rant It was a dark and stromy night....

imagine Snoopy on the roof typing away. i have to rant. you boys will understand.

So on the day of the first 'measurable' snow of the year, I am running late getting home, but not worried. Enough to cover the grass on the ground. Big Red has taken on worse weather. Last stop is grocery store before they close. Get out before they close, 5 miles to go home. Plow/Salt truck drives by going NB. I am going SB. Good sign I am thinking. NOT.

I no sooner do I CRAWL out of the driveway, the whole world is sliding underneath me. I am in 4 wheel drive, hubs are locked. WTF? Across one lane of 4 plus turn/suicide lane. Plow truck just drove by. Lights flashing. Didnt bother to look if he was spreading salt. Plow was not down, so he had to be spreading something.

Off the gas, cut wheels right see if I can get some change of direction. Second lane. Nothing.

Let go of steering wheel, still sliding sideways. Complete sideways, I don't mean quartering. Its like I am on oiled ball bearings going lateral.

Tap on the breaks, what do I have to loose. Nothing. Across the suicide lane now, and it almost feels like I am GAINING momentum. WTF?

Slide across the 4th/5th lanes and it feels like I am slowing down but not fast enough. WHAM, I hit the curb sideways. Both passenger side wheels hit. BOOM! Bone shuddering jar. From 5 maybe 10 miles an hour to sideways to slam.

Now I am freaked out. WTF just happened to my truck. Did I get pushed form behind or something? Spectacles Testicles Wallet and Watch. Check.

I get out to look for damage. Flat front tire. Rear is super saggy. Looks like a kids cartoon all floppy and pfft.

Then I hear a crash. Car driving NB has just spun out right where I came out off. Rear over teakettles.

I am dumb founded. Completely stupefied. Wondering if the plow truck that just passed is playing some sort of joke laying down snot instead of salt.

I pull off the road into drive-up lane for drugstore to change my tire. An hour in the snow with the widowmaker oem jack in the snow. Folks in the car appear to be ok, they are outside the car wandering about.

Best I can figure, low tire pressure plus side impact equals pop the tire off the rim catastrophically. Rear was partial loss of air pressure? Crawl home.

This morning , rear is at 10 psi. Rims look fine. Front tire pretty much roached from driving on it flat. See what happens tomorrow when I go see JLD's friend across the puddle.

dp

Not a good way to start the snow season. Hope things get better fast.

Dave

You make a person feel like they were sitting in the seat next to you. Nice play by play action. Sorry for your crash. Have you ever driven one of those plow trucks on freezing rain iced up roads. It sucks cuz thats what I do. I have backed up hills and around curves sanding a path so I wouldn't slid off the road. Looking in the mirrors I have seen the sand salt mixture we use just slide off or blow off the road not even sticking around for the first person to drive on it. I know what you mean by it seems like you pick up momentum during those out of control drifts. I've done 360's with a tandem axle truck weighting 70.000lb on slippery roads but can't tell a story like you. Winters here early and hopefully only a year or two of plowing and sanding before I pull the plug and retire. I do 66 lane miles on my route and allways run out of sand before I get halfway around it on bad days. Maybe the driver was heading back for more. Glad your ok

Dura-Trac's or another set of those DynaPro's

Call Jake, from State Farm.
Doug

I'm glad that you're OK. It sucks when things like that happen.

Nothing like the helpless feeling of being on ice in one of these trucks when 4 wheel drive is useless!

Might want to check your alignment.

I once stopped to help a stranded motorist in a steep grade parking lot that was iced up. As soon as I stopped I knew I was in trouble. Zero traction......nada......zip even with deflated tires. I had to go dig dirt to put under my tires to get my nose pointed in the right direction to make an uncontrolled exit from the graded parking lot.

Oil-Dri is your friend... in more ways than one...

hasn't been too awful long the County used to put barrels of sand alongside the road on hills..