Author Topic: Boy did it get slick here last night. Jeep got a workout. (Read 901 times)

Dee · « **on:** December 25, 2009, 03:09:24 AM »

When the ice and snow hits down here, I most times run up and down the highway service roads and help folks out of the ditch. Don't panic and call me a predator, I don't charge'em anything. Last night we had high winds, and blowing snow in the high 20s temperature wise. Lots of stranded motorists. The last one took THREE jeeps and my wench to get the family out of the ditch.
It finally got so icy I couldn't do anymore good, so I came home about 11:00 PM. I have got to get out there this morning and see if my wench lead is still frozen into my control box. I couldn't get it out last night.
Anybody else down south get hit like us? I'm in North Central Texas.

Graybeard · « **Reply #1 on:** December 25, 2009, 03:18:48 AM »

Lotsa rain but the temp this morning is 50. It is however expected to be the high for the day and the temp is to drop all day long ending up around freezing tonight.

DEACONLLB · « **Reply #2 on:** December 25, 2009, 03:50:46 AM »

Dee
I hope Texas is a little more forgiving than our OHP, one fellow was helping others here a few years ago and was given a ticket for not having a tow license. Dont know what the world is coming to when you cant help out your fellow man. I pull people out with the tractor a few times a year but I am out in country and not on a hiway. I try to help my fellow man when it its my power to do so ,to bad others dont feel the same, keep up the good work. We got about 8 inches of the white stuff south of tulsa.

Deaconllb

nomosendero · « **Reply #3 on:** December 25, 2009, 04:06:57 AM »

Happy Global Warming Christmas Dee!!

We had 2 days of rain here & I understand that this pushed us over the all time record for rain in this part of AR. I thought Global Warming was supposed to be a drought!

Fortunately, the rain occurred before the cold air, thanks for sending it, I think it came from your direction. We got just a dusting with this air, I believe NW AR did get some snow.

bobg · « **Reply #4 on:** December 25, 2009, 04:11:03 AM »

I just talked to my daughter in WV. She said they had 19" of snow. They haven't had power in three days. Didn't know when they would get power back. She said they got the phone lines fixed late last night. Told me her husband finally got his 4 wheel truck out on the main road yesterday and went to look for a generator. Every where he went he was told they had a mad rush on them Wednesday. Didn't know when or if they could get anymore in. I live just north of Buffalo NY and we got none of the crap they were predicting.
bobg

Glanceblamm · « **Reply #5 on:** December 25, 2009, 04:22:50 AM »

I cannot get by with helping out those motorist anymore Dee (No Charge) and it has been that way for several years now.

If I am caught pulling someone out without the road side flares or reflectors and the revolving lights atop my vehical the fine to myself would be very sever. Even if I did have that equipment I would have to purchase a (Wreaker permit-or license) which is very expensive unless you are actually doing this work for a living.

Cecil · « **Reply #6 on:** December 25, 2009, 04:27:11 AM »

In Okc we have beat the all time record 14.1 inches, wind was 50 miles an hour plus. I left work yesterday about 11.30 am and felt lucky to get home. It was snowing and blowing so hard there was zero visabiltiy at times.

Ditchdigger · « **Reply #7 on:** December 25, 2009, 04:40:57 AM »

I've got 4 4x4's sitting in the yard,and I did'nt start a one yesterday Dee.I was to busy trying to keep the smoker hot enough to cook hams,turkey's,ribs,and chickens.It was a all day affair about 30 miles north of you Dee. I may get the old Blazer out this eve. late and look for some coyotes.. Digger

Dee · « **Reply #8 on:** December 25, 2009, 05:45:56 AM »

Well Digger if you're only 30 miles north of me, why haven't we went coyote huntin?

Ditchdigger · « **Reply #9 on:** December 25, 2009, 06:15:14 AM »

I PM,d you my ph.no. once and I never heard from you. We'll get together some time and hog and coyote hunt. I'm in Durant Ok. Digger

rockbilly · « **Reply #10 on:** December 25, 2009, 08:51:01 AM »

IH-20 closed from Abilene East for the first time in 37 years, hundreds of people stranded in small towns between here and the Metroplex. The news this morning said approximately 200 p[eople spent the night in their vehicles along I-20, many of those had dead batteries and could not start the car for heat..

My son called about 10AM yesterday and ask if I wanted to go deer hunting, said he wowuld pick me up about 2PM when he got off work, I told him to have a good time and that I would see him today, stayed home and near the fire.

Skunk · « **Reply #11 on:** December 25, 2009, 08:57:31 AM »

Quote from: Dee on December 25, 2009, 03:09:24 AM

Don't panic and call me a predator, I don't charge'em anything.

Whether you charge them or not, I'll bet most folks in that predicament are more than willing to give you a little something. Not that you'd take anything, I'm just saying, I'll bet they're thankful to see you coming.

williamlayton · « **Reply #12 on:** December 25, 2009, 11:52:23 AM »

Thankfully we got nothing but high winds from the front.
It is a good thing to help out if you can and have the equipment. Out of the city most of the boys appreciate the help with clearing the roads.
I really thought ARK. would be an ice bowl.
You boys up that way be safe.
Blessings

Sourdough · « **Reply #13 on:** December 25, 2009, 09:13:05 PM »

I pull three or four people out a week. Pulled one out yesterday. I carry a revolving light for when I am on the highway. Plug it in a power outlet and set it on the roof. Usually not there long enough to mess with flares. Most people up here have hitches on the back of their vehicles. They may never tow anything, but it's there to use when they go into the ditch, or snow bank.

With my big truck (F-350 Diesel Dully) it's easy, I just tell them to put their vehicle in neutral and I drag them out using a short strap and hooking to my front two hooks. I then back up.

Graybeard · « **Reply #14 on:** December 25, 2009, 09:14:03 PM »

I've never accepted any pay for helping anyone in need and have done it plenty of times. One night a guy ran off into the ditch beside my house and got hung up on the "great wall of Saks" we had build around the corner of yard from front to back of house. I pulled him out and as I was trying to unhook the chain from his vehicle he almost ran over me trying to leave. He did run over my Mag Light.

I once hooked that same 30' chain to a small pick up I think it was 4x2 naturally and pulled him up a mountain down in the Hollins WMA. Why the heck he was where he was under suck conditions I have no clue or even how he managed to get himself so far in before becoming stuck. The Game Warden asked me to pull them out as he didn't think his truck had the HP to do it. My full size Bronco was still accelerating when we reached the top. I only had to pull him about three quarters of a mile to get him to safety.

I recall using my winch to pull an old couple out of a mudhole most folks with 4x4s didn't even try to go thru. Their little car had 12" tires. How they got that far in I'll never know. At least they were smart enough not to try to get thru again and went back the way they came. It was a Sunday after hunting season had ended. I was just going back to recover a piece of my tree stand I'd forgotten when I packed up in the dark the evening before otherwise I'd not have been there. Had I not come along there is no telling how long it would have been before help arrrived for them.

williamlayton · « **Reply #15 on:** December 26, 2009, 04:16:25 AM »

Not many expect pay for trying to do the right thing.
I have been helped out in a pinch before and helped out others that were in a pinch.
When fishing, I have stopped an towed more than one back to a landing because they had boat trouble.
What you gonna do? Let them sit there and try and row 4/5 miles.
We are all in this thing together boys.
Blessings

Hooker · « **Reply #16 on:** December 26, 2009, 04:32:42 AM »

We got 13" of snow on top of a base of sleet the drifts were huge. I was out from 5 pm Christmas eve until 7 pm
Christmas day. It started when my son got stuck trying to get home to his wife and baby, with a propane heater after his electric went out.
He was stuck bad no way I could pull him out the wind was howling and ground visibility was zero at times. We left his vehicle and made an several attempts to get him home. By now to county roads were a maze of abandoned vehicles and massive snow drifts we got behind a Backhoe that was knocking down the drifts while we check stranded vehicles for people the ones we could pull out we pulled the ones we could not we hauled to someplace warm. We realized we were not going to make it to my sons house but through the friend of a friend network we found a neighbor who sent her boys down to get my grand baby and her mama to a house with heat. God bless country folk.
With them taken care of we contacted the county Sheriff dept. gave them our cell phone number and we had a rescue vehicle if they needed any help we would be there. They gave us list of locations where folks were stranded and told us to call in if they were taken care of. We had 5 fatalities in the county from the storm 2 of them were just trying to help other folks.

Pat

Dee · « **Reply #17 on:** December 26, 2009, 04:55:46 AM »

WOW Hooker, you guys had it a lot worse than us. Good job though, and hope everyone got home alright.

billy_56081 · « **Reply #18 on:** December 26, 2009, 10:01:11 AM »

We were out coyote hunting this morning. We have 20" of snow on the ground. THe coyotes were having a tough time running in it even. I was up to my butt a few times. We got 2 one got shot and the other decided to run down the middle of the road and got hit by a truck.

slim rem 7 · « **Reply #19 on:** December 26, 2009, 03:34:53 PM »

thats about what i figured for you dee..i figured with your experience ,,you would be prepared an out risking your life [i know you probably don t view it that way] helpin others.. good to know you bud.. slim

mirage1988 · « **Reply #20 on:** December 26, 2009, 04:15:48 PM »

Quote from: Dee on December 25, 2009, 03:09:24 AM

When the ice and snow hits down here, I most times run up and down the highway service roads and help folks out of the ditch. Don't panic and call me a predator, I don't charge'em anything. Last night we had high winds, and blowing snow in the high 20s temperature wise. Lots of stranded motorists. The last one took THREE jeeps and my wench to get the family out of the ditch.
It finally got so icy I couldn't do anymore good, so I came home about 11:00 PM. I have got to get out there this morning and see if my wench lead is still frozen into my control box. I couldn't get it out last night.
Anybody else down south get hit like us? I'm in North Central Texas.

Quote from: slim rem 7 on December 26, 2009, 03:34:53 PM

thats about what i figured for you dee..i figured with your experience ,,you would be prepared an out risking your life [i know you probably don t view it that way] helpin others.. good to know you bud.. slim

Hopefully you didn't put your wenches life in danger too!

cwlongshot · « **Reply #21 on:** December 26, 2009, 04:52:31 PM »

I have gotta say, my jeep tows at east 3-4 people up hills and outta ditches every year near my home here in Connecticut. I never ask or expect payment, I have received some thou. I even pulled the same guy a couple times!!

As soon as the weather gets cold, I get the tow straps out and put them in a bag behind the seat with the jumper cables and a good set of gloves. my jeep also has a winch, but generally, its just as easy to attach the tow strap and pull. More often than not they are stuck on a hill and cannot get up it anyway.

It doesn't surprise me in the least to read the good giving nature of some of the members here. GOOD SHOW FELLAS!! I tip my hat to you.

CW

mirage1988 · « **Reply #22 on:** December 26, 2009, 05:24:36 PM »

I had a neat experience a while back,
I was running the ditches near the house on my snowmobile and came across a car with a flat tire, turned around and pulled up to the drivers window.
I flipped up the visor and the little old lady rolled her window down a few inches- I asked her if she needed a hand, she thought a bit, then rolled her window down and said she had a flat, could I call a tow truck? I took off my helmet, told her I could change her tire.
As I was changing it, she told me her story, she was 4 hours late to dinner at her daughters house which was still 3 hours away........
When I was done she asked what she could pay me, I told her to help the next person she saw that needed help.
The very next weekend she posted a note at every gas station in the area looking for "the nice snowmobiler that changed her tire" so she could take him to lunch.
- I guess the message was lost on her, but I got a grin everytime I saw her note on a bulletin board.

williamlayton · « **Reply #23 on:** December 26, 2009, 10:38:57 PM »

Good reads about good deeds from good folks.
Blessings