Woo-Hoo it's snow time!

[wheeledhorseman 575]

It doesn't snow that often in the south but the Met Office forecast snow was coming so last weekend I got 'Barry' (the name my son gave to the C-100 and has stuck) ready for action.

Weather forecasting can hardly be described as an exact science but it was worth the effort just in case and.... to the day and almost to the hour forecast a week ago it snowed.

(Couldn't read the clock on the stable though!)

I'd thought about getting some chains during the year in preparation but went a different route as chains would have almost certainly have torn up the drive which is just compacted agregate. So it was on with the 'snow socks' which cost about £40 - not too bad as long as they work.

Dead easy to put on and take off in a couple of minutes but would they work?

The answer was, yes they do! So well in fact that I'm going to get some for my automobile - they're amazing!

No wheel weights but it could push a pretty hefty pile of snow before there was any slippage.

This was just sooooo much fun!!!

I must say that I was sorely tempted by the couple of snow blowers that have come up for sale recently but I'm now kind of thinking that for pure enjoyment of moving the stuff about in a logical way into piles then you probably can't beat a blade but what to do with the piles of snow?

Barry (the C-100) made me do this to one of the piles (honest)!

Anyone else been out playing (sorry working) in the snow?

Andy

[Anglo Traction 761]

Good to see you having fun Andy. I don't have a Blade, so I rely on seeing you guys having all the fun. The Snow Socks are Novel!. Haven't seen them before. Thanks for the pics.

[meadowfield 2,619]

Fantastic pics Andy, I got the chains and plough fitted a few weeks ago and ploughed the driveway last night....

Nowhere near as good as your pictures.

Mark

[Stigian 1,234]

It looks like you've been having lot's of fun Andy

Those snow socks are a great idea..

We have had a bit of snow over here in Hawkhurst, not enough to have any snowplowing fun yet... But plenty more white stuff to come over night :woohoo:

[AMC RULES 37,143]

Humm...I've never seen those before...have a link for the snow socks to share here?

[wheeledhorseman 575]

'Snow Socks' is possibly a generic term used here in the UK but it's not a brand name. I just Googled it to check and everything comes up from auto parts stores that stock them to reviews of different brands.

One site describes them as

"An all-covering raised rib textured fabric provides traction with no metal parts being used. The advantages are many: - Provided there is sufficient hand room to pull them over the top of the tyre, they are extremely quick and simple to fit. Fitting is made easier since there is absolutely nothing to adjust and they automatically self centre as you drive. With no metal chain in contact with the road, snow socks are totally smooth running with absolutely no vibration or road noise giving maximum driving comfort on snow-covered roads. Please note that these products are designated as emergency devices and are not always considered a substitute for conventional snow chains."

The ones I got seem to be made of a pretty strong kevlar like woven material. I've seen cheap ones available on a famous auction site but I'm pretty sure you get what you pay for with these. Obviously, unlike chains, you'd likely destroy them pretty quickly driving an automobile at road speed over ridged frozen ice but on a WH and fresh snow I suspect they'll last quite a while provided they're dried out before storage as there's elastication in the seams that holds them over the tires. Buying them was a bit of a gamble but I was amazed at the grip they achieved.

Hope this helps.

Andy

[welderman85 53]

Nice pics looks like fun I have to look into those socks

[JamesBe1 82]

That looks like you had a heck of a lot of fun.

And I love the snow socks. I am going to have to look into finding them here in the states.