery stuff. I wouldn't feel too bad about the Defender getting flummoxed by ice blocks. Ice will stop anything. I have been stuck digging out a coach that had chains fitted and still couldn't make forward progress.

Now there's an idea however, I might use bread crate bottoms as they are longer than milk crate ones.

[jasonedu]

I learnt my lesson with ice a few years ago driving off the Pamir highway in Tajikistan.

My main concern was falling through the ice on the frozen rivers we were crossing. The rivers were not deep but it was what was taking my attention.

What eventually bought us undone thought was a slight incline that was at a side angle as well that had a bit of snow. The snow had frozen and turned to ice and I slid sideways off the track and nearly rolled the car.

We ended up with the tyres wedged between blocks of frozen earth and a loose sandy soil so no traction at all - just slowly sliding sideways further down the incline.

My second lesson of the day: chipping away at frozen soil to dig a car out at 4500m is not easy. I was knackered.