A little sand
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 5,860
Likes: 4
From: Metro Detroit (Redford)
A little sand
This may seem obvious, but I had never done it before. Usually with my open differential trucks, when I would get one wheel stuck in a little snow pile I'd dig around it and try to drive it out. So the other day I got the wife's Aerostar is that situation. Front tire into the snowbank just enough to drop into a soft area. Rocking did no good. No shovel, so I tried kicking snow out from around the tire. Still no good. Then my son says, "the sand Dad!" Oh yeah, I had thrown a bag of sand in back just in case. Threw a few handfulls behind the rear tire, kicked it in behind the tire for good measure, and fired it up. Threw it in gear and it just walked right out like nothing was wrong. Is sand usually this effective? I'll make sure and carry a couple bags every winter.
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,123
Likes: 2
From: WA
Hasn't helped me too much when I was stuck, I got my friend's ranger stuck in her yard yesterday (got to love open diffs), and the only thing that helped was a tractor. Previously when I ditched my F150 all it did was fling sand at my buddy who was pushing. I have heard that kitty litter or sand is the best to put behind a tire when you're stuck, so it must work sometimes!
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 5,860
Likes: 4
From: Metro Detroit (Redford)
Guess I should have said that I am only talking about city stucks. Years ago my buddy sank my old '77 F100 in his apartment lawn. Tow truck hooked up the winch and it pulled the tow truck backward until we chocked him against a speed bump. I had that old F100 in sand (required an F250 4X4 to get out), in a stump hole (dozer pulled me out), and sunk in nine inches of snow over a wet spot in a soybean field ($45,000 Ford tractor pulled me out). But for those city stucks the sand seems pertty good.
Postmaster
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 2,659
Likes: 2
From: S/C Texas
When I lived up north, I carried bags of rock salt. The large salt grains would offer traction, if they didnt......they would soon, by melting the ice. Carried 300 pounds in the back of the truck. If I didnt need the salt, the weight alone helped in the snow.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 796
Likes: 1
From: KCMO
Several years ago, out in the sticks where I lived, I spent about half a hour getting out of my driveway onto the county road, and then I was stuck. Solid ice. I was chipping ice with a shovel, throwing sand under the tires, and was on the verge of using a come-along when the lady across the road came out with a bucket of ashes from her fireplace. Just a few handfuls turned that ice into velcro - most amazing thing I ever saw.
