2009-2010 Winter fun

[85_Ranger4x4]

First off in early December with a blizzard on the way I decided rather than have to fight to get my tractor cleaned off and up above to the driveway to blade I would park it inside and leave the Ranger out to fend for itself, made for a dramatic scene. Surprisingly it walked right out of it, it then took a couple hitches but I got it up onto the driveway again too.

The driveway, I didn't have chains on the tractor yet which made blading interesting to say the least.

My parts runner where I work, a '94 Explorer slightly buried.

After blizzard #2 (roughly another foot of snow, but it had started to melt so I didn't think it would be that deep) I have the brainy idea to take my Ranger out in the pasture to take pictures of it with the trees, we had the strangest frost I have ever seen... it didn't work out well.

Dragging about everything.

I got sucked off of my trail, but since it kept going I figured it would be fine. Then I came up to the fence where I wanted to take pictures, so I stopped to back up a little to get something resembling a broadside against the trees. When I went to back up I punched thru the crust from the first snow and there I sat. With a little work, I did get a semi-satisfying dirt/snow plume from the front passenger side tire though but the truck never moved. (I was kind of miffed and forgot to take a picture of the truck actually stuck) As you can tell, the mighty 2.8 left its mark as well.

The WD-45 came to the rescue, and honestly didn't not care a bit that the truck (shut off in neutral) was behind it. I tugged the truck backwards a little bit to trail I bladed for the livestock to get around earlier. I am standing where I took the picture of where it got stuck, the tractor is where it quit dragging the truck.

Some decent shots of the savior:

I had to settle for less dramatic shots than I wanted, mainly once I got it moving I didn't want to stop until I got closer to civilization. My trail system forms a V, it goes behind the '45 to the right and then back up to where the truck is stitting now... which is the route I stuck to for my reture voyage. I took another swipe at the trail before I put the tractor away so it was at least wide enough for a pickup, seemed like no matter what I did, one side of the pickup was breaking trail.

Coming back up to the driveway:

And the crazy frost stuff that started all of this:

I go driving over to dads shop to see what I can see and find some pretty neat pictures.

The oval on the grille of my F-150:

Neat landscape:

Panaramic, too bad for the dark seams:

My F-150:

Dad's Farmall H shop mule (pretty much just used to tug/push stuff around the shop)

And since we are only up till February... we could still get some more snow and a sloppy muddy mess will follow for sure.

 

[jhammel85]

I really like your Ranger.

What size tires and rims are you running? Is the suspension stock?

 

[odie1969]

By the look of the frost on the farmall steering wheel. you guys had a bit of wind with the storm. O ya great pics.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I really like your Ranger.

What size tires and rims are you running? Is the suspension stock?

Factory original suspension, 3" bodylift, 235/75-15 tires, 7x15 rims. The rear springs are beat so on a good day it sits about level, I have my 8.8 in the back with a hunk of plywood forming a sort of a bed cover with a bunch of snow on and around it... so it is squatting a little.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

By the look of the frost on the farmall steering wheel. you guys had a bit of wind with the storm. O ya great pics.

Actually, I think it was freezing fog that made the frost. Wierd stuff whatever it was, I have never seen it before.

We had the two big storms, then it warmed up a little and got really foggy after it tried to melt.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

Awwww. come on! Why can't alaska be getting some serious snow this year?

Looks like you had an AWESOME day!

 

[bcost882]

reminds me a bit of home. nevada it just rains...... that sucks.

 

[Colin]

Nice Ranger man, I like the colour.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Awwww. come on! Why can't alaska be getting some serious snow this year?

Looks like you had an AWESOME day!

Yeah, I really wish this stuff was up there where it belongs.

It was neat at first but the bitter cold, snow and wind got old pretty quick. It was fun messing around that day, but that was after a month and a half of a pretty harsh winter. So far it seems things have normalized down here, no more of that -20 crap for awhile.

This July I have been driving for 10 years and have NEVER gotten stuck. So far since our second blizzard on Christmas Day I have been stuck three times, twice in the F-150 and this once in the Ranger, and I have been laying frame all three times.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

Yeah, I really wish this stuff was up there where it belongs.

It was neat at first but the bitter cold, snow and wind got old pretty quick. It was fun messing around that day, but that was after a month and a half of a pretty harsh winter. So far it seems things have normalized down here, no more of that -20 crap for awhile.

This July I have been driving for 10 years and have NEVER gotten stuck. So far since our second blizzard on Christmas Day I have been stuck three times, twice in the F-150 and this once in the Ranger, and I have been laying frame all three times.

Yeah but atleast you have the snow... Here its just bitter cold... Been hovering around 0 degrees for the last 3 or 4 months i think....

If you could just like get a couple dumptruck loads up here that would be just great! I have only gotten stuck once I think and that was cause of the big fat snowplow axle, if it got under that the rest was smooth sailing.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Well if you want it come on down, we still have drifts out in the country that are taller than a pickup. The county had to get their dozer out to bust them. Sad part is that there is still a lot of corn out in the fields that farmers didn't get a chance to get out before the storms started piling up.

And as you can tell by the snow packed in it, I think my snowplow axle tried to hang me too.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

It got up into the 40's last Saturday and it really froze the snow good when it cooled off again. I was driving around tonight with my tractor on over a foot of snow and I don't think I ever sunk in more than an inch, and some places I only left the squigles from my chains.

 

[bcost882]

how much would a dozer cost if you know? i want one. country new jerseyan what can i say

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

how much would a dozer cost if you know? i want one. country new jerseyan what can i say

I don't really know what they are going for but they are not cheap. You might be able to get them cheap, but by the time they are servicable they won't be cheap.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Well, we have continued to get more snow, just a couple inches here and there with more scheduled to come in today. I rearanged some snow around the driveway to make room for more and had some fun with the ice/snow seeing where I could get the Ranger to go.

I got a little braver and tried the steeper side of the pile, it was pretty steep and just about solid ice so I couldn't make it up it. I didn't really try that hard, but I was practically trying to up an ice wall and didn't want to hurt the front suspension to take a picture.

Just to see if I could I went thru/over the lower part where I parked before, it just walked right over it and turned the corner and came down the driveway with ease.

Drove up a bank after I pushed snow around a little with the tractor.