First Time Axle Lock Use

In case you didn't know, this past weekend the skies dumped about 30 inches of snow in my driveway, and the street I live on.  This snow was a dry, fluffy, lightweight snow. 


A lot of folks gave me grief for shoveling our driveway. They said, "You have a Jeep! You don't need to shovel." 

Yes, I am sure I could have just barreled through the snow with the Jeep, but we have friends who visit, who don't have Jeeps. Plus, knowing what this amount of snow does when packed down, it was in our best interest to shovel it, instead of packing it down by driving over it. As the temps rise in the day the snow starts to melt, then freezes at night making for an icy mess. 

I did have to try to see if my Jeep Wrangler Rubicon could attempt the many, many inches of snow in the road. I made several attempts at the snow. My first attempt was Saturday while it was still snowing. As you can tell by the video I was super cautious.                                     Snow 1st Attempt Video 

I took to the snow like I was rock crawling. I was also very nervous of getting stuck in the middle of the street while it was still snowing. Who knew when a plow would come through. 




The snow was very dry and lightweight. Any weight on the snow would sink straight down. This is just what my Jeep did. 

Once the skies cleared, I tried it again. The snow was a little more dense since it had melted some during the warm, sunny day. Again I was quite cautious, and took it slow. Like before, I was in 4 lo and rocked the Jeep back and forth. 

Snow 2nd Attempt Video

Finally my third attempt, I was still in 4 lo and I had an ah-ha moment - my $10,000 buttons. One of the reasons I traded up for a Rubicon -- My axle lock button. Pressing the bottom of the button once locked the rear axle. Pushing it a second time locked the front. So with a push of the finger they were locked. 

Snow 3rd Attempt Video

The snow was a lot more dense, and not as high. I was able to get a little further, but again got myself stuck. My problem is I am a little too cautious. I was too worried about breaking my Jeep. My husband ended up telling me to get out so he could take over. YIKES!!! Him driving made me even more nervous. He just gunned her. Eventually the front passenger tire hit the pavement from where there was shoveled path. This allowed for momentum for the Jeep to barrel through the snow. 

Even though I wasn't able to push through the snow myself I

am not embarrassed or feel inadequate. I am a cautious person by nature and always will be. My rig costs a lot of money and I don't have a money tree in my backyard to make repairs. 


Earlier in the storm there was a red Jeep on TV that burned up his transmission by trying to plow through the snow. I did not want that to be me. 



In my book it is okay to be cautious and slow. There was no emergency, and I didn't need to go anywhere. I feel good about my attempts. I am happy with the fact I was able to test out my axle lock button to see how it works and how it feels driving. Each time I will become more and more experienced and be a better driver in the long run.   

           - Simple Living! - Enjoying Life! - The Jeep Momma Way -