On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 14:18:33 -0600, nospam wrote:

> FrankW <fworm@norpak.ca> wrote:
>
>>Why not keep the car and get a little
>>trailer to haul stuff around?
>
> yeah thought of that
>
> but its a Mazda Protege and not really rated for ANY
> towing
>
> And.....Id have to store trailer somewhere.... get
> license..etc
>
> Also....I'm wanting the extra ground clearance a small
> truck has
>
> Last snow up here was abt 12". My poor Protege was
> dead in the water..... only abt 4" ground clearance on
> that thing!!! High centered on damn snow!!
>
> I guess I'm wanting the best of ALL worlds and maybe
> that's not possible:
>
> Ground clearance
> Greta fuel economy
> Utility
> Cargo hauling

You are asking the impossible - there is no one solution. Even with
31-32" tires, 12 inches of the wet, heavy snow you typically get in MO
will be beyond the ready capability of any light truck. First, you are
almost guaranteed to have a layer of ice under the white stuff - chains
are about all that will work. Put chains on and you probably don't have
enough power in the little engine to actually use all the traction you
have as the snow builds up under the vehicle. The other part of reality
is that your snow tends to come down at a reasonable angle (in Eastern
Colorado, it has a habit of coming down sideways) so you will face long
stretches of the deep stuff instead of our monster drifts so getting out
5-10 feet at a time is tedious - by the time you're out, the snow is
melting <g>. The overall best vehicle for your once in 5 years case is a
comfortable east chair and a warm fire.

--
Will Honea <whonea@yahoo.com>

 

On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 14:18:33 -0600, nospam wrote:

> FrankW <fworm@norpak.ca> wrote:
>
>>Why not keep the car and get a little
>>trailer to haul stuff around?
>
> yeah thought of that
>
> but its a Mazda Protege and not really rated for ANY
> towing
>
> And.....Id have to store trailer somewhere.... get
> license..etc
>
> Also....I'm wanting the extra ground clearance a small
> truck has
>
> Last snow up here was abt 12". My poor Protege was
> dead in the water..... only abt 4" ground clearance on
> that thing!!! High centered on damn snow!!
>
> I guess I'm wanting the best of ALL worlds and maybe
> that's not possible:
>
> Ground clearance
> Greta fuel economy
> Utility
> Cargo hauling

You are asking the impossible - there is no one solution. Even with
31-32" tires, 12 inches of the wet, heavy snow you typically get in MO
will be beyond the ready capability of any light truck. First, you are
almost guaranteed to have a layer of ice under the white stuff - chains
are about all that will work. Put chains on and you probably don't have
enough power in the little engine to actually use all the traction you
have as the snow builds up under the vehicle. The other part of reality
is that your snow tends to come down at a reasonable angle (in Eastern
Colorado, it has a habit of coming down sideways) so you will face long
stretches of the deep stuff instead of our monster drifts so getting out
5-10 feet at a time is tedious - by the time you're out, the snow is
melting <g>. The overall best vehicle for your once in 5 years case is a
comfortable east chair and a warm fire.

--
Will Honea <whonea@yahoo.com>

 

On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 14:18:33 -0600, nospam wrote:

> FrankW <fworm@norpak.ca> wrote:
>
>>Why not keep the car and get a little
>>trailer to haul stuff around?
>
> yeah thought of that
>
> but its a Mazda Protege and not really rated for ANY
> towing
>
> And.....Id have to store trailer somewhere.... get
> license..etc
>
> Also....I'm wanting the extra ground clearance a small
> truck has
>
> Last snow up here was abt 12". My poor Protege was
> dead in the water..... only abt 4" ground clearance on
> that thing!!! High centered on damn snow!!
>
> I guess I'm wanting the best of ALL worlds and maybe
> that's not possible:
>
> Ground clearance
> Greta fuel economy
> Utility
> Cargo hauling

You are asking the impossible - there is no one solution. Even with
31-32" tires, 12 inches of the wet, heavy snow you typically get in MO
will be beyond the ready capability of any light truck. First, you are
almost guaranteed to have a layer of ice under the white stuff - chains
are about all that will work. Put chains on and you probably don't have
enough power in the little engine to actually use all the traction you
have as the snow builds up under the vehicle. The other part of reality
is that your snow tends to come down at a reasonable angle (in Eastern
Colorado, it has a habit of coming down sideways) so you will face long
stretches of the deep stuff instead of our monster drifts so getting out
5-10 feet at a time is tedious - by the time you're out, the snow is
melting <g>. The overall best vehicle for your once in 5 years case is a
comfortable east chair and a warm fire.

--
Will Honea <whonea@yahoo.com>

 

>The overall best vehicle for your once in 5 years case is a
> comfortable east chair and a warm fire.

What size tires will fit on that easy chair? :)


Will Honea wrote:
> On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 14:18:33 -0600, nospam wrote:
>
>> FrankW <fworm@norpak.ca> wrote:
>>
>>> Why not keep the car and get a little
>>> trailer to haul stuff around?
>> yeah thought of that
>>
>> but its a Mazda Protege and not really rated for ANY
>> towing
>>
>> And.....Id have to store trailer somewhere.... get
>> license..etc
>>
>> Also....I'm wanting the extra ground clearance a small
>> truck has
>>
>> Last snow up here was abt 12". My poor Protege was
>> dead in the water..... only abt 4" ground clearance on
>> that thing!!! High centered on damn snow!!
>>
>> I guess I'm wanting the best of ALL worlds and maybe
>> that's not possible:
>>
>> Ground clearance
>> Greta fuel economy
>> Utility
>> Cargo hauling
>
> You are asking the impossible - there is no one solution. Even with
> 31-32" tires, 12 inches of the wet, heavy snow you typically get in MO
> will be beyond the ready capability of any light truck. First, you are
> almost guaranteed to have a layer of ice under the white stuff - chains
> are about all that will work. Put chains on and you probably don't have
> enough power in the little engine to actually use all the traction you
> have as the snow builds up under the vehicle. The other part of reality
> is that your snow tends to come down at a reasonable angle (in Eastern
> Colorado, it has a habit of coming down sideways) so you will face long
> stretches of the deep stuff instead of our monster drifts so getting out
> 5-10 feet at a time is tedious - by the time you're out, the snow is
> melting <g>. The overall best vehicle for your once in 5 years case is a
> comfortable east chair and a warm fire.
>

--
ÐÏ�-¡±á

 

>The overall best vehicle for your once in 5 years case is a
> comfortable east chair and a warm fire.

What size tires will fit on that easy chair? :)


Will Honea wrote:
> On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 14:18:33 -0600, nospam wrote:
>
>> FrankW <fworm@norpak.ca> wrote:
>>
>>> Why not keep the car and get a little
>>> trailer to haul stuff around?
>> yeah thought of that
>>
>> but its a Mazda Protege and not really rated for ANY
>> towing
>>
>> And.....Id have to store trailer somewhere.... get
>> license..etc
>>
>> Also....I'm wanting the extra ground clearance a small
>> truck has
>>
>> Last snow up here was abt 12". My poor Protege was
>> dead in the water..... only abt 4" ground clearance on
>> that thing!!! High centered on damn snow!!
>>
>> I guess I'm wanting the best of ALL worlds and maybe
>> that's not possible:
>>
>> Ground clearance
>> Greta fuel economy
>> Utility
>> Cargo hauling
>
> You are asking the impossible - there is no one solution. Even with
> 31-32" tires, 12 inches of the wet, heavy snow you typically get in MO
> will be beyond the ready capability of any light truck. First, you are
> almost guaranteed to have a layer of ice under the white stuff - chains
> are about all that will work. Put chains on and you probably don't have
> enough power in the little engine to actually use all the traction you
> have as the snow builds up under the vehicle. The other part of reality
> is that your snow tends to come down at a reasonable angle (in Eastern
> Colorado, it has a habit of coming down sideways) so you will face long
> stretches of the deep stuff instead of our monster drifts so getting out
> 5-10 feet at a time is tedious - by the time you're out, the snow is
> melting <g>. The overall best vehicle for your once in 5 years case is a
> comfortable east chair and a warm fire.
>

--
ÐÏ�-¡±á

 

>The overall best vehicle for your once in 5 years case is a
> comfortable east chair and a warm fire.

What size tires will fit on that easy chair? :)


Will Honea wrote:
> On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 14:18:33 -0600, nospam wrote:
>
>> FrankW <fworm@norpak.ca> wrote:
>>
>>> Why not keep the car and get a little
>>> trailer to haul stuff around?
>> yeah thought of that
>>
>> but its a Mazda Protege and not really rated for ANY
>> towing
>>
>> And.....Id have to store trailer somewhere.... get
>> license..etc
>>
>> Also....I'm wanting the extra ground clearance a small
>> truck has
>>
>> Last snow up here was abt 12". My poor Protege was
>> dead in the water..... only abt 4" ground clearance on
>> that thing!!! High centered on damn snow!!
>>
>> I guess I'm wanting the best of ALL worlds and maybe
>> that's not possible:
>>
>> Ground clearance
>> Greta fuel economy
>> Utility
>> Cargo hauling
>
> You are asking the impossible - there is no one solution. Even with
> 31-32" tires, 12 inches of the wet, heavy snow you typically get in MO
> will be beyond the ready capability of any light truck. First, you are
> almost guaranteed to have a layer of ice under the white stuff - chains
> are about all that will work. Put chains on and you probably don't have
> enough power in the little engine to actually use all the traction you
> have as the snow builds up under the vehicle. The other part of reality
> is that your snow tends to come down at a reasonable angle (in Eastern
> Colorado, it has a habit of coming down sideways) so you will face long
> stretches of the deep stuff instead of our monster drifts so getting out
> 5-10 feet at a time is tedious - by the time you're out, the snow is
> melting <g>. The overall best vehicle for your once in 5 years case is a
> comfortable east chair and a warm fire.
>

--
ÐÏ�-¡±á

 

>The overall best vehicle for your once in 5 years case is a
> comfortable east chair and a warm fire.

What size tires will fit on that easy chair? :)


Will Honea wrote:
> On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 14:18:33 -0600, nospam wrote:
>
>> FrankW <fworm@norpak.ca> wrote:
>>
>>> Why not keep the car and get a little
>>> trailer to haul stuff around?
>> yeah thought of that
>>
>> but its a Mazda Protege and not really rated for ANY
>> towing
>>
>> And.....Id have to store trailer somewhere.... get
>> license..etc
>>
>> Also....I'm wanting the extra ground clearance a small
>> truck has
>>
>> Last snow up here was abt 12". My poor Protege was
>> dead in the water..... only abt 4" ground clearance on
>> that thing!!! High centered on damn snow!!
>>
>> I guess I'm wanting the best of ALL worlds and maybe
>> that's not possible:
>>
>> Ground clearance
>> Greta fuel economy
>> Utility
>> Cargo hauling
>
> You are asking the impossible - there is no one solution. Even with
> 31-32" tires, 12 inches of the wet, heavy snow you typically get in MO
> will be beyond the ready capability of any light truck. First, you are
> almost guaranteed to have a layer of ice under the white stuff - chains
> are about all that will work. Put chains on and you probably don't have
> enough power in the little engine to actually use all the traction you
> have as the snow builds up under the vehicle. The other part of reality
> is that your snow tends to come down at a reasonable angle (in Eastern
> Colorado, it has a habit of coming down sideways) so you will face long
> stretches of the deep stuff instead of our monster drifts so getting out
> 5-10 feet at a time is tedious - by the time you're out, the snow is
> melting <g>. The overall best vehicle for your once in 5 years case is a
> comfortable east chair and a warm fire.
>

--
ÐÏ�-¡±á

 

Mike Romain wrote:

> The come-a-alongs were tagged sideways to a tree so the XJ moved on
> their arc as the Warn extracted him.

Very good point, and something I wanted to mention as well, as it
matters in safety.

Come-a-longs are cheap and portable and are fine for light jobs where
heavy loads that wheel freely must be moved, to secure a stationary
object while it is moved with other means (preferably a winch) and for
lifting moderate loads vertically. Nothing more.

When used for vehicle extraction, several safety problems arise. The
worst is that when cranking, you are directly inline with the cable; if
it snaps, you WILL lose body parts and death is the usual result.

For extraction, I give it a thumbs-down. For securing a vehicle while
other means of extraction can be located, a thumbs-UP, provided you
NEVER, EVER attach it to a vehicle; use a stationary object such as a
large tree, and keep others away from the slash-zone.

My preferences for vehicle extraction:

1. Vehicle-mounted winch with heavy cable and hook. You can do damn
near anything with this setup.

2. 3" or better (Min. 35,000 lb.) non-stretch recovery strap w/o hooks.
I've seen these sold in 50' lengths; perfect for recovery on vehicles
without hooks; easily axle-wrapped, and can also be used to hold
stationary objects in place while help arrives. Best used with heavy,
sure-footed recovery vehicles.

3. 2.5" or better (7,500 lb +) ****** strap w/o hooks. Same as above,
but when used with a light recovery vehicle and a running start, lets
intertia and torque work together.

4. Case-hardened chain, the heavier the better. Usually reserved for
heavy vehicle extraction. Minimal danger of snapback when kept short.
Can be doubled/trippled to increase pulling capacity.

Frame-mounted tow hooks are always the best anchor point; Class II+
hitches using a D-shackle in place of the ball is acceptable, but if the
receiver is a cheapo, expect to lose it along with your rear bumper in
the process.

 

Mike Romain wrote:

> The come-a-alongs were tagged sideways to a tree so the XJ moved on
> their arc as the Warn extracted him.

Very good point, and something I wanted to mention as well, as it
matters in safety.

Come-a-longs are cheap and portable and are fine for light jobs where
heavy loads that wheel freely must be moved, to secure a stationary
object while it is moved with other means (preferably a winch) and for
lifting moderate loads vertically. Nothing more.

When used for vehicle extraction, several safety problems arise. The
worst is that when cranking, you are directly inline with the cable; if
it snaps, you WILL lose body parts and death is the usual result.

For extraction, I give it a thumbs-down. For securing a vehicle while
other means of extraction can be located, a thumbs-UP, provided you
NEVER, EVER attach it to a vehicle; use a stationary object such as a
large tree, and keep others away from the slash-zone.

My preferences for vehicle extraction:

1. Vehicle-mounted winch with heavy cable and hook. You can do damn
near anything with this setup.

2. 3" or better (Min. 35,000 lb.) non-stretch recovery strap w/o hooks.
I've seen these sold in 50' lengths; perfect for recovery on vehicles
without hooks; easily axle-wrapped, and can also be used to hold
stationary objects in place while help arrives. Best used with heavy,
sure-footed recovery vehicles.

3. 2.5" or better (7,500 lb +) ****** strap w/o hooks. Same as above,
but when used with a light recovery vehicle and a running start, lets
intertia and torque work together.

4. Case-hardened chain, the heavier the better. Usually reserved for
heavy vehicle extraction. Minimal danger of snapback when kept short.
Can be doubled/trippled to increase pulling capacity.

Frame-mounted tow hooks are always the best anchor point; Class II+
hitches using a D-shackle in place of the ball is acceptable, but if the
receiver is a cheapo, expect to lose it along with your rear bumper in
the process.

 

Mike Romain wrote:

> The come-a-alongs were tagged sideways to a tree so the XJ moved on
> their arc as the Warn extracted him.

Very good point, and something I wanted to mention as well, as it
matters in safety.

Come-a-longs are cheap and portable and are fine for light jobs where
heavy loads that wheel freely must be moved, to secure a stationary
object while it is moved with other means (preferably a winch) and for
lifting moderate loads vertically. Nothing more.

When used for vehicle extraction, several safety problems arise. The
worst is that when cranking, you are directly inline with the cable; if
it snaps, you WILL lose body parts and death is the usual result.

For extraction, I give it a thumbs-down. For securing a vehicle while
other means of extraction can be located, a thumbs-UP, provided you
NEVER, EVER attach it to a vehicle; use a stationary object such as a
large tree, and keep others away from the slash-zone.

My preferences for vehicle extraction:

1. Vehicle-mounted winch with heavy cable and hook. You can do damn
near anything with this setup.

2. 3" or better (Min. 35,000 lb.) non-stretch recovery strap w/o hooks.
I've seen these sold in 50' lengths; perfect for recovery on vehicles
without hooks; easily axle-wrapped, and can also be used to hold
stationary objects in place while help arrives. Best used with heavy,
sure-footed recovery vehicles.

3. 2.5" or better (7,500 lb +) ****** strap w/o hooks. Same as above,
but when used with a light recovery vehicle and a running start, lets
intertia and torque work together.

4. Case-hardened chain, the heavier the better. Usually reserved for
heavy vehicle extraction. Minimal danger of snapback when kept short.
Can be doubled/trippled to increase pulling capacity.

Frame-mounted tow hooks are always the best anchor point; Class II+
hitches using a D-shackle in place of the ball is acceptable, but if the
receiver is a cheapo, expect to lose it along with your rear bumper in
the process.