Road service

[rgrugg]

Disallusioned. Because of snow on top of my glare ice driveway yesterday, I had to be towed out by my neighbor. Having had Good Sam road service for years, I called them for a tow and refused because they do not do "weather related" towing. They used to because I needed a tow out of my driveway for similar reasons a few years ago. Does anyone know if Coach Net will do weather related towing? Or any other service that does? Thanks.

[Darwin Maring]

Try AAA Plus.
Regardless of the company, I would not tell them I was stuck in the driveway. I would say I needed the tow and then when the driver showed up have him get me unstuck. I,m confident the tow driver doesn't care.

[Raz]

Bag of sand??? Raz

[cpaharley2008]

or, on Farmer's commercials, kitty litter.

[Richard Hayes]

Kitty litter gets soggy and soft pretty quick - it is, after all, made expresslyto absorb fluids. Traction sand is much more effective and lasts way, way longer. I keep a large plastic Folgers coffee tub of it, with a bit of rock salt mixed in to prevent freezing, in the vehicles, even my 4x4 - it's gotten any number of people off that one slick little patch that's had 'em bogged down...

[Bill in Pittsburgh]

Originally Posted by Richard Hayes

Kitty litter gets soggy and soft pretty quick - it is, after all, made expresslyto absorb fluids. Traction sand is much more effective and lasts way, way longer. I keep a large plastic Folgers coffee tub of it, with a bit of rock salt mixed in to prevent freezing, in the vehicles, even my 4x4 - it's gotten any number of people off that one slick little patch that's had 'em bogged down...

Sand definitely has advantages over Kitty Litter for this application, but Kitty Litter is my choice due to weight differential.
Again application comes into play. If you are using it in a two wheel drive pick-up truck and desire to add weight over the rear drive wheels, then sand would be the natural choice.

[Mike Magee]

Apparently no one here has Coach Net, Bob. I do hope you made it out and are on your way. Or if not, I hope you still have power at your house!

My brother near Grand Ledge lost power on Monday and it isn't expected to be back on until Saturday. We spoke this afternoon and it's 37* in his house. I wish he had a trailer to move into for a few days!

[Bob Miller]

Hmmmm... You live in MI, have gotten stuck in your driveway before because of ice/snow in the past, and you don't keep a $5 bag of sand or ice melt handy????? Hmmmmm.....

Even in comparitively balmy Northern Virginia, a can of Ice Melt was standard equipment in the car after November 1st.

As any tenderfoot scout would say "Be Prepared".

[Mike Magee]

Bob M., having grown up in Michigan I can say unequivocally that there are times when using a bag of sand or ice melt would have been like spitting into the wind. There would be drifts higher than the fence posts. You may as well say, "and you don't have a tractor with a plow blade?" because that may be what Bob R. would have needed. He didn't exactly say how much snow was on top of that ice!

[Bob Miller]

Well ya.... But the op stated that he had to deal with snow on top of ice, not 4 foot drifts. And if the snow was that deep, where was he planning on going anyway???

To add my $.02 cents worth, one of the reasons that emergency towing services like AAA add so much for RV support is that they get a lot of calls that are caused more by a lack of planning than by real emergencies.

[Darrell in Al]

I dumped AAA after having a need for a jump start called waited for the wrecker for jump. 2 hours called back l was told that the driver came out and that I was not there. I'd have to pay for them to come back out... my phone was a vehicle mounted one.. I had a 4 mile walk, first time used after having paid for the services for 10 years. I cancelled it. The service through my insurance company has been worth while. 2 times in the same month 2 different vehicles same dang place Brunswick Ga. Different exit from interstate going to Florida.
I prefer cat litter dual usage spills too, if I still was in heavy snow and ice zones.. gravel.

[Doug P.]

Having just moved from Prince George, northern British Columbia we got used to dealing with ice covered in snow. Best to carry some mixed sand and gravel (3/4 crush minus) is what we knew it as. Through that down and your good and it won't blow away.