xm211 vs winter weather

[Ashley P]

W Kentucky got some of this winter weather, and I'm wishing I had my xm211 ready for it. Our roads were warm when the sleet hit, which has left a sheet of ice under the 6-10" of snow, so if a tire breaks through the snow traction is nil. Now random drifts are sticking people. I know even tanks can skid on ice, and I know that even my little 2wd S10 goes well with "ice chains". So I'm wondering, what are your experiences with something like a 2.5 ton 6x6? What works, what doesn't?

I'm betting I'd want my heater to work, my winch to work, and maybe even chains to be a nice winter warrior.

 

[m1010plowboy]

What kind of road situations are you in? Gravel? Pavement? Hills?

My M135 with NDT's can get stuck on flat ground if there is ice underneath the snow. Well mounted tire chains must be right near the top of the best list for slow trips but like you said, even tanks slide on ice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPBvPlmzMME

We had some nice mud/snow radials on the deuce which dig fantastic in a few feet of snow. The problem with heavy trucks on ice is stopping and side slopes. Even with the aggressive tires, once you're on a side slope, the truck wants to submit to gravity. So we just do this now.

It's best to keep the volume down....and around 1:42, my deuce runs me into a snow bank.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4sXG5Y9_mE

 

[Ashley P]

Frozen lake? Nice! That doesn't happen much around here; I did drive my old car on the pond back in 96/97.

My driveway is gravel, the roads are paved, and we have some "hills" (nothing that a little running start won't get you over). My truck has 6 NDT and 4 tires like a 70 farm "2 ton" dump truck would have, kind of a "mud grip" IMO. I know those 4 tires outperform the NDT in snow. A few years ago I "tested" my truck by attempting to climb the steep levee of the pond in about 8-10" of snow. Going slow I made it about a truck length up when one wheel on each axle spun and forward progress was halted. Any running start and I would have driven to the top, so I trust my truck to move itself through a field with limited slope and a moderately firm (not swampy) footing.

The chains on my 2wd S10 (single track axle at that) make me believe that a set of chains on the deuce would make it a mean work horse in times like these. If those tanks had my chains they would be much different animals (and the ice would be shredded after a tank or two passing over). If I were to put chains on mine, should/could I: I get away with only chaining 6 of 10 tires and leave or remove the unchained 4, or chain all 10? If limited to NDT, how deep does the snow have to get to stop you?

 

[SturmTyger380]

Once while riding with a buddy in his M35 we had to drive around a muddy hill. On the slope it was a challenge to keep the truck in a straight line around the hill. We had to attack the hill at an angle to counter the slipping down the slope. He used to drive the trucks while in the Army.

 

[gentrysgarage]

HiYa Plowboy..
I loved the video Thanks for posting! It looked like a fun race!

 

[Karl kostman]

Ashley with any truck running NDT tires in the winter is going to be a challenge, you have a lot of things going against you right off the bat, first one being is the NDT tires have ZERO tread in the middle, especially when the tires are cold and stiff you have ZERO traction. If you have duals, ok singles are better in these conditions. tire pressure should be in the 20 to 25 psi range on the rears and 30 on the front axle, all this will help. About 5K pounds in the bed will help some more. Chains will make the truck a truly ALMOST unstoppable force in reasonable snow! Truth of the matter is NDT tires suck on well over half the surfaces we drive on but I have found none worse than ICE!!!!
Good luck Ashley
Karl

 

[m1010plowboy]

Tread selection direction

The good thing is, the guy that bought this 4x4 truck in Alberta and pulled a trailer to a spot near Detroit......



.....and this guy that just survived a winter trip from Minnesota to Alberta, both have good stories about MV Ice road trucking and the new rubber that is available.



This video will clearly outline the Non Directional Tread abilities in snow and ice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38JdOxSEyWI

.....and this one shows how much fun it is to pull out the front drive-shaft and let SuperDave drift.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU-Y6D6bxEM

 

[gentrysgarage]

Almost makes me want to go play in the snow.......ALMOST!!!! LOL!!!!

 

[Merle]

Love the videos. Looks fun, can"t wait till I get my truck running.

 

[Ashley P]

Karl, I agree that weight in the rear would help, with the assumption that the ground is solid. I think I'd rather have no weight and keep duals so that I'm "treading as lightly as possible" for any off roading with soft footing. (I might attempt a pass through the field tomorrow to see how that theory works.) With what you folks say about chains, and with my experiences with chains on a 2wd, I'm all for putting chains on my tuck. One major hindrance is that I live on a major road that is the first to get cleaned, so its really rare that I can use (or need) chains on my road, but every road off of it could be a mess for several days later.

 

[Ashley P]

I just drove it through the snow covered soft ground of last years corn field. It went fine up some mild hills. At times I got some understeer due to the rear end pushing the front NDT around. And when attempting to climb the pond levee at a slight angle it spun and started to slide sideways down the hill....had to back down. You guys are right, NDT are not worth much in the snow. They probably aren't as bad as a tractor tire, but that's another story...

 

[m1010plowboy]

G749 New Clear Winter

We keep finding sets of tire chains that fit the old deuces so it's likely we didn't go home without them.

My hat is off and the hand over my heart to think our forces wintered these trucks over 4 decades. One can never say too much about the brave service men and women that worked with what they were given.....to those who served... and if you served in a G749, Thank You.

I'll check with some of the ole' boys to see when we might have upgraded rubber up here but the NDT tire might be part of the reason drifting was turned into a motorsport.

Some pics from the past with thanks to DM and JM for allowing me access to them.

 

[dependable]

It's best to keep the volume down....and around 1:42, my deuce runs me into a snow bank

Cool video, looks like fun, but got to say, even when I was a young idiot, it would have not occurred to me to run so close behind, but I suppose that is part of the fun. I'll leave it at that. (haha)

 

[1944mb]

I'll check with some of the ole' boys to see when we might have upgraded rubber up here but the NDT tire might be part of the reason drifting was turned into a motorsport.

Plowboy, beyond a shred of doubt, how else are you suppose to have fun?

Ashley--What works depends so much on road conditions. I'm assuming you have a fairly warm and wet snow, if you get stuck, don't heat your tires. Meaning don't sit there and hog on it spinning your tires and heating them up. obviously hills are gonna require you to pick up a little speed to make it over. Any ice and a 6x6 with NDTs is useless. I have an m35 that I take to the highways fairly frequently, I'd just as soon have a 2wd with racing slicks-cause thats about what you have. Weight in back in most cases would greatly benefit you. Remember as "heavy-duty" as these trucks may be, there are 8 20" tires in back that are desired to carry a load and are basically unloaded, tough for them to get a good bite, and when they do, the ndt are totally smooth. Chains-if your truck has duals-dual triples, tri-railers, or simply triple chains are best(they are all the same). They are designed to fit over both tires as opposed to chaining up each tire singley. No chains on front mean major understeer when you go to make a sharp turn in a slick corner--if I can coax mama out, I've have her take a video of my 211 sliding in the corners. Unchained-just feather the throttle till you get her rolling. Basically...get stuck, thats the only way to learn. Growing up, our fun was to see who could get the stuck-est. Good luck

 

[Ashley P]

1944mb, here in W KY we can get any type of snow, and it's most likely not quite what the forecasters predict. This time it was sleet on top of warm ground (60*F and rain for about 12 hrs before the sleet), then dry snow that blew into troublesome drifts. That's not the norm, usually the snow is wetter and wind is negligible and doesn't last but for a few days.

I need to make my truck MUCH more ready for "normal" driving (i.e. fixing lights, brakes, getting a heater, wipers) way before thinking of chains. I definitely would like to get the winch cable replaced and chains so that I can be a help in any major "winter event". And this truck is low on my overall priority list, but I thank you guys for your input and advice.

Oh, one more thought....I think some weight in the rear would work perfectly, as long as it's in the form of sand...for spreading for traction, right? A simple auger and feed tubes at the rear tires..... priorities...

 

[yodraino]

I'm not sure if this pic will show up or not,but it's my M133 up on the snow 6 weeks ago