Well we have a minor problem in winter on the estate that we live on.
Immediately off my drive I have an upward slope, a turn, another upward slope leading to a turn and then a long downward slope.
Non of these are a problem under normal circumstances, but under a couple of inches of snow they make getting to the first gritted highway a bit of a lottery.
Two years ago I got stuck, last year I got stuck twice so this year I bought a pair of Autosocks after a recommendation on this forum.
Until yesterday I the snow was of a type that did not prevent me getting out, but the powdery stuff we got overnight caught everyone out.
I hadn't yet tried the socks, I was waiting for a definite "stuck" situation so that I knew it was the socks, and not just driving, that got me out.
It was the first bend on the way out that caught me so out I got, stretched the socks over the wheel tops and then used the weight of the van to roll back half a wheel length before stretching them over the other part of the wheel. Simple enough, took a couple of minutes I reckon.
I had no run up and a bit of weight in the back so I had to start in 1st which wasn't ideal, but the wheels gripped straight away.
Into 2nd, round the corner, past someone else that was stuck, down the slope and 3-400 meters to the edge of the gritted highway.
Out of the van and about a minute and a half to take them off and chuck them in a plastic tub that I had in the back for just this job.
On the way back, I got stuck on the long slope, back on with the socks and away I went. The look on another drivers face as I sorted this return trip out in such a business like manner was worth the investment on it's own.
They really do do what it says on the packet.
Immediately off my drive I have an upward slope, a turn, another upward slope leading to a turn and then a long downward slope.
Non of these are a problem under normal circumstances, but under a couple of inches of snow they make getting to the first gritted highway a bit of a lottery.
Two years ago I got stuck, last year I got stuck twice so this year I bought a pair of Autosocks after a recommendation on this forum.
Until yesterday I the snow was of a type that did not prevent me getting out, but the powdery stuff we got overnight caught everyone out.
I hadn't yet tried the socks, I was waiting for a definite "stuck" situation so that I knew it was the socks, and not just driving, that got me out.
It was the first bend on the way out that caught me so out I got, stretched the socks over the wheel tops and then used the weight of the van to roll back half a wheel length before stretching them over the other part of the wheel. Simple enough, took a couple of minutes I reckon.
I had no run up and a bit of weight in the back so I had to start in 1st which wasn't ideal, but the wheels gripped straight away.
Into 2nd, round the corner, past someone else that was stuck, down the slope and 3-400 meters to the edge of the gritted highway.
Out of the van and about a minute and a half to take them off and chuck them in a plastic tub that I had in the back for just this job.
On the way back, I got stuck on the long slope, back on with the socks and away I went. The look on another drivers face as I sorted this return trip out in such a business like manner was worth the investment on it's own.
They really do do what it says on the packet.
