A few seasons ago it was unusually low tide at Mammoth in March. We decided to go look for snow for the dog to play in, so we headed up a shelf road above Convict Lake, Tobacco Flats area. I had driven in the snow a few times before this so my confidence level was higher than it should have been. I also had no recovery gear like an idiot.
When it came time to traverse this little snowpack, I just pushed right through. Until I stopped... And couldn't go forward. Couldn't go backward. Spent time digging out and trying to get out of it. All of my motion was being wasted slowly crabbing off to the side, until my driver tires were basically hanging off and headed towards an imminent rollover.
We threw in the towel and hiked back down to the 395 (a very nice couple who parked further down offered us a lift partway). Spent an hour trying to find a tow company who would recover us on a Sunday, and finally got ahold of Bill's Towing in Bishop (a town 40 miles south).
After a few hours, Bill and his son arrived in his FJ and we finally returned to the truck. He yanked me square back onto the trail and out of the snow. We had to drive backwards on the shelf until the next switchback to turn around.
The total time for his cost and recovery would have nicely paid for a set of all-terrains, but it was still cheaper than rolling the truck over. :wof: I ended up buying a set of +1 KO2s and they were great (I have the same on the Runner now). Sturdy, quiet, great in just about anything but clay mud, snow/peak symbol rating, and minimal penalty in daily mileage.
No doubt traction boards would have also been a great help, but tires really make the truck. You don't have to get a lift or bigger ones to enjoy the benefits. Beautiful pictures by the way, and glad you were able to self-recover!
...WOW!...thats one Helluva a story!...But your situation was far more exposed and dangerous....mine was just an inconvenience by comparison...
...I bought a lot of recovery gear, as well....figuring if I did get stuck somewhere, I should at least have it in case the person pulling me out didn't have any...and it only seems fair to provide your own gear when asking for a tow out?...
...I certainly am NOT against gettin more aggressive tires sometime...but my thinking for now goes like this:
....I grew up and learned to drive in nasty winter conditions in Chicago..but like I said..it has been 39 years since I left winter driving...so altho a lot of it came back naturally...like riding a bike...I am new to the 4runner as a vehicle, so am exploring it's capabilities and personality and how it reacts in different sketchy conditions...so I want to keep it stock for now until I know it well as it is...before adding or changing things to make it easier on myself....so I do not get a false sense of security too early...and really get myself in trouble because of that.....
...I'm leaning toward the old basic scientific principle of only changing one variable at a time, and once that is understood...go on to change the next variable, etc...
...I gotta say, I love how this truck handles everything I have thrown at it so far...and I have just scratched the surface....but driving it has truly been a good experience since I first sat my butt in it for the first time!
...Again...appreciate the advice..and the positive comments about my pics!
...Thanks!....and Cheers!....:cheers:...:cowboy:
