by "ethan drives dumb cars" (helloroad)
Published 11/13/2017 at 13:13
by "ethan drives dumb cars" (helloroad)
Published 11/13/2017 at 13:13
Tags: battlewagon
; subaru
; subaru legacy
; poobaru
; #helloroad
; urban offroading
; yard work
STARS: 1
Yes, it is possible to use a hooptie to do yard work!
I started last month thinking it would be a great idea to have a truckload of wood chips dumped in front of my house. Finally, I could provide some semblance of order to the dusty, weed-filled landscape known as my front yard. Even better, the massive quantity of mulch was completely free, courtesy of a neighborhood tree trimmer.
But, as usual, I did not think this through. Now I had a project. A huge project. And as a new father, with a demanding little monster kiddo in my life, there is little time for anything beyond poopy diapers. This problem pile of mulch proceeded to taunt me every day for the last four weeks.
My wife suggested I be sensible and hire landscapers. Instead, I did what any self-respecting car hoarder would do—survey my squadron of terrible hoopties and pick the most suitable vehicle for the task at hand. The $800 “Poobaru” Legacy was the perfect choice for some light landscaping work. And why not make a stupid video chronicling my morning:
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Ultimately the Subie did prove to be a great mulch mover, however in retrospect, maybe I should have fashioned a plow out of the skid plate. And somehow I didn’t manage to annoy any neighbors. I think they were just confused.
Out of curiosity, anyone here ever get stuck or crash on your own property? Or do anything car-related that raises the eyebrows of your neighbors?
If you’d like to join me on my journey of trying to not suck at making videos, feel free to follow me here: youtube.com/helloroad . :D
"tuxOnWindows" (tuxonwindows)
11/13/2017 at 13:52, STARS: 1
I rented a house in West Bolton, VT a few years ago that was heated only by wood. The property backed up to a woody hill & I found some downed trees when hiking one day. After verifying with the landlord that I could take the wood, I cut the trees into manageable pieces, drove my ‘03 Subaru Baja up the path to the cut wood, loaded the bed, & drove back down (luckily there was a U-shaped path so I didn’t have to reverse down). I didn’t get stuck or crash but had to be very careful to avoid the trees on the side of the path (3 trips without a scratch!). My closest neighbor was a mile down the [dirt] road so nobody saw, but I’d imagine that they’d find a Baja on a hill in the woods a bit strange.
I miss that Baja, it could handle anything I threw at it...except road salt.
"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
11/13/2017 at 14:49, STARS: 2
We had five acres to muck about on when I was growing up. When my mom bought the property, it was raw land, forest on the front half, prairie on the back. The first order of business was getting a driveway cut through the forest so we could start building.
For many years that driveway was nothing but dirt. When it rained, the driveway became a muddy mess. The soil on the property is a thick loam with a layer of red clay beneath. The loam is too soft to support a car, so when they cut the driveway, they went all the way down to the clay.
The lower half of the driveway was cut into the side of the hill. At the end of this section, the driveway made a sharp left and pointed straight up the hill. Where the lower section was mostly flat and acted like a bog, the upper section drained well, but was 125 feet of pure slick clay up a 16% slope.
My mom’s strategy was to start at the far side of the gravel cul-de-sac and get as much speed as possible before plunging into the mud. She taught me to keep it in second gear and slide around the bend, wheels spinning. If you lost momentum, you were stuck.
The red line is the old driveway. The blue line is the new one installed about 10 years ago.
The best time to drive was in the winter when everything was frozen solid. The worst time was in the spring when things were wet and there was a real risk of sliding off the side into the loam. The loam, once thawed, was a like a thick pillow. If you were unlucky enough to fall into it, the wheel would be swallowed up to the axle. Without 4WD or a winch, digging out was the only option.
The new driveway is much better since it’s covered in gravel and is at the same elevation as the house. But I have to admit, I miss the old one.
"ethan drives dumb cars" (helloroad)
11/13/2017 at 19:52, STARS: 1
Sounds like that driveway provided for some great stories! I wish I had a few acres to mess around on. We’ve got just over 1/2 acre which is a lot here in Los Angeles, but not enough space to really cause trouble!
"ethan drives dumb cars" (helloroad)
11/13/2017 at 19:56, STARS: 0
Nice!!
Ah road salt. I grew up in Western Massachusetts so I’ve had my fair share of rust holes big enough to see the road moving underneath. Glad my Subaru has only seen mud, dirt, and mulch, but thankfully no salt!
"CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever" (carsoffortlangley)
11/14/2017 at 00:22, STARS: 0
I crashed in my parents driveway when I was first driving on my own
"ethan drives dumb cars" (helloroad)
11/14/2017 at 01:13, STARS: 0
Oh no! What did you crash into?
"CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever" (carsoffortlangley)
11/14/2017 at 01:17, STARS: 1
Neighbors car. Reverse tbone. Bad scene
"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
11/14/2017 at 08:37, STARS: 1
I’d love to have half an acre. I’d really love to have about 20 acres. Our lot is less than a quarter-acre. There’s a trade-off, though. Getting a larger property costs a lot more either in cash or in commute time. Keeping it small allowed for a short commute and gave me more time to spend with our kids. My mom’s commute was over an hour, so I grew up as a latch-key kid. She would make the friday night football games (I was in the band), but she didn’t make it to many other events. I’ve been able to spend more time with my own kids.