How to handle this off-road situation?

[Judge Rufus]

Amateurs...clearly little to know experience driving in the snow.

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[Ryuk]

Found a couple of videos on Trail Control which make me think that this set on the Lowest 1 mph setting might offer a good chance of a controlled decent on a slippery slope.

If the Bronco had not come out, I was all set to buy a Ranger because of stuff like this. I like the Ranger a lot more than the Gladiator and the XLT 4x4 model just looks amazing.

The Trail Descent supposedly modulates the brakes. In one video the KOH pro driver put the 7 speed into neutral and the Bronco still maintained the speed going down the hill.
That's nested in a video on the forum but I can't remember which one.

 

[QuitPlayinWithYourDingy]

I believe they snow test quite a bit but that seemed overdramatic... 2/10

 

[Ryuk]

Amateurs...clearly little to know experience driving in the snow.

They really are.
My driveway is steeper and longer. Such a sad video.

 

[DHH]

I'd go down the hill while in neutral (but in 4wd). You'll have much better braking control because there will be zero forward drive input from the engine. If you start to slide uncontrollably, apply full brakes while you shift into reverse.....and then hammer it. You'll stop every time.

I'd like to see that technique used in action... my sense is that if you're on a slippery slope and lost traction like he had in the video where you're basically a sled, sliding down the hill, I don't see how putting it into reverse is suddenly going to help regain traction.

It doesn't help you regain traction. It stops you. If you need to continue down the hill, you may have to slide, reverse, hammer it again. Repeat as necessary to make it down.
To help reduce the chance of this being required, I always go down snow covered hills in neutral.
Being in neutral absolutely does improve your traction.

I've needed to do the above a few times. First time was over 30yrs ago, in my 2wd work van going down a steep street (like San Francisco type steep). Couldn't stop sliding. Was about to hit a car, so locked up the brakes, put it in reverse and hammered it. Stopped almost instantly. Had to repeat the procedure once more to make it down.
Last time I did it was just 2 years ago. Same situation (but no car to hit). Started sliding at the top of the hill and couldn't stop. Put it in reverse and stopped immediately. No place to turn off, so I did the above procedure 4 more times to make it down. (It was a pretty long hill).

It sounds like it would be damaging to the drive train, but because the traction is so poor, the tires spin pretty easily and I consider it a non issue.

 

[Doorsoff4ever]

LOL... that's not deep snow... THIS is deep snow...

Or really short utility poles

 

[grimmjeeper]

It doesn't help you regain traction. It stops you. If you need to continue down the hill, you may have to slide, reverse, hammer it again. Repeat as necessary to make it down.
To help reduce the chance of this being required, I always go down snow covered hills in neutral.
Being in neutral absolutely does improve your traction.

I've needed to do the above a few times. First time was over 30yrs ago, in my 2wd work van going down a steep street (like San Francisco type steep). Couldn't stop sliding. Was about to hit a car, so locked up the brakes, put it in reverse and hammered it. Stopped almost instantly. Had to repeat the procedure once more to make it down.
Last time I did it was just 2 years ago. Same situation (but no car to hit). Started sliding at the top of the hill and couldn't stop. Put it in reverse and stopped immediately. No place to turn off, so I did the above procedure 4 more times to make it down. (It was a pretty long hill).

It sounds like it would be damaging to the drive train, but because the traction is so poor, the tires spin pretty easily and I consider it a non issue.

The one thing I would worry about is if the ice on the road doesn't go all the way to the bottom and/or if there were mixed spots of ice and at least some traction.

Having your wheels spinning in the opposite direction when you hit traction can be "bad".

Having grown up in the snow and ice, I have seen plenty of hills there were a solid sheet of ice top to bottom and it wouldn't worry me. But I would only use this reverse trick in a real emergency.

Fortunately, I live in a state that lets us run studded snow tires and chains so when it's bad, I toss on the chains and I can stop on ice without a whole lot of drama.

 

[Ryuk]

Looks like the video in this post
https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/another-king-of-the-hammers-ridealong.13745/
answers our questions between Trail Control (AT) and Hill Decent Control (MT). Trail Control (AT) operates just like Hill Decent Control (MT) when going down hill.

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