How does your 3rd gen handle driving in snow?

Nothing in my post said anything about snow. I'm just saying that if the 2nd Gen can be figured out, so can the 3rd Gen. Also lots of members find that the VSC/ABS can be way too aggressive and prefer to have it turned off driving in snow. I'd rather have my tires lock up while braking on slushy/ice than have vsc/abs kick in.

 

50% wear on stock OR tire, 8/32 depth. Really surprised how warm hardpack sticks to these tires.

 

Fixed it for you!

 

I just spent four days driving in the snow here in Colorado, and my 3rd gen Tacoma handled really well on the road. I live at 8,500 feet, and had driven in snow earlier this winter, but just short trips; this last weekend was 4 solid days of snow driving. The main reason the truck handled so well was the fact that I drive on dedicated snow tires (Nokian Hakka LT2, but any snow tire will do the trick). I drove over Berthoud Pass (11,300 feet) twice - the first time there was ice under some fresh snow (the pass closed shortly after I drove over), and the second time it was just dumping snow (and the pass closed briefly for avalanche control). On the first drive, the Toyota nannies kicked in a few times when the truck lost traction in tight turns, which was weird for me since I'm used to making those corrections myself after 20 years in a 1997 Tacoma with no ESC, but the computer corrected the truck and kept it going in the right direction. On the second trip over the pass there was no ice - just snow - and the truck was super-planted and drove great. In addition to driving over Berthoud Pass, I drove a whole bunch of roads between 8,000-9,500 feet in high winds and blowing snow. The truck is a beast on snowy roads in 4-High. (But its still weird for me shifting into 4-wheel drive using a dial on the dash instead of a lever on the floor.)

During the trip I saw a handful of cars off the road, and many more struggling for traction - backing up traffic and leading to some unsafe passing. In the one case where I was first on the scene I stopped to dig out an older couple driving a 2-wheel drive on summer street tires; they had run off the road and were stuck in a snow bank. If you are heading into snow country please think about your tires. Good tires (preferably a real snow tire) will help keep you and other people on the roads safe!

 

I drove through a dirty storm last night coming home from Huntsville to Essa Township here in Ontario....


Me, oh my!

40-50kph in a 100...lol

Couldn't see and deep snow on the road..

I'm glad I went to a dedicated snow setup for sure...

 

Very highly unlikely. For doing tractor things weight is king. Unless you are really stupid momentum is a non issue.

I push snow with a WD-45 A-C. Tractor starts out at 4k lbs. Both rears have 250# of fluid in them and each have a 150# cast iron weight. Four 75# slab weights on the nose to hold it down. Base tractor will pretty much go where you point it, dragging the oil pan on plowed snow berms (oil pan is roughly 2.5' off the ground) is no big deal. Comfortably plows about 12" of snow with a 6' blade (more than that and it runs over the blade). If we get successive large snows or it gets icy I put the crossbar feedlot chains on it and it is even more point and click.

BUT, dad's 4020 doesn't really care about snow. Starts out weighing twice as much as mine, he has four sets of weights on the back, a Koyker K-5 loader, a 7720 combine engine and a very heavy duty 8' Keewanee blade. It is a merciless snow moving monster...

These are full on row crop tractors, if you have low slung utility tractors you won't have near the ground clearance.

I DD an F-150, only somewhat techy safety feature it has is four wheel ABS. It takes the county two days to get to my gravel road, it gets around fine with stockish sized AT's. Big thing is to slow down. Going is one thing, stopping is quite another.

Wife's Edge has TC, words cannot describe how much I loath the traction control. When things get dicey my ride punching itself in the face seemingly at random does nothing to help. Since everything I have is "stupid" I usually think it is something else at first before the guy from Jurassic Park pops into my head saying "na uh uh, you didn't hit the magic button, na uh uh, you didn't hit the magic button..."

 

I've got mud tires so I'm supposed to be dead if a single snow flake is on the road according to everyone on the forum, but I've had no issues. Granted, I'm also not driving in a foot of snow, mostly just slushy black ice

 

I can plow snow with an ATV all day..up to 6" on a 3' blade or however long it was.

Pushing snow with the tractor wasn't always a problem, lifting it though sometimes did.

I'm not sure what you are referring to his very highly unlikely...you obviously have no clue about my experiences.

The argument is moot. You can keep relying on weight and I won't, and I'll continue plowing and piling up snow as high as the tractor will lift. Job gets done. You can keep drivng your F150 and I'll keep watching them spin out and get stuck..

 

You would have to. No idea how they handle deeper snow but every pass I make is two on a four wheeler. I can go as fast as I can stay in the seat.

My county pushes the highways and gravel roads with dump trucks for the most part. A few years ago when we had 8-10' drifts they broke out bulldozers after they got road graders stuck pulling out the dumptrucks. Then they hauled the dozers around to knock out the big drifts. Makes you wonder how a big ol' heavy dozer can do what lighter dump trucks and road graders could not.

Someone should have told them to just get a bunch of four wheelers, that would have been much cheaper and easier.

 

They used dump trucks in my area mainly for dropping gravel and salt, otherwise they have pretty much converted to Road Graders. Will occasionally see big front loaders as well, again its not about pushing snow, but moving it.

Dozers have more power and utilize tracks. Tracks will always be superior in snow regardless.

Hmm I wonder how much a grader weighs compared to a full loaded plow dump truck?

 

Always thought chains were for deep snow traction. In CDL school they told us to chain up in deep snow conditions. Does this apply to light trucks? I'd never run chains in my Tacoma

 

This is a good question. I have only chained when I needed to, Colorado has chain stations and some roads have requirements but I have used them in hardpack snow. I remember the school buses would use auto-chains on hardpack just to climb hills. That thing always bogged out on the hill next to our house.

Use chains when you need to.

 

I got reminded of this (again) last week during a snow storm. Everyone on the road was squirrely while the heavy plow trucks went about their way like they had studs on their tires. Can't believe some people are arguing this point. Then goes on to recommend people put WEIGHT on the back of their trucks for TRACTION.

 

My old WRX with winter tires was an absolute blast in the snow. It was never lacking for grip and would only struggle if the snow got really deep. It would always crack me up seeing the looks on peoples' faces who were driving 4WD/AWD vehicles with inadequate tires for the conditions, that my little Subaru could get around without issue.

 

Same in my 02 CR-V. Clearance could be an issue, but as far as traction, that thing was a badger. The grip to weight ratio was great.

 

You're right, the bfg Ko2 are approved for winter

 

With Blizzak’s installed, I was shocked at the extra grip they provided over new KO2’s. I would estimate there is 30% more grip. Snow tires are without question worth it in Montana.

That day heading up into the mountains for the first time with these tires, I stopped in snow deep enough to be pushing on the skid plate and started moving again. All terrains would have spun without question and then you are stuck.

Coming back down was a fellow Tacoma but 2nd Gen stuck. He had stock tires and tried following my tracks to turn around. He had no shovel or gloves and this is 45 minutes outside of town on super bowl morning. He was the only other car I saw in my three hours up there. Pulled him out. Then again after he went too fast backing down the road and into the ditch again.

 

Handled well in the snow for me....

 

That's a great pic, stock tires? If not what tire and size?

 

The need to teach the Finnish Flick in driving schools!