Maintenance & Restoration

whoot · 02-09-2018, 10:26 AM

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?

steve dunham · 02-09-2018, 10:33 AM

What you need is some sand and salt . How you are going to obtain it is another question
We keep two 30 gallon plastic trash cans full of sand and ice bite
at the edge of our driveway just for occasions such as yours.

Raz · 02-09-2018, 10:42 AM

Any hardware store has bags of sand. Sprinkle on the ice and your traction will improve.

Bruce H · 02-09-2018, 10:50 AM

Where are you? If possible wait until it melts.

Byron Kinnaman · 02-09-2018, 10:51 AM

If you have tire chains use them. If not go to a local tire store and buy some.

I have pulled my trailer through snow zones which in many state require carrying tire chains.

steve dunham · 02-09-2018, 10:56 AM

You can also lay a piece of lathers mesh on the ice and then drive with the tires on the mesh . We carry a 5 or 6 ft piece in the winter for emergencies.

mszabo · 02-09-2018, 10:59 AM

Maybe I don’t understand. If there is black ice all around you. Why would you even consider pulling your trailer? Risking damage to both trailer and truck.
Never the less being injured or injuring someone else.
Go figure!

mary and bob · 02-09-2018, 11:48 AM

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.

Raspy · 02-09-2018, 11:50 AM

You don't say how far you have to go to get to clear pavement, but it seems pretty clear that you should wait it out if at all possible. Chains and salt will get you a short distance, but if you are facing a couple of miles, or very steep hills, it may be too much trouble.

Bob may have the best solution. Is the park willing to help? Or are others trying to get out too?

Jack L · 02-09-2018, 11:56 AM

I lived in the Midwest and have lots of experience driving in snow and ice. Driving in these conditions is an acquired skill. It would be best to wait until it melts. If you absolutely can't wait, chains on the tug and trailer would be the best option. If a chain breaks or loosens when running you could do some serious damage to your trailer. Best of luck.

whoot · 02-09-2018, 12:03 PM

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.

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whoot · 02-09-2018, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raspy

You don't say how far you have to go to get to clear pavement, but it seems pretty clear that you should wait it out if at all possible. Chains and salt will get you a short distance, but if you are facing a couple of miles, or very steep hills, it may be too much trouble.

Bob may have the best solution. Is the park willing to help? Or are others trying to get out too?

There is a more experienced tow-er that also has to leave, he said he would help me this weekend. He is in a worse spot than me.

The park workers who are most experienced are not available right now, mostly just bad timing. They would pull me out with a tracked vehicle if they were here.

It is going to 45 degrees this weekend, so I will get out one way or another.

mszabo · 02-09-2018, 12:21 PM

I don’t think that is black ice. Most can’t see black ice until it’s too late.
I’d say that is a ice rink.
Good choice, be safe!

Jack L · 02-09-2018, 12:42 PM

Ice with water on top of it is more slippery than ice with no water on top. Ice gets less slippery when it's colder. Ice at 20 degrees below zero is much less slippery than ice at 30 above zero.

ZachO · 02-09-2018, 01:41 PM

That's a tough one! You seem to have those

Best advice is to wait it out, but obviously in your case, even if it doesn't end up affecting the job, it'll affect your nervous system!

Yeah, how far do you have to go to hit a maintained road? If it's just a hundred yards or so, I'd buy a few 60lb bags of sand (only a few dollars a piece around here) and lay some tracks out. But that may not be realistic for you, I don't know.

Yep, bad timing.

mary and bob · 02-09-2018, 03:29 PM

Only problem with buying sand or salt is he has to get out of the park to get it. What I've been able to do when my road was icy was run up and down with my tractor and break up the ice if it's not too thick. Maybe just driving on it will break it up. Too bad there is nobody there to run the tracked piece of equipment as that probably would break it up.

Raz · 02-09-2018, 05:04 PM

After seeing the picture I'd wait it out. That would require a lot of sand and you could get yourself in a real pickle. If you've got 45° over the week end you'll be fine.

Iowa Dave · 02-09-2018, 05:31 PM

No doubt that ice with water on top has a very low Coefficient of Friction. But it is what it is, ice and water. Black ice is clear ice frozen to the road surface, no water present. It is dangerous because it is hard to detect especially in the dark.
If you have made contact with this prospective employer and they are not willing to wait for you for a couple more days to avoid compromising your safety or the safety of others it’s certainly not someone I would pursue working for at any wage. It’s an indicator of bad things to come in my opinion. Someone with a sand and salt rig should be able to sand you out of there but if it were me I’d stay put till it’s a lot safer. 55 years driving on ice, been in the ditch too.
Iowa Dave