Nicky
Well-known member
Got any pics of the 06/07 snow at your place. And/or the flooded meadows?
Hey Gcreekrch
- Thread starter Nicky
- Start date
WyomingRancher
Well-known member
Nicky said:
Yeah, I'd be interested in seeing what 5 feet on the level looks like :shock: . We've had 2.5' one winter, but NOT 5' :!:
I'll post a few more of my 06/07 pictures later...
gcreekrch
Well-known member
Nicky said:
That was pre-digital camera so no pictures.
Nov 24 1991 gave us 5 feet of fluffy snow in 30 hours. The fence posts on the highway disappeared. We could go anywhere with our first 4 WD tractor until it rained a bit 4 days later. That winter was a bad one and our road washed out in 3 places when break-up finally came in early May.
The worst I was in was in 1978 when we had 30" of heavy wet snow in about 5 hours with 50+ MPH winds so we had drifts over 20' ( I could not believe it could drift that bad as wet as it was- - - -turned to hard ice quickly ) and the army corp of engineeres hired us 24/7 for about 10 days to get things opened. It was a mess and several people died. Some of the drifts were so tall I could not reach the top with a 980 Cat and had to dig tunnels thru them and keep digging at ths sides till they fell in and then clear the road again. We worked on one strech of road about 3 miles long with two cats for 6 or 8 hours. With no homes along there I was going to bypass it but the army was in charge and they said clear it! And they paid really well so I guess it was OK.
We often get drifting from top of fence to top of fence ( most of which are broken down and have not had livestock for decades ) and as such the roads are totally blocked but the fields will be clear.
I feel anyone who has a fence along a road should take it down if it is of no use except to cause drifting!
We often get drifting from top of fence to top of fence ( most of which are broken down and have not had livestock for decades ) and as such the roads are totally blocked but the fields will be clear.
I feel anyone who has a fence along a road should take it down if it is of no use except to cause drifting!
PureCountry
Well-known member
Not to pick George, but don't you think the grass and ditches along the roadway would catch snow and drift, even without the fence? There's lots like that around here and they drift every year.
I push snow on several hundred miles of road when it gets deep enough and the ditches do fill up but then they are level and they do not cause drifts. Grass will hold snow as deep as the grass is tall. I'm talking about when there are fences on both sides of a road about 40' apart and the snow will drift in and fill the 40' gap as tall as the fences. If it is a 4' tall fence and on a little rise of about a foot then you will get 5' of snow on the road if we get 6" of snow and 30 MPH winds.
On second thought I guess I should be grateful for the fences as if they were not there the county or state hiway crews could keep the roads clear and I would not earn money for my family taking care of the problem.
It is amasing when you push snow and are moving less than a foot with no fences an then come to an area with a fence and the snow is 4 to 5 foot deep for about 30 to 50 feet down wind. Now I have fences ( Hi tensil ) and even with as small a wind break as they pose they will still cause some drifting. The ones that bug me are the old woven wire that is falling down any place the brush and weeds are not holding them up and they have not seen livestock in decades.
If the field up wind is corn stubble the drift will still be small as the stalks will keep much of the snow on the field. But then go past bean stubble or wheat where there is nothing to hold the snow.
I even put snow fences up about 70' west of my drives ( most of the winter wind comes from the west here ) if soybeans were grown the last season so that my drive will remain relitively clear. I do not need to do this if corn was grown.
If there is a good woods west of the road we will rarely have snow on the road that is even half the depth of surrounding areas.
On second thought I guess I should be grateful for the fences as if they were not there the county or state hiway crews could keep the roads clear and I would not earn money for my family taking care of the problem.
It is amasing when you push snow and are moving less than a foot with no fences an then come to an area with a fence and the snow is 4 to 5 foot deep for about 30 to 50 feet down wind. Now I have fences ( Hi tensil ) and even with as small a wind break as they pose they will still cause some drifting. The ones that bug me are the old woven wire that is falling down any place the brush and weeds are not holding them up and they have not seen livestock in decades.
If the field up wind is corn stubble the drift will still be small as the stalks will keep much of the snow on the field. But then go past bean stubble or wheat where there is nothing to hold the snow.
I even put snow fences up about 70' west of my drives ( most of the winter wind comes from the west here ) if soybeans were grown the last season so that my drive will remain relitively clear. I do not need to do this if corn was grown.
If there is a good woods west of the road we will rarely have snow on the road that is even half the depth of surrounding areas.
