Welcome back! Today we take a trip over Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado with all of the snow! It was a bit of an adventure, I hope you enjoy coming along for the ride!
@@camronbitzer3159 if chains are required to continue down the road in my humble opinion that parking spot is looking REALLY Great about then, less stress, lower blood pressure and no tow bill.
L.O.L. i'm all tensed up just from watching that video. Reminds me of a run I made and the guy at the end of my delivery said, "I didn't think you were going to be here today" All alone on a winding biway and everything was white. You learn to go by shapes, L.O.L. Drive a truck for a living and you'll end up saying "I never knew Winter was so long" Hard core video there brother!
I love watching this. Especially since I'm retired from trucking! I still love driving! Uh oh, he's not having the greatest adventure. Stay safe out there & Happy Holidays.
Today’s drivers seem to be scared to throw iron. Most times it’s chain up to get over the pass and be on your way or sit it out for a couple days. I learned how to drive big trucks with my dad and uncle and chaining up was just part of it whether we were on Donner, Cabbage, Look Out, Wolf Creek or any of them it was part of trucking.
I used to pull loads of bulk potatoes out of Monte Vista quite frequently. Lavita Pass can be a little fun too! Don't forget to open your potatoe cip bags, BEFORE you get to Wolf Creek Pass, or the elevation will open 'em for ya!!
Wolf Creek is where my Grandpa decided to teach me Mountain driving. Was in a 73 W900 with a 1693 and a 5/4. That pass will certainly seperate those who can from those who can't.
My poor 4 cylinder Reliant station wagon back in the 80s was never the same after going over that pass. Beautiful drive in summer and fall if you don't get an early snow storm.
Wolf Creek Pass is scary enough going over it with snow and ice on the road in a car , i give Respect to these guys that drive trucks over the mountain during the winter . It’s like their balls are riding shotgun LMAO
I'd either stop at the nearest rest stop or fuel station, or I'd pay someone to chain my tires up. I know my limits. WTG for all the truckers strong enough to do it themselves. #Impressed
Sir you are my hero. Your good nature is a rarity nowadays. My husband (RIP) would have been so pissed off if a truck held up traffic for disregarding the chain signs on Snoqualmie I-90. He drove for many years, and when I rode with him he would point out the orange and yellow garbage bags on the side of the road, joking that those were the new Swift & Schneider drivers about to hatch.🤣
I have much respect for all of the truck drivers. I can't even drive in the rain. I was stuck in Loveland Pass in a old Honda it was the most terrifying experience. Long story but never again.
I don't know just how much tea is in china but I can assure you it AIN'T enough, Enjoyed the video it reminds me living at the Suwannee River in Florida is GREAT. Your a better man than I.
Colorado state patrol are usually at both ends and the summit with the roads that way. If they come by while he is chaining up= big fine. I went across wolfcreek every other week for 10 years and live couple hours south. So beautiful in all seasons. All this south western Colorado mountains are beautiful but dangerous. Enjoy and be careful out there. Thanks for the delivers
Gotta keep those rpms high,stay out of the torque when the rpms fall near 1k,thats the max torque zone.Some drivers feel if they let the rpms fall they will have better traction,that might work with a car.Not a truck.
I got caught in a snow storm on October 3, 2002 on Wolf Creek Pass at night. I was going from Denver to Pagosa Springs. It was ok till I came around a curve and ran into a white out. Luckily the rental car was Dodge Intrepid front wheel drive. I did not have an trouble going up or down the mountain. Although almost hit a few Elk that were resting on the road.
I have no experience as a truck driver or this pass, but I grew up by Truckee and the I 80 Donner Pass, and I live in the Sierra Nevada mountains now, I have a Jeep Wrangler lockers front and rear and I still use chains. I find it’s the issue of stopping rather than going.
I have been on this pass many times when you hit the top if you have a bag of chips unopened, they will pop open when you hit the top. lot's of people have died here; they have signs telling you what you need to do before you go up the pass
Thanks for the bag of chips story!! I remember the 1st time that happened to me. I darn near messed my drawers!! Keep 'er safe out there. "Eagle Claw" on the side.
Me n Earl were haulin chickens on a flatbed outa Wiggens. etc etc. Earl put down his bottle, mashed his foot down on the throttle, a couple of booms, a thousand cubes and that 1948 Peterbilt screemed to life. etc etc. I looked out the window and started countn phone poles goin by at the rate of 12 by the 7th power, put 2 n 2 together, added 12, carried 5 and come up with 22,000 poles an hour
If you don't chain up and block the roadway in Colorado, it's $1157 fine, plus the cost of being towed up to the top, $500+. Chaining up is easy, and you have complete control of your rig. Chain up takes 20 to 30 minutes If your slow, and you're on your way. At the bottom you may wonder why the Chain law. It's usually a mess at the top.
Seven years driving, never chained once. Really good traction tires helped, but if it was that bad, I'd just stop and wait. Never had to wait more than a day, usually still made it on time.
Kcb it's not difficult to throw iron at all, you just have to know how to do it and be able to brave the elements and all the traffic zooming by you if your on a busy highway
They have warning signs for a reason not for decoration. You think they know how bad it gets thru this specific area on the main highway......thats why the pass had to go thru major construction in order for people to get through safely. And if it was super bad the pass would be closed....
#175 Excellent Video. I have driven a Motor Home over the pass and chains are a must! Too much snow, almost as much as we get on the east shore of Lake Michigan----it will bury your car.
No chains and no load. That's a bad combination. Also, you think he's having a bad day now, wait until a trooper catches him with no chains. That's a huge fine.
I drove that pass many years ago just to see what it was all about. I was an owner-operator then and could choose whatever route I wanted. I did it in summer though and it was beautiful,
I used to have a dedicated route from Denver to SLC via I-70 over Eisenhower and then up to US40 over Rabbit Ears and Duschene dropping into Heber City. Some days required chaining several times. The scale outside Heber was nice enough to see me coming and turn off the chain law lights if it was borderline. Fun times for being under 25. Now I wonder how I lived through it.
I have a bus with chain spinners mounted behind the rear wheels.. they are air actuated and definitely help but when it gets next level i always chain up
As many of you know CW McCall passed away a few weeks ago at the age of 93. He’s famous for the 1970s song ‘Convoy’ but also wrote and performed my favorite song of his ‘Wolf Creek Pass’. I miss him already.
If it says chain up you better chain up going up wolf Creek pass..don't be lazy or try to be a super trucker,your gonna get stuck and get others stuck too..don't be stupid
@@davidtheriot7404 a trucker lost his life on that hairpin this past Fall. Stay safe out there! And you're VERY right about Wolf Creek. It's not for the faint of heart!
Chaining up was an obvious no brained for this truck. Plus it’s the law. This guy deserves what he get for his laziness, stupidity, and putting himself and many others in danger for not doing so.
Yes. Even 4x4's will slip & slide around. It's not worth the risk. The new Snow Socks make it easier, I hear. I've not tried them. Always have chains in my car & truck.
Wanted to see if I could get a small utility box to Wolf Creek Ski Area and home during storm conditions. Apparently I can, you passed one going in the other direction. I’m curious about Colorado’s chain laws? I rented a mini SUV with front wheel drive at the Denver Airport and drove to Boulder then up to I-70 and we hit some snow from near Loveland to Frisco then it tapered of on our way up to Breckenridge. I saw the chain signs on I-70 and checked our rental when we got there but no chains in it. I plan to tow a 6x10’ box with a GMC Canyon with a six cylinder someday to ski. Wondered if such a small vehicle with all terrain tires would need or benefit from chains.
From my understanding Colorado calls it "traction aid" laws. I think there were different levels but on that day commercial vehicles needed to chain up and passenger vehicles could go over the pass with "traction aids" which meant one of either snow tires with good tread, 4 wheel drive/ all wheel drive, tire socks, tire chains, etc. On the day I had BFG All Terrain tires and 4 wheel drive. In 2wd I didn't have the best traction and although I legally would have been okay to proceed I'm sure glad I had 4wd, it made going up and over the pass no problem at all. Front wheel drive cars with chains/socks seemed to have no problems either.
Did Ruan have chains? I drove for them 2 years, for felps dodge copper mine 3 fatel accidents, total 15 dead, one guy flipped two trailers at the mine. Another rolled one.
I drove this coming back to the south after leaving the Navy. It was a warm day in the spring until I got onto the pass. I'll be damned if a spring blizzard didn't pop up while I was in a rear wheel drive truck with no weight in the bed. I'm only able to write about it, because, the truck was a manual. I couldn't touch the brakes or gas without going for a slide.
Most company drivers dont have the option to "just park it""." The company's will say, "if you have to throw chains just stop, we understand. No one here in our company is forcing you to be in danger." So, you start a 10hr. near Pendleton. after your situation is thoroughly explained and 10hrs later the messages and phone calls start coming in. If even one truck moves on 84 then to them the highway is open because 511 posted no closures. The question to you the driver after that 10 hr. will be (from the company): use your best judgement, you know what you can do and you know the situation." Now that will come from at least 3 different ones with at least 2-4 messages...then they will start every hour. Then? Well, the message is clear: get your damn chains on and move the damn truck (by the way, no detention/layover/holdover). But hey, "you are the captain of your ship so keep us posted." So you company drivers? Get ready for the badgering and it will increase on the badgering and it will not let up. If two trucks move on that highway and still with no posted closures, even coming through Wenatchee Forest? After about 15 hours you will not sleep and they will expect you to be on that phone to answer all calls and respond to all message. Look for about 8 an hour. Once the ELD registers the truck moving...all the calls and messages suddenly stop. As always Driver, "You be safe out there." We respect our drivers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Seeing empty flatbed moving down Wolf Creek pass Co. is very unsafe situation. I invented a Big Rig snow chain system when I retired. It is patented. The payent is not pending, it is issued.First snow chain system ever approved by U.S. PATENT OFFICE.
THE NEWBE SEMI DRIVERS MISSED ALL THE EXCITMENT OF DRIVING SEMIS IN THE 70!S/BACK THEN OUR AUTHORITY REQUIRED WE DRIVE THAT ROUTE TO LOS ANGELES/THEN THE PASS HAD NO RUNAWAY RAMPS/IT WAS MUCH NARROWER/ WHEN WE GOT CLOSE TO PEAK IT WAS NOTHING TO SEE 25 FOOT WALLS OF SNOW CARVED OUT BY THE SNOWBLOWER MOUNTED ON PAYLOADERS/MUCH SAFER NOW
Freight rates are terrible out west. Throw in the bad weather with cheap rates and heavy loads I'm not going. I need all my loads to actually pay. Let those mega carriers service the northeast and out west!! ☃️☃️☃️😃😃😃
COLORADO chain law, is in effect from OCT 1 TO MAY 31ST . I BELIEVE. You don't need to put them on until they declare to , Call it , IN EFFECT! Just not Having chains is a big fine. Not having them " on " is even more.
