How to get over ice?

[Paul O.]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

Hire someone that does plowing and sanding. Lots of people that plow driveways also have a small dump truck with a sander on it. There are even sanders that go on a pickup truck. Should be someone in your area that does this. I assume you just need to get out of the RV park to clear roads so they should take care of it.

I second that. If a job is at stake, $100 to $200 for a private sanding job would it be worth it for me. Good luck.

[Mike_L]

Sand will help but only works if you have a short distance to go. Tire chains on the tug and trailer will definitely give you the best traction.

[bullfrogeh]

"How to get over ice ?"
I face the same problem several times each winter. My entire driveway is on a decent tilt, and I have a small rivulet that flows across it, during any thaw. I like the 2 oz. of Bourbon answer best; or, a good slug of Canadian Rye Whiskey. Just wait it out; and, "you'll Get Over It".

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by whoot

I have to leave because I have a new job waiting for me half-way across America, and each day I am stuck here, is another day they might change their mind.

I will buy some sand and salt and spread it around where my truck will pull from, and on the hills I have to go over. It's about 200 yrds of ice, but I am mostly concerned with 3 small hills.

It is going to get warmer Saturday and Sunday, so there might be enough melting that I can leave.

Attachment 115754

I had a similar situation happen with a new job once. In that case, my car broke down in the middle of nowhere, so no way I could drive to my new job that started a couple of days later, 1200 miles away.

The solution? I took a cab to the nearest airport (small one), and bought a round trip airline ticket, with the return several weeks later. I left my car at a car repair garage, to be sorted out later. I flew home first, grabbed a couple of necessities, then continued to fly on to the new job. Airline ticket)s) weren't cheap. But I had spent six months looking, and this job was important to me. No way was I going to show them I couldn't manage my way out of a broken down car situation. I worked for a few weeks, had the car repaired, then flew back to pick it up. The new job took priority over cost of an airline ticket. There are Walmarts everywhere where you can pick up essentials, rent a car, etc. The last thing I wanted to do was give the false impression that their new job was not my highest priority.

If anything, the company knew I went through hoops to get their on time, which they appreciated. Had I not made it, they surely would have questioned whether I was the right choice.

If you are bound and determined to move the trailer, then hire a tow truck driver move it for you until you are sure you are on clear pavement. Nothing short of chains or studded tires works on ice. And realize every bridge will likely have ice too. Adding a trailer behind you makes it tougher.

We got in an ice storm once in Dallas. We approached a highway bridge, there were five of us bound and determined to cross that bridge (we were number five). The first four, one at a time, all crashed. Somehow we made it across and immediately headed for a motel. STUPID is what it was....

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

We got in an ice storm once in Dallas. We approached a highway bridge, there were five of us bound and determined to cross that bridge (we were number five). The first four, one at a time, all crashed. Somehow we made it across and immediately headed for a motel. STUPID is what it was....

It is obvious why you had to get across that bridge I would have followed you if I was #6
We did the same thing heading north out of Illinois to Wisconsin during a combination rain / snow storm . We got as far as Rockford Illinois before our truck overheated due to the radiator and grill being plugged with Ice. Sometimes wanting to get home overrules one's common sense.

** By the time we got to Rockford there was over 12" of wet snow on the ground **

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

Nothing short of chains or studded tires works on ice. ....

Metal studded winter tires were a blessing in West Virginia's icy winters until individual municipalities started outlawing them for the damage done to road surfaces when the roads were clear. You had to keep up with ordinances in each little individual town and sometimes find alternate routes around them. That was back in the 1980's. Not sure what the laws are now. But the studded tires were sure nice on ice.

[mary and bob]

For many years we lived on a private road that was 3/4 mile long and 60% of it was uphill. I always kept a big pile of sand with salt mixed in so it wouldn't freeze. Many times I sanded that road by throwing sand with a shovel. An old guy that had worked on a highway crew back in the days of hand sanding told me the technique of how to sand a road without using excess amount of sand. Sounds like this RV park where William is needs to have a stockpile of sand if they are going to be open year round.

[War Eagle]

Old steam locomotives used to have a "sand dome" on top of the boiler with tubes that dropped sand directly in front of the traction wheels. If the rails got a little slick, pull a chain, drop some sand on the rail, and away you go. Some modern locomotives still have a sand box located closer to the drive wheels, depending on where they will be in service. Maybe folks who camp in locals where roads ice need to construct sand boxes on the fenders of their tow vehicles with tubes to drop sand in front of their drive tires. If you have grand kids, they can probably write an app to operate it. Now if anyone runs to get a patent on that, I want my share of the profits!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandbox_(locomotive)

[mary and bob]

I've seen "sandbox" devices on big trucks and school buses that would drop sand in front of the drive wheels. Years ago they were common, but I haven't seen any in a long time. Another device I've seen was a round hub with short pieces of chain attached that would spin in front of the drive wheels, like laying down pieces of chain as you drive along rather than putting chains on the wheels. What some people that have steep driveways do is lay a 50 gallon barrel on it's side at a slight angle, open end up, fill it with sand, and that becomes the source of sand to throw on the road. The park where William is should do that.

[pete_britt]

The only problem I see with you employing tire chains, is getting them to you in time to meet your need. I have (and used tire chains on all wheels of a 4WD pickup) and have a set of chains for the Casita (that I don't expect to ever use) They really do work on ice when nothing else will do.

[stude]

Originally Posted by whoot

I am iced in to an RV Park. There are some short steep hills covered in black ice (ice with water on top). My truck can get over the ice at 1mph, but I still slide on the hills. With my truck, I can aim for the rough patches at the edge of the road. With my trailer, I would not be able to do a crash landing. The area around my RV is all black ice.

I guess I will have to hire a commercial tow truck to move my Casita down the hills, so I can leave. I was going to buy some tire chains, but the seller said they would not help on ice. A guy with a bigger truck says his truck slides, too.

Any suggestions?

:might be cheaper to buy Ice Melt to work the ice in those areas?
Stude

[Mike_L]

Tire chains are FOR ice. Nothing works better. I've towed through the mountains, all snow and ice, with all four wheels on my tug and all four wheels on my trailer chained up. No problems ever! They work for mud too.
When I owned tow trucks we used chains a lot.

[Jon in AZ]

Just curious, Mike- I've used chains, too, and felt like they beat the vehicle up, especially on ice. I'd sure hate to subject an RV to that abuse. I could see it weakening the frame and separating seams on a conventional RV and causing stress fractures and broken rivets on a molded unit. Clearly you don't see it as an issue. Any thoughts?

[k0wtz]

looking at your picture I don't see a solution except maybe sand sprinkled on the ice. go to the hardware store and pickup some bags. I don't think it would take many.

if someone in the area burning wood ashes would be great I have used this in the past. I don't know if chains would be much use on solid ice?

too bad you are in such a rush but I understand.

good luck

bob

[Mike_L]

Jon, I've done a lot of winter camping in the back country, mainly in the foot hills of Alberta. Studded tires help but I've always found tire chains to be the best for traction for both the tug and trailer. Travel on gravel roads is always rougher than pavement. The chain across the tires does cause some vibration but usually not more than I would get on gravel. I've never used tire chains on pavement. When I used them on gravel roads covered with ice and snow I would be driving slowly, usually around 20 kph. If I need tire chains for traction this would be fast enough. I've never had any issues under these circumstances. I take them off when I don't need them. It's important to keep them secure on the tires. I've seen instances where they have become loose and strike the tug/trailer with significant damage caused. Back country camping, especially in winter, can be hard on a tug and harder on a trailer. Many campers wouldn't subject their units to this treatment. Tire chains, when used wisely and only when necessary for traction, have worked for me and I haven't seen any damage to my unit. I've also used them in mud, which in rain, can become very slick but always at a low speed.

[k0wtz]

mike patience and speed control is the key in using chains I have seen big damage done to trailers when a blowout happens at 70mph I have had blowouts at 50 with no damage to the trailer.


everytime we get in a hurry it seems to cost us doesn't it?


bob

[Mike_L]

Ice radials are good, studded tires are better but nothing bites into solid ice like tire chains, especially the heavy duty double V-bar type. Ice radials and studded tires are good for a vehicle not towing but once you hook up a trailer you will need a lot of extra traction for ascending/descending hills.
And if you chain the tug and not the trailer you have a perfect situation for a jack-knife.

[Mike_L]

It is indeed Bob.

[workhorsed]

if it isn't thawing just get a couple of bags of kitty litter. I use it all winter on my Calgary side walks!! Cheap and works.

[k0wtz]

yes I was thinking kitty litter also


bob