Today in upstate NY, we got hit with around 10+ inches of snow in the last 9 hours and even the main roads in the city are covered with about 4 inches. The plows can't keep up. So what do I do instead of remain safe in my nice warm home.....I call up my friend who has a 2002 v10 F-350 superduty and told him to come over to do some off-roading. With my video camera in my hand, I hopped behind the wheel of my 79 Bronco Custom and my friend followed me out to the country. The truck trails we were headed for are clearly labeled with signs saying... "4wd highly recommended. If so equiped, still procede with caution." I traveled on them in the summer and they were only a little on the rough side so I thought we would be fine in the snow. Well as it turns out, the seasonal limited use road that we had to take to get to these trails had over 2 feet of snow already on it and that was nothing compared to what we got into further in the woods. We were the only people to travel these roads in days. The only other people we saw were two guys who we ran into coming from the other direction on snowmobiles. We stopped and talked to them and they said we were crazy to take trucks on this road. The looks on their faces were priceless when I said to them... "Well your gonna think were really crazy because we're going into even deeper snow. We're going down the old truck trails in the woods." The one guy was completely shocked and he said that we should re-think what were gonna do because it's so deep on the truck trails that the two of them on their sleds almost couldn't make it back up the trail. We went for it anyway even though neither one of us has a winch or a tow chain. I didn't care because I was confident in my Beast and besides my brother-in-law lives only a couple miles away and he could bring us a towchain with his snowmobile if we called him(yes, at least we had a cell phone with us). To try and make a long story short, I was so impressed with the way my 79 Bronco performed. I was able to go up parts of the truck trail in 2wd that my friends F-350 had troubles doing in 4wd. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that both our trucks were running on stock tires and for the most part we both have stock trucks. Anyway, he got his truck stuck TWICE and both times we had to get in my truck and drive a couple miles to get chunks of wood to stick under his tires to get him out. Both times that we got his truck unstuck, I was the one who got behind the wheel of his truck to get it out. That really got him mad. By the time we got him unstuck and we called it a night, it was around 11:00p.m. I led him back to civilization because he was new to the area. We were just entering the town and we found some guy in a 85 Chevy K5 Blazer half stuck in the ditch with his whole rear-end buried in snow and mud. This guy couldn't drive his wimpy Blazer through snow that was only 1 1/2 feet deep without losing it. I started laughing because I just got done "Blazing" through snow that was about 2 feet deeper than that in 2wd at around 35m.p.h. We stopped to help the guy and he had a tow-chain. My friend wanted to be the one to pull him out so he could try to rebuild his pride after what happened on the trails. He also wanted to pull him out because he hates Chevy's almost as much as I do. He moved the truck a little but it fell back into the ruts in was in. Once again it was The Bronco to the rescue. I hooked up my rig to it and with a little bit of Bronco muscle, I was able to get him out. I unhooked the chain, the guy gave me $40 and I walk over to my friend and said "It takes a Bronco." We both went to our homes after that and once again on the way I found someone in need of help. Some little old lady in a new Chrysler Concorde had slide sideways off the road at 50m.p.h. She and her grandaughter were ok but her car was buried in a huge snowdrift. I couldn't just leave them there. She told me that she had been sitting there for about a half an hour and even with steady, heavy traffic going by, nobody would stop and help her. Well I couldn't just leave her and her little baby grandaughter without helping. Unlike eveyone else that passed her, I have a heart. I went to the nearest neighbors house I could find and borrowed a tow chain and with no problem at all, she was free. I swear, I thought the chain slipped off or something because it felt like I wasn't even towing anyone. I seriously didn't even feel any difference in the truck when I pulled her out. I unhooked and told her she would be o.k. She went to reach for some money and I said "Don't worry about it....just be more careful." That was very unlike me but I say oh well. I took the chain back to the guys house and then headed home. I am so proud of my truck. Im really happy that I was able to get most of my adventure on film. I will never own anything else that I can trust like 78-79 Bronco. My 92 Bronco is awesome too but it cant hold a candle to my 79. My truck is lacking only one very important thing though........a friggin' tow chain!

 

2 1/2 foot deep snow with stock tires? Got any pictures?

 

The snow was up to my waist in the drifts, so actually more like 3 1/2 feet on stock tires and in 2wd. Sorry no pics. Im gonna be getting a digital camera soon and the only footage I got was on 8mm film.

 

Wow.

 

Yea, 78-79 Broncos are awesome in snow. I think it is because that rear tailgate adds 300 pounds over the rear axle along with the 200 pound rear seat

 

tow straps and yank straps are your best bet....being safer and lighter! Although I do carry a 3/8" dia. loggin' chain with me.....just never know!

-jason-

 

Yeah the tailgate is pretty heavy but I don't even keep the rear seat in my truck. I have it out so I have more room to haul stuff. Even without it, it gets good traction on the front and rear. I guess maybe the 3 1/2 ton jack I keep in the back helps out too. Anyone else have any stories about this winter?

 

No stories for this winter, Just been dry.

My 79 Bronco will walk all over my 78 F150 4x4 and the other trucks I wheel with. It has more to due with the weight pretty much evened out on all 4 wheels. Unlike a truck they are heavy on the front and light on the rear. To make a Truck pull like a Bronco slap a Goose Neck plate in the rear and When you pull someone out pull the gate off or drop it down and hook your Tow strap or chain around the Goose neck ball. Which will put the wieght of the truck you pulling even thru the bed. Thats why I'm in the hunt for a used goose neck Plate to slap in my 78. Even if you got a newer truck and have no need for a plate they have a real good hide-a-hitch plate that can't be seen til popped up. Works wonders to help add extra weight on the rear of trucks when pulling.

 

Excellent!!!
I always have a tow strap, and a ****** strap in the truck (gotta fill up the x-cab I guess). If I know I am going off road I take along a chain and a little 1 ton hydraulic jack (in a small joint compound bucket.)
The only time I used the chain was with a tree saver strap to pull a stump next to the barn.... the real purpose was to get the receiver out of the hitch. It pulled the stump and didn't budge the receiver. So I pulled about 10 more out back. Pretty proud of myself. The last stump didn't budge, so tried again... the strap broke and the chain left two big tracks on the tailgate. Looks like a machine gun made the dents!
Glad the tailgate was there.... cause it was a 15' chain (mmmm 15' - 8' means that big honkin hook on the end of the chain could reach my head).
I put the pin back in the receiver. It slid right in. That thing did not move a fraction of an inch. I guess the hitch being in there for all those years welded it right in place!

The moral of the story is that straps are much better, especially since you don't get rust all over your hands/gloves. Or is it that if you leave the reciever in for 8 years... it stays in.

Broncs are nice because they have the weight on the drive wheels and a short wheelbase. In the winter I usually have cinderblocks and sand in the bed (unless I have a snowmobile in there).... but still I think a bronco would be better in the snow and off road in general.

 

Buzzard wing, some word of advice for ya :-). If u use a chain, like u did, be sure and put a towel or shirt or something over the chain. That way if it breaks, like it did with you, itll fall straight to the ground instead of coming back at u. Luckily all it hit was the tailgate and not your glass and u. Even with a strap or winch cable, put a towel or shirt over it so it wont come flying at u if/when it breaks. Another word of advice, to keep your chain from rusting put it in a small bucket of oil. Keep a shop towel with it as well so u can wipe off your hands .

If u want the hitch out, take a small sledge hammer, and hit it side to side and up and down a few times to break up the bond between it and the receiver. It make take a few times but it should eventually break loose.

 

I will NEVER use the chain except for possibly tugging a down tree off the road.
I do know better than to not have something over the chain, but this silly expedition started out as one stump that was next to the sill on a barn that we were replacing... when it worked we were off to pull some in a field that is being reclaimed.
I have tried everything short of a torch to get that receiver out. PB and a sledge a year ago did not work. If the dozen stumps and broken 10,000 # strap don't get it.... I will just put the new pin in and leave it!
Truck is too long for the garage anyway, so I got a stainless convert-a-ball and don't give it another thought. Oh, until I bought an old military trailer with a pintel....

 

Another word of advise if you choose to use a chain. Put down your rear window to prevent it shattering if the chain snaps back on it.

 

Over my cables (I only use chains to tie to trees) I put a 5 gallon bucket and fill it with chains so it drops the cable if it snaps. No winter stories this year, I moved to GA

 

go to a heavy truck or heavy equipment dealer and get the biggest longest towstrap you can afford. i have an 8" 80 000 strap thats 50' long thats 6 years old and used all the time in my wonderful canadian winters.

 

Cool story..