2010/2011 Winter Snard Contest

[Rollingrock]

Tom, I think we have a new leader in the nerf bar catagory.  

Does it count if the Snard starts at the wheel well and goes all the way back in addition to up and freezes the two doors shut and up to the trim molding?

[Too Stroked]

Tom, I think we have a new leader in the nerf bar catagory.  

Does it count if the Snard starts at the wheel well and goes all the way back in addition to up and freezes the two doors shut and up to the trim molding?

I checked with Dave and we believe that your humble request has merit. (It would have even more merit if you sent cash.) We will give your request serious consideration going forward. Freezing the doors shut is definitely worth extra points. Aren't you glad you just spent all that time detailing it?

[GreyMichFX4]

I like Rahr and Shiner. 

[attworth]

So this is what the roads look like in Texas when snow falls. No plows, no salt.



And here's my best shot at a Texas Snard. It was nearly touching the tire almost all the way around. The other side was similar.

[Too Stroked]

Not bad at all there Tony! Even up here in real snard country, that would be looked on favorably.

[Kitzy]

That's what our roads looks like around here.  Our city is terrible.  Surrounding areas do a pretty decent job considering. 

[Rollingrock]

Tony thanks for posting that, most people I talk to don't realize that we have no infrastructure, no salt, no plows, and only a firetruck with a sanding towable in Keller.

[Kitzy]

It doesn't make sense for you to prep for winter, more specifically, snow removal.  It's incredibly expensive to properly equip a city to clear snow.  Philadelphia has already spent $6 million by mid January (basically over a few weeks).  That doesn't include the last two storms we got where one was almost all ice and one was a foot or more snow.  That's crazy considering it's mostly equipment upkeep (already purchased equipment that needs servicing, repairs and of course fuel), man hours and road treatment materials (rock salt, brine, cinders).  Then you have to bring loaders and trucks in to remove the plowed snow along the streets, too because it doesn't really start to melt until late March.  The funny thing about Philly, even with all the money they've spent, they've been heavily criticized for not doing enough.  Philly has also has about 20" more than their average this year.  It's been a crazy winter.  Look at this... http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/winter-seasonal-snow-totals_2011-02-04

[attworth]

Man that's intense Kitzy. Must be that global warming. All the ice caps are melting and bringing the snow down South a bit.  

RR is right though, we have NOTHING. And to top that all off, the little bit of sand/salty junk we do have, Jerry Jones bought it all up. Downtown Fort Worth, Downtown Dallas, and anywhere with a few miles of Jerry World is nice and sandy.  

Luckily it's supposed to be like 40 something today, so it should all go away for the most part. Took the Jeep to work this morning. The back brakes have developed a snag on take-off... so that was fun.

Edit: The biggest issue here is the drivers with their head up their butts. It seems that when slippery stuff falls (rain too,) people think they don't need to follow and rules of the road or any common courtesy. I'm talking 12 miles an hour on the freeway.. in the left lane... with no snow/ice in the lane.... it happened to me yesterday.

[Rollingrock]

omg, on my way down the hill (that is what we call when you go into Keller from where I live)  I actually saw a sanding truck....today...

[Too Stroked]

It's kind of funny (as a northerner) watching the fun and frivolity you southerners create whilst attemting to remove snow and ice. I was in Atlanta a few weeks ago for their mess, not I'm hearing what you guys are going through in Texas.

Truth be told though, snow removal is serious business requiring specialized equipment and training. The equipment is expensive enough, but the maintenance will bring tears to your eyes.

Then of course there's operating the equipment. If you're not trained and used to it, you can ruin it in a real hurry. Our guys have been plowing for years, and you should see some of the carnage they cause. I'll try to get a picture of what was left of the left front axle shaft on our 2006 F-350 this past week. To say the joint was totally grenaded would be a serious understatement.

[GreyMichFX4]

Amen to that Tom, and you can destroy property pretty easily with out even knowing it if someone does not walk the site or puts something there and does not tell anyone about it. Here is what we use at work to move snow and we don't get as much as some places in Michigan.

John Deere 544E with a Protech 12L Pusher.

[Kitzy]

We had a guy a couple storms ago, he was driving on the highway doing about 45 mph when he hit something that caused the single axle dump to bounce really bad. The plow bounced up and down and then slammed in to the road, hitting the lip of the bridge (where the asphalt meets the concrete where the bridge starts.)  I didn't get a chance to see all the damage but the plow now curves back on one side a bit, sort of like a v-plow.  That had to be a fun ride.

It's not really a matter of if something gets broke, but rather when and how bad.  The wear and tear on a vehicle from plowing is ridiculous. 

[GreyMichFX4]

Mike that is one thing I hate about plows that use a chain lift. I have had some interesting rides when you get chain slap after hitting a big bump.

[Kitzy]

Interesting is fun, so long as you're still around to talk about it.