Call Me the Breeze

MCBuggyCo

Seasoned Expediter
I made a run to Wisconsin about a week ago in a Chevy Express cargo van. It was smooth sailing until I came to a stretch of road that was open on both sides of the highway. The roadway was dry but there was a lot of blowing snow on it. I could see a small truck with a U-haul attached parked in the median. I suspected he had been hit by a wind gust, overcompensated, and ended up in the median.

Luckily my instincts told me to slow down because just then the back end of the van swung around 45 degrees and I was suddenly looking out my driver's side window at the vehicles that had until that moment been behind me. I proceeded to do my own version of the overcompensate and managed to swing the van back 45 degrees the other way and eventually back to straight.

My load was a grand total of 38 lbs so I suspect that contributed to the van's handling or lack thereof. Does it make sense to add weight to the rear like some people do with pick ups in the winter? Has anyone else had a bad experience with the wind?







Call me the breeze
I keep blowin down the road
Well now they call me the breeze
I keep blowin down the road
I aint got me nobody
I dont carry me no load

(j.j. cale)
 

60MPH

Expert Expediter
I think there may of been ice under that blowin snow that just recently formed "like it does in IA on I-80" in a matter of minutes you can go from dry and nice to 10 cars slid of the road in a 1/4 mile. But as for ? about weight I personally don't run any extra in mine and what happens when you get a heavy load. Now you might be over you gross. I hit some black ice last night around the 83mm on I-71 just south of Columbus and I was only going 35mph and I had 1856lbs in the back and she still got alittle sideways on me "scared the crap out of the ABF double tailgating me because he thought I was driving to slow" guess that will teach him a lesson. mine went sideways enough that the rear of the van was in the hammer lane luckly, no one was beside me or there would of been a heck of a mess. I just chalk it up more experience, I should of been driving slower for the road conditions, now I will think twice before attemping 35mph in freezing rain/high wind road conditions.:eek:
 

60MPH

Expert Expediter
MCBUGGY make up your mind about your catch pharse's it's either Lynyrd Skynyrd or Guns-n-Roses you can't have both great bands on there. :D:D:D It is forbiddin, me personally here's my favorite part of the song -
Well I'm a west coast struttin'
One bad mother
Got a rattlesnake suitcase
Under my arm
Said I'm a mean machine
Been drinkin' gasoline
And honey you can make my motor hum:D
 
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cheri1122

Veteran Expediter
Driver
McBuggy, all the weight you can hold won't help, if you're skatin on ice, thin or otherwise....Best is to park, next best is to creep along at low speed till the ice is gone, or you can get parked, IMO.
I thought "They call me the breeze" was the Allman Brothers...

 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
Oh boy you think that was something, going to my pickup down I86 and just as I was going to pass the "you are now entering the Senaca nations" sign, I spun around and saw the back of the sign go away - 21,830lbs of truck spinning like a top!

I just finished cleaning up the sleeper, the up side of it is I found my change from Canada.

Cheri, JJ Cale wrote the song, he also wrote After Midnight and Cocaine which Clapton made famous, which many think Clapton wrote them. Call Me The Breeze was Lynyrd Skynyrd's hit but David Coe, Wayland Jennings, Tom Petty Johnny cash did a cover of the song. I think but not sure that Chet Atkins also did a cover. Well I know one thing, I have every version mentioned in my collection (except Chet Atkins) for some reason which was my uncles until he gave up the music and became a lawyer.
 

MCBuggyCo

Seasoned Expediter
Lately I am thinking I would make more money if I was driving a tow truck instead of the van. The numbers of trucks and cars I see in the ditches during snow is unreal.

All other issues aside would extra weight in the back of the van do more harm than good? Would it do any good?
 

RLENT

Veteran Expediter
All other issues aside (like the reduction of your load carrying capacity), yes having some weight over or behind the rear axles will help you with traction .... in snow primarily.

However it will not help with ice - studded tires might ..... but I have no idea if they are legal in other states besides Ohio.
 

Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
In the winter I carry three 70# tubes of sand and one truck inner (looks like a sausage with the ends tied) of sand that weighs about 100#. When empty or very light these are positioned over the back axle. (Randy, I had the 3 tubes forward of that 500# pallet the other day, and you know what the road conditions were then)

As for a problem with gross weight; I have been observed filling in potholes at truck stop parking lots.
 
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