Couldn't agree more about the school closings. I am in a pretty conservative, rural district, but the media makes us look bad when we don't close when our neighbors do- and our lawyers tell us the first question that would be asked if we had a bus accident is "Why did you think it was safe to stay open when your neighbor schools didn't?"
Our school district has a hair trigger, too. To their credit, it's pretty large and serves all "rural" areas (except the town the middle and high schools are physically located in) with lots of streets that are a bear to plow. Many of the towns in it have limited plows (like my town, which has one) so it's pretty easy to get a bus sideways. What bugs me is when they call it for cold weather. The buses can be plugged in with block heaters, and most of the rural kids get picked up IN THEIR DRIVEWAY. You can't dress your kid warm enough to be outside for two minutes in the cold, you need to move!
Some of the boilers in some of the schools here just can't keep up with the cold. There's probably a minimum temp that if reached they have to send the kiddoes back home.
My stepdaughter didn't have school again today. No idea why. Last night after the storm my wife and I took a ride in the plow truck. Roads were great, and we happened to drive by the schools, all three are in a row. All lots were cleared, and they were doing further cleanup. The reason for the closure was something about breakdown of some sort of equipment that prevented cleanup. Sounds like bs to me.
My kid's school had a 2 hour delay yesterday because "Due to flurries, moisture may accumulate on some roads and could possibly freeze, causing icy conditions." Really? Flurries? Next county over school was canceled.
They called this one a "bomb cyclone"! Haha The conditions during the storm were nothing to laugh about but i wouldn't quite give it a name like that. I do wish this wind would lay down. I was back at work again this morning pushing drifts and salting.
It stopped snowing here about an hour ago. Skies cleared, Temps are dropping, winds picked up expecting air Temps in the 20 below range with 40 mph gusts.
The "Weather Channel" has become the WWE or National Enquirer of weather stations. Went to crap when they started naming if every time we had flurries. It's winter. It gets cold. Sometimes real cold. And windy. It even snows! A lot on occasion. Not everything has to be Chicken Little- level weather. I went over to Accuweather years ago. When if snowed when I was a kid, we all had to sit in the back of the bus so there was weight over the wheels. God, I'm a cranky old bass turd...
Well then someday (when it gets warmer) we'll have to get together and play with some of the toys. Lol
Today was the first time in 13 years living here that I had to have my driveway plowed. Went out yesterday to hook up my plow and do the driveway, 4wheel drive wasn't engaging. A little hard too push 2-3ft drifts in 2wheel drive. Next went on to the tractor, plugged in the block heater and waited an hour or so, wouldn't start. Got it started for maybe a minute then cut out. Did that a couple of times. I'll wait until Monday when the temperatures are supposed to hit the thirties. Last time I used my tractor was probably in early December, hadn't fueled up in a couple of months,so probably no winter treatment. Lesson learned, should of had my diesel anti gel in my fuel.
That's good. Our Mahindra 4540 hasn't had any gelling problems yet but I haven't started it in a few days so hopefully tomorrow the winds quit and then I'll try to start it. The block heaters been plugged in and the battery tender on so we have a shot at starting it.
My Dad gelled his tractor today, and it appears based on the questions he's asking this is the first time he's done it, or at least quite so thoroughly. He also still had the summer fuel in it. He did add some treatment before starting it, but the fuel in the lines was already gelled. He said it started and then died a couple of times. I had him pull the fuel filter, and he said the wax was so thick it looked like cake frosting slathered on the filter. Fortunately we didn't get dumped on, so he can still drive the vehicles in and out the driveway. My tractor has been starting fine with the block heater, and no fuel issues. Spent 2+ hours on it today in the wind, clearing snow and feeding the cows. Temps held around 0 all day, but are dropping past -6 now, with the bottom predicted to be -14. {edit: The tractor is about 8 years old and still on the original battery - have never had an issue with it, never hard a charger on it. I think I need to note what brand it is!}
I'll wait until Monday, don't know if I put my bullet heater under the tractor if it will help. If not I'll pull the fuel filter off and see how that goes
I just add additive year round to my tractor, that way i dont get caught. It has cetane boost in it anyways so i figure its helping during the summer anyways.
