Here is a new way I have not seen to make a winch. May be useful if your stuck in overflow or deep snow!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... K6419y4N4Q

That's awesome, that ice must be pretty solidly thick to do the pivot like that. I wouldn't have thought of that idea but it's a great one. I was waiting for an ad on the side of the page to be advertising "Honda CRV, Cheap, slight water damage"

So the lesson here is, if your driving on a frozen lake, tie a 100' cable to your trailer hitch first so your wife doesn't have to go swimming later

Interesting winch. Since it's a Honda, probably will start as soon as it's dried out.

Biggest lesson is don't drive on ice!

Cary

Clever....

In the spring, an incident of going through the ice is the final indication it is time to quit for the season.....?
I have heard of that philosophy among ice racers before. ("Built" jeeps, etc.")
They appeared to go about it like they were thoroughly familiar with the process.
I have to agree, it is quite ingenious! Good thing the lake wasn't any deeper, tho....


Afterthought: Related topic
Ole asks Lena to walk across the lake to the store to get him a pack of cigs.
Lena agrees, and asks Ole for some cash for the purchase, but Ole tells her to "Put them on account."
Lena respond "Ole, you tell me never put anything on account. You get mad if I put any thing on account!"
Ole responds with "Get on yer coat n go, time is a wastin!"
So Lena trudges clear across the lake, gets the cigs, and returns and gives Ole his smokes.
That evening, by the fire in their cabin, Lena, who had been pondering Ole's change of heart about running an account at their little local store, ask "Ole, why wouldn't you give me some cash for the cigarettes? I know you have plenty enough cash for just a pack of smokes".
Ole replied "Well, it is getting a little late in the spring, and there can be thin spots, and I didn't want to make a bad situation any worse..."

Littlecub wrote:In the spring, an incident of going through the ice is the final indication it is time to quit for the season.....?
I have heard of that philosophy among ice racers before. ("Built" jeeps, etc.")
They appeared to go about it like they were thoroughly familiar with the process.
I have to agree, it is quite ingenious! Good thing the lake wasn't any deeper, tho....


Afterthought: Related topic
Ole asks Lena to walk across the lake to the store to get him a pack of cigs.
Lena agrees, and asks Ole for some cash for the purchase, but Ole tells her to "Put them on account."
Lena respond "Ole, you tell me never put anything on account. You get mad if I put any thing on account!"
Ole responds with "Get on yer coat n go, time is a wastin!"
So Lena trudges clear across the lake, gets the cigs, and returns and gives Ole his smokes.
That evening, by the fire in their cabin, Lena, who had been pondering Ole's change of heart about running an account at their little local store, ask "Ole, why wouldn't you give me some cash for the cigarettes? I know you have plenty enough cash for just a pack of smokes".
Ole replied "Well, it is getting a little late in the spring, and there can be thin spots, and I didn't want to make a bad situation any worse..."

LMAO! Gonna get a few miles outta that one!

Loved it! Ole is most definitely a practical pragmatist.

Cary

This is NOT being posted for "old salts" around ice & snow and such.
As far as lake ice. If the weather has been consistently cold (teens F 24/7) it is likely be trustworthy (springs underwater on a shallow lake, or along the edges would change this-know the lake)
If it is a river (currents both change and erode ice-and usually prevent consistant thick ice), without familiarity with that stretch of river-I would be very reluctant to try it even with those temperature conditions. Experience can tell you where the best places to land on a river are, but glean all you can from old salts first.
A significant snow layer can insulate the ice below the snow from the cold air, and erosion can start immediately on the bottom of the ice on both a lake or river.
If temps warm up to near freezing temps for a few days-beware even on bare ice. We have run a 12 in drill bit into the ice and not hit water after a few near 32F days, but there can be thin ice 50 yards away that can hardly hold a man. Admittedly we have springs under and around our shallow lake that put out water that is quite a bit warmer than the lake water. The only way we know this happens has been by watching freeze/thaw patterns on "our" lake for a few decades, and drill testing before ice skating and/or vehicle ops. (Plus walking/skating and learning when the ice is about to give way. The ice "talks to you")

We have not had vehicle (on lake ice) ops (cars, airplanes) in well over a decade here (Central WA), the weather has not cooperated with "cold n hold" conditions. As a matter of fact, there haven't been good ice skating years in about that long, either.

Landing on bare lake ice can be a LOT of fun. The air is thick, like cream, from the cold, so propeller and wing performance is enhanced, and you can spin circles (if the ice is glass smooth) on what would normally be a boring roll out.....

Well, the guys up north with tons of experience (old salts) can chime in to add to this-or correct/clarify any and all these statements/advice.

This is vague/theoretical advice. You try any and all of this obviously AT YOUR OWN RISK!

I love ice.

It scares me.

The surefire solidity of the ice can be demonstrated by dropping volleyball-sized rocks from the plane during a slow pass. If you are somewhere that has ground access, you can check it yourself or call and have somebody else check it. A drill is a good tool for that.

When it is around 17F and a lake freezes over, it will make 2 inches of ice per day with a light breeze. A higher wind will make more ice. Colder temps will make more ice.

If you know how deep the lakes are (often something you can assess from satellite imagery) it helps. Deeper lakes freeze slower. If you can verify the ice on a deeper lake, the ice on shallower lakes nearby should be thicker and firmer.

Running water is a game changer. Ice dynamics can be totally different where the water moves...I have no particular experience there. I'm too chicken.

Huge lakes have thermal dynamics that can baffle and amaze. I won't land there without dropping rocks. Or following a friend.

A retired coworker is an avid fisherman. Earl was driving his pickup in another's tracks on St. Louis bay a few years back when he broke through. After safely getting out, he started hiking back when he soon came to a wrecker. The wrecker was coming for the truck that Earl had just parked on. He hasn't driven on the ice since.

Mark J

Driving? How about riding? Quite a bit of fun.