Even though the days are warm (40 F, 4 C) and most of the snow has melted, there are still thick patches of ice on the road. I think they will be there until spring. I only left my cabin twice in 4 months last winter but this is what I learned about driving a small rear wheel drive pickup on the ice:
- Carry weight in the back of your pickup: sand is the best thing to be carring because you can sprinkle it on the road for extra traction if needed but anything will work. Try to keep the weight over your back wheels.
- If you have to go down a steep icy hill, get a set of chains for the front of your pickup, also. I like Les Schwab chains. They have cables where you hook them and chains for the actual traction. They come with a big plastic mat that has pictures and directions on how to put them on that you can kneel on while you are putting them on. You can buy them in the winter and if you don’t use them they will buy them back from you in the spring. There is also a video on their site of how to put them on.
- Bring 4 composite roofing shingles to put under your tires in case you get into a situation that you need the extra traction.
- Bring a shovel in case you get stuck in a snow bank and need to dig out the tires.
- When going up the big steep hill I put it in first gear at the bottom and never let up on the gas until I get to the top. When going down the steep hill I put it in first gear and give it no gas and as little brake as I can.
