So we are zipping around this morning, to the gym first, probably got 10" of snow so a short little workout at the gym and a much harder workout shoveling the driveway and sidewalk, took me over an hour. I offer the wife a ride so she doesn't have to brave the roads in the CRV and a car is stuck a few hundred feet from the house. I try to push it out, no luck doing that, tell the stuck women I will go get a tow strap and pull her out, when I get back another car is stuck. I hook the first one up and a third car starts into the mess, now there are three.?ÿ
First one was easy, an Accord with a nice tow ring under the bumper, then I get to the worst ever made car for snow, the Chevy Spark. My shackle wouldn't fit into the tow ring, there was nothing under the car to tie to that I wanted to really grab, neighbor has a cum-along tie down strap that worked, but I wouldn't have wanted to hook up a pick up that way. Finally the Mini that decided two cars stuck weren't enough; there were four of us by then and since two other cars were stuck in front of him he wasn't too far into the mess and we pushed him out by hand.?ÿ
Gotta love winter, there is no chance I will ever own a car again unless it's a summer only fun machine.?ÿ
Shoulda just?ÿpicked up the Spark and carried it out.
Shoulda just?ÿpicked up the Spark and carried it out.
I backed the Spark out with my the little tie down/tow strap combo until it was on the plowed surface of the intersecting street. By then it was facing uphill, there was maybe 1/4" to 1/2" of packed snow remaining, she couldn't drive it up the slight grade, the thing would spin out even on the open road. Three of us were there by then and helped her get up the incline pushing her until she gained enough momentum to make it to the main highway. The tires on that car are tiny, even with some tread it isn't going anywhere in the snow. ?ÿ
I wonder about picking up that little car, after trying to hook up to it I'm not sure there is anyplace to grab it without denting it. Pushing on the back of the car (with not much force) would cause the skin to cave in a little, I can imagine if you pulled very hard on any of the parts of that car to pick it up, the part would come off in your hand.?ÿ
A coworker has one, she told me last year that it got low centered on the plow berm and her neighbor helped. I facetiously said "Did he just pick it up?" I got curious and looked it up they only weigh about 1200 lbs. You're right though,?ÿto keep the weight down it's not made of the best materials. I shudder to think what would happen to the occupants in an collision, unless it's with a Smart car or another Spark.
