Expecting to be snowed in...

[flagmanruss]

Backhoe hasn't been run in a while... going to try to start it... ATV isn't going to plow what they are forecasting.

[bh115577]

Hope you get the backhoe running. Might have to plow every few hours to keep up with this one with the ATV. Expecting 12" + here unless the lake effect snow kicks in and then who knows what we'll get. My two choices are truck or garden tractor and even though the tractor can handle the predicted 12" it won't be my first choice for this storm. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4991[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]4992[/ATTACH]

[ISX]

18-24"!!! Danggg Russ. Even says 2-3 inches an hour. Get a pic of that crap coming out the sky like an avalance.

[Pondsy]

First good storm of the year (18-24") and mine's in the shop with tranny issues ... good figure lol

[MoparMom]

Oh' this is terrible. My niece passed away (in her sleep at the age of 50) and her funeral is in Uncasville, Ct. tomorrow. Everyone is flying in today and my sister-in-law (her mother) leaves today from Mexico. This is making a difficult time even more difficult. Michael and I just completed a Tribute to Lisa (niece) this morning and the internet was down. Got it out with a click and a prayer. My thoughts will very much be on the East Coast for the next couple of days. Love and stay safe, Moparmom

[flagmanruss]

Well, If you have to go, I guess going off in Dreamland might not be too bad.

Uncasville, CT. I'm about 30 miles from there. Not far from me. If they are there Friday afternoon... they're going to be there a while.

Forecast is 2-3 FEET of snow, maybe more. Drifting possibly twice that. My ATV won't do this kind of snow. The last one was a couple of years ago, nephew came over & ran the backhoe. I think I have picts of that storm.

ATV didn't have a prayer...

JD did good...

Let's hope it's not that much... doesn't seem probable however.

[Mopar1973Man]

Hang in there Russ...

[dorkweed]

The storm that is gonna get Russ is only 1/2 of a Low that just dumped 12" of snow at my place yesterday. Wet and heavy snow also!!!The Low that got me, is gonna merge with another moving up along the East coast. Perfect Noreaster scenario.Hope you're prepared Russ.................Food, water, gas for generator, etc.

[flagmanruss]

Yes the Northern Storm Low coming across to merge with the Southern Low started in Texas & coming up the coast. It's was snowing this morning at fiorst light but just light. As they merge into the Nor'Eastern off the coast the Left side of the Counter Clockwise rotation is going to swing from Cape Cod Bay back over the coast. Down around Boston & Providence. I am on the CT / RI line, in a higher rural area known for snow. Worse is supposed to be after dark tonight on into Saturday.

[dorkweed]

Earth to Russ..............Come in Russ...................How are conditions up there??? Stay safe.

[flagmanruss]

Our power stayed on overnight! Great news. Wood stove is heating... 300,000 National Grid customers, more in RI than Mass, out when we went to bed at 12. Now 650,000... increassing as people wake up. About 2 feet of heavy wet snow so far here, travel bans remain in effect. ($500 tickets for those who get caught.) It's still too windy for power crews to put the bucket trucks up in the air. I don't know if it is new snow or blowing snow I'm seeing out my window. I'm thinking of getting some of Mike's narrower tires, some read snow treads & pickup some spare 16" rims.Russ

[Mopar1973Man]

235/85 R16's

[dorkweed]

235/85 R16's

You's guy's with 16 inchers are so lucky. Talking tires here also guys!!!!! I wish I could find some "pizza cutter" tires in 17"...............they don't exist though. I'd love a LT255/80 17E or a LT245/85 17E in an AT style tire.

- - - Updated - - -

Fishing for some "real" info here Russ.................the local media here is making this out to be the "storm of the century"...............which of course happened a couple years ago.

So, what gives??? Is is really that bad??

[Mopar1973Man]

Simple to fix...Downgrade your brakes to 2nd Gen rotors and grab a set of 16" rims and your good to go... Heck the more I keep playing with tires and rims the more I want to drop down to 215's. Even lighter yet.Since the turbo was installed I swapped back to the 235's and just bounced back to my 23 MPG on my trip down to Ontario, OR and 21 MPG fighting a snow storm home. Just doesn't get any better...

[flagmanruss]

It was a bad storm.

Up to 24" in Rhode Island, 30" in Mass towards Boston. The storm was 2 day+, 24 hours of heavy snow, thunder snow & such. 65mph winds. Gusts on the Newport Bridge were 95mph. They closed the high bridges to prevent wrecks. Mass, CT, RI closed the roads to all but Emergency Traffic until 4PM so they could get the roads plowed. The interstates are well plowed but the ramps & secondary roads are not. 180,000 RI with out power. They could not begin restoring power until mid day... could not get the Utility trucks out because of the deep snow & winds over 30mph. Predicting most will have power back by MIDNIGHT on MONDAY... In terms of snow fall, it ranks in the top 5. Did not break the record Blizzard of 78. A lot of people are grumbling but this is not our first storm... we were better prepared than most (and not as well as we shold have been.)

Sheila didn't want me outside so she plowed with the ATV for many hours... until she called me downstairs (& outside) because she broke the cable which lifts the snow plow. As a stop gap, I rigged a come-along to lift the blade & she went out to finish.

A neighbor towed the ATV back into the yard because it quit on her blocking the street. So, NOW, she expects me to fix it. By then it was already dark.

I just put on my outdoor clothes to go retrieve the tool kit from the ATV to see what spares I had to work with... and she complained because I went out in the dark (head light on my cap, winter boots, cane with gripper on the bottom.)

There are a couple of spare spark plugs but not sure if they are any good. Now what know the number, I'm going to check in my workshop & see if I have any new ones...

So I'll know in the morning if I must go to the autoparts.

<< sigh >>

This is a storm that should have been plowed with the backhoe (which I always used to do) but I can't get up there & she afraid of it.

[CSM]

Good luck Russ, I wish I lived close by... but stay safe.

[flagmanruss]

http://www2.turnto10.com/news/2013/feb/09/79/southern-new-england-braces-potential-blizzard-ar-1345199/ http://www.abc6.com/story/21093873/northeast-trying-to-get-back-on-track-after-storm Being country folk / campers, we are better prepared than most. These storms remind me of the weaknesses in our plans. I gotta get our 6500 Generator fixed. We should have played the lottery. What luck! So many out of power & out here in the sticks, we're still on! (But then a huge tree came across the road 2 weeks ago, crossed both travel laves of state route, power was out all day... maybe that was ours!) Another lucky happenstance. ATV started with new plug. Manual (on CD) Says the big thumb wheel is Idle Speed Clockwise to increase, CC to decrease. When we got it we couldn't shift in warm weather idle was cranked up so much. Shop reset it last time it was in for service. I need to know how to do this myself if it's critical. Now it was dying out when cold, every time you let off throttle. Ordered more spare sparkplugs. Sheila & I work terribly together. Somehow we managed by sheer luck to wind the broken cable IN until the end came by, clean break, vise gripped it & pulled it out. Double clamped it over a thimble. The Cast iron Fairlead is worn out. I already been reversed once. Plow use has worn deep grooves in the iron. The other side was better so put that down again. Need to buy roller fairlead insteasd of stupid iron block. Ordered it! But incredible luck to retrieve cable! She kicked me to the curb & went back to plowing... opened everything up nice but then it balked again. I'm wondering if it has some bad gas.

[Mopar1973Man]

She kicked me to the curb & went back to plowing... opened everything up nice but then it balked again. I'm wondering if it has some bad gas.

:lmao:About "Kicking to the curb". But as for the fuel is there possibly of water?

[flagmanruss]

I wouldn't think the current gas-a-hola... would have water but we're gassing from cans so it's possible. I added dry gas & turned up the idle. With a one cylinder, a miss can stop it. Yesterday was first day back for schools. A state owned road that leads to our house... a narrow road already... they are a foot short of the white fog lines. Hope to not meet a bus cause somebody is going to back up! The stone walls & banks either side of the road, there's no way to plow snow up & over unless they come in with a payloader. We got a 1/2" overnight... should melt off.It's funny how the only things which are mine need expensive repairs or fixing... I have ordered the ATV parts (roller lead & spare plugs). Since she had to get towed back in... I bought a Tow Strap & will leave the ratchet strap in the front (to emergency lift the plow).

[diesel4life]

Hey Russ, if you ever need to replace your winch cable, check out the synthetic rope. The stuff is amazing. I broke my cable at least a half dozen times over the years, it eventually got so short it was all but useless. Replaced with the synthetic rope and I love it. No more getting jabbed from broken steel strands, and its just plain old easier to work with. You have to be careful when wrapping it around objects (I always carry a thin strip of an old sweatshirt in my compartment for padding) Ive had it about a year now and no complaints very durable stuff.