Snow adventure

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rotorwind

New member
Went playing in the snow and got stuck!

It got deep so was trying to turn around and got stuck in about a foot of snow. Luckily I was in the woods only 4 miles from my house. My wife brought out snow shovels, cat litter, boxes/rugs and an aluminum ATV ramp.

After about an hour and half we got it out! Pics don’t do it justice. Snow was up to the frame.

FYI Toyota’s road side assistance does not cover if your off road. I was maybe 50 yards off the main forest road.

The stock street tires didn’t help much! I tried CRAWL, ATRAC and locked the rear diff. None of that got me out. I had a tow strap but her car couldn’t make it to me. Lesson learned. Be prepared

What do you guys carry? Come along winch? Traction boards?



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I'm curious - did you try all the goodies such as ATRAC, locking diff, etc.? I know they aren't magic fixes, I'm just curious.
 
thennen said:
I'm curious - did you try all the goodies such as ATRAC, locking diff, etc.? I know they aren't magic fixes, I'm just curious.
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Yeah I tried crawl, ATRAC & locked the rear diff. None of that helped. Just had no traction. Tires would just spin. Icy. The ramp under one wheel and a rock under another and some Pushing is what did it.


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rotorwind said:
Yeah I tried crawl, ATRAC & locked the rear diff. None of that helped. Just had no traction. Tires would just spin. Icy. The ramp under one wheel and a rock under another and some Pushing is what did it.


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I would have been in the same predicament as you with my OEM tires, which I do like on pavement. With snow that deep, you almost have to keep going straight if possible (as opposed to turning) and keep moving in order to avoid getting stuck. I'll now need to mess around with the ATRAC and Crawl and stuff next time we get some snow, so I can get an idea what they can and can't do. Nice truck - glad you got out!
 
i think anyone who snow wheels by themselves has this happen to them once as a wake up call.

be more prepared next time: shovels, better tires, bring another rig, etc.

my buddy and i did this once last winter with his 3rd gen before i had mine, it doesn't take much snow to get you stuck pretty good. we were out there for about 8 hours and we ended up getting a UTV stuck that originally tried to help us and a passing by jeep ended up having to pull both of us out.
 
rotorwind said:
You guessed wrong. Tried everything: crawl, ATRAC, rear diff lock etc.

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You spun the tires so much that the heat from that created the ice. That was the mistake. I have successfully removed myself from being stuck with the factory tires using crawl. Crawl also can be used in reverse. Keep cloth towels with you and use them with crawl or carry a small military folding shovel with you. Getting out and testing the conditions before proceeding is helpful too
 
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I have traction boards with me when there is a chance I will be in snow. Shovel would be good to but I haven't gotten one yet to put on my rack. But traction boards or just about anything else will only get you so far if you use your momentum to get far in before you come to a halt. Mud terrains would probably be the best tires in deep snow, snow tires would be the best in shallow icy snow.

I was able to rock this back and forth to get out. Crawl control, ATRAC, and locking the rear diff didn't help me until I started rocking it back and forth and then gun it once I got a little momentum.
 

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mteolus said:
I have traction boards with me when there is a chance I will be in snow. Shovel would be good to but I haven't gotten one yet to put on my rack. But traction boards or just about anything else will only get you so far if you use your momentum to get far in before you come to a halt. Mud terrains would probably be the best tires in deep snow, snow tires would be the best in shallow icy snow.

I was able to rock this back and forth to get out. Crawl control, ATRAC, and locking the rear diff didn't help me until I started rocking it back and forth and then gun it once I got a little momentum.
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get a shovel ASAP for the snow. get one that is comfortable to use so if you get stuck you arent trying to shovel out a metric crap ton of snow with a little flimsy folding shovel. i prefer flatheads over spades as they seem to move just a touch more.

snow shovels are great, but a PITA if you need to move snow from underneath the vehicle.
 
thennen said:
I would have been in the same predicament as you with my OEM tires, which I do like on pavement. With snow that deep, you almost have to keep going straight if possible (as opposed to turning) and keep moving in order to avoid getting stuck. I'll now need to mess around with the ATRAC and Crawl and stuff next time we get some snow, so I can get an idea what they can and can't do. Nice truck - glad you got out!
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Thanks. Yeah it’s a good idea to become familiar
With all the off road goodies before you need them. I was doing fine until I tried to turn around (like you said).


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mesooohoppy said:
i think anyone who snow wheels by themselves has this happen to them once as a wake up call.

be more prepared next time: shovels, better tires, bring another rig, etc.

my buddy and i did this once last winter with his 3rd gen before i had mine, it doesn't take much snow to get you stuck pretty good. we were out there for about 8 hours and we ended up getting a UTV stuck that originally tried to help us and a passing by jeep ended up having to pull both of us out.
Click to expand...



I agree with you about being prepared. My plan was just to stick to the main road which wasn’t bad but took another little dirt road. Wasn’t intending to do a real off road trip. I was only 50 yards off the main road. I was semi prepared with snow boots, gloves and heavy jacket. Just was deeper then I expected. Lesson learned!


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mteolus said:
I have traction boards with me when there is a chance I will be in snow. Shovel would be good to but I haven't gotten one yet to put on my rack. But traction boards or just about anything else will only get you so far if you use your momentum to get far in before you come to a halt. Mud terrains would probably be the best tires in deep snow, snow tires would be the best in shallow icy snow.

I was able to rock this back and forth to get out. Crawl control, ATRAC, and locking the rear diff didn't help me until I started rocking it back and forth and then gun it once I got a little momentum.
Click to expand...



That looks deep! Deeper then what I was in for sure. The off road goodies didn’t help me out either


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Muzzle of Bees said:
You spun the tires so much that the heat from that created the ice. That was the mistake. I have successfully removed myself from being stuck with the factory tires using crawl. Crawl also can be used in reverse. Keep cloth towels with you and use them with crawl or carry a small military folding shovel with you. Getting out and testing the conditions before proceeding is helpful too
Click to expand...



Good advise. Thanks!


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rotorwind said:
I agree with you about being prepared. My plan was just to stick to the main road which wasn’t bad but took another little dirt road. Wasn’t intending to do a real off road trip. I was only 50 yards off the main road. I was semi prepared with snow boots, gloves and heavy jacket. Just was deeper then I expected. Lesson learned!


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Click to expand...

that is exactly what happened when my buddy and i got stuck. almost down to the T. we thought we were in 2-4 inches of snow tops and it was more than a afoot.
 
Advice from someone who has spent most his life in the land of snow - theres not much you could have done to not get stuck (other than avoid it). When the snow is that high and hits your undercarriage - youre stuck. the snow under your tires is gonna pack down too so you'll sink and hit the snow earlier than you think

Once your stuck its difficult. Getting towed, winch are the best options. otherwise, gentle rocking back and forth, digging out the undercarriage and trying to use something to get traction - all weather mats, cat litter, sand etc

As mentioned, don't gun it. you'll sink deeper and deeper and get more stuck.

If its not that high, its fun to drive in though! you lose traction easily
 
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