Truck slipping down icy driveway. 6 speed.

I went for a ride in the snow today to try out my new winter tires. I have a slopped driveway. I backed in and parked in 2h. Looked out a half hour later and saw my truck in the middle of the street!!!

Luckily there was no damage. I changed my underwear and made sure the parking brake was set and the truck was in reverse.

I parked it again in 4hi. I think this should help cause now the front is engaged.

What should I do to make sure this doesn't happen again? Things Ive thought of.

1. Sand bags in back
2. Park in 4hi or 4low
3. Park front up the hill??
4. Wheel chocks?

Any suggestions are appreciated

 

Clear/Salt your driveway?

 

put some salt down and melt the ice.

 

I always salt after I clear the driveway, but I should put some down before the snow hit this time.

 

So I have good experience with this one. My driveway is steep all the way to the garage door.

I always leave my truck in 4wd when parking in the driveway if there is snow there. I will also dump some salt in front of and behind each tire when I park.

1: sandbags wont help, if 1 wheel looses traction the other wheel will just spin due to the differential
2: park in 4wd (high)
3: doesnt matter what way you park, it will slide
4: if the tires are slipping, wheel chocks will slip too, plus you will probably forget to remove them or the truck will of slid tight onto them.

 

Thanks that was my thoughts exactly. I'm thinking 4hi will help the most. Did you have any issues after parking in 4hi?

 

1. Confirm park brake actually locks up rear wheels.

2. Engaging 4x4 will definitely help. High or low doesn’t matter. If your parking brake is holding as it should, don’t put it in gear. IF you still want to leave it in gear, engage the parking brake first and take your foot off the brake allowing the truck to roll forward slightly and the parking brake to take up the slack, THEN put it in gear.

3. If your parking brake won’t lock up the rear, then refer to the dealer for warranty work if you’re not comfortable adjusting it yourself.

4. Continue to reverse in. Your parking brake works slightly better to stop forward motion ( as opposed to rear motion) as the shoe are designed to lever against the drum a certain way, causing them to engage harder.

 

5. Move to Miami

 

I tried just leaving it in gear but it will eventually overcome the compression and roll. With the brake on and in gear it seems solid as far as I can tell.

 

Double check what pressures your new winter tires are at.

 

If you use your parking brake you take the chance of freezing your crappy drum brakes!

 

permanent solution always works

 

Nope, I put it into reverse, then flip off 4wd and start going down the driveway. By the time I need to turn its disengaged. But in the winter I need 4wd to even get up my driveway.
Here is my drivway, the pad that half my truck sits on is still a hill, but not as much as getting up.

 

If you don’t, you will “freeze” your parking brake cable eventually. The vast majority of jurisdictions require a functioning emergency brake for the vehicle to be considered “fit”.

Edit: by freeze I mean corroded/seize etc

 

I honestly have no choice but to use the park break. I'll break it free by moving if it freezes.

 

Wheel chocks people.

 

Here's a perfect video explaining it, he even shows a comparison of parking in 2wd vs 4wd on a slope:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoQitNufXFo&t=135s

 

I feel for you cold weather northern folks. I have a steep driveway but my biggest concern is slippery, moldy/mildewy, driveway cause of our warm/humid winters. I don’t think my truck will slide down it though. I do break the tires loose pulling up sometimes though.

 

wheel chocks do zero when the ground is covered in snow and ice and the wheels are already slipping.

 

My driveway is sloped and in the 20+ years I've been here, not once has my truck slid down. If it's too icy to walk on, it's too icy park on. Down goes some ice melt until it's no longer an issue. I don't use my emergency brake much in winter (seen too many freeze up) and don't park in 4WD.