2014 Ice Storm versus 2014 Toyota Tundra

Pine Tree blocking the Tundra trail

Chainsaw repair station on Tundra tailgate

WIth nearly an inch of ice accumulating in Western Colleton County on February 12, and two nights of  well-below freezing temperatures, the ice storm of 2014 was significant. The rain gauge at the property I manage held 2.2-inches of precipitation, which is a good indicator of just how much moisture came through with this blast of winter. Historically speaking, the Lowcountry is most prone to ice storms in February, and this one took effect in an area stretching from Aiken to Myrtle Beach. Pine trees tend snap off under the stress from the added weight of ice, or their limbs shed and bang into and knock off all other frozen limbs on the way down. Our Tree Farm was no different than anyone else's in the affected area, in that a large amount of pine debris was either blocking roadways or still hanging tenuously in yards. The clean up efforts began with a chainsaw, but then continued using an iforce V8 Limited edition 2014 Tundra pick up to take on downs trees further back into the property. The crew cab easily fits four, and there were just three of us, and the Satellite radio with JBL speakers kept us listening to music most of the day. The truck bed included a Toyota plastic liner bed, and we threw two chainsaws back there, an axe, a tool kit, chainsaw chaps, a gas can and some drinks. The tailgate on the redesigned Tundra is big, like the rest of this half-ton truck, but once opened the tailgate lowers SLOWLY and one no longer has to watch out for damage from a crashing tailgate. When we reached a tree across the road, a fire drill of sorts took place with first sizing up what to do before firing up the chainsaw. Many times the pine trees were still bent or hanging and this causes the blade of the chainsaw to hang up in the tree, and usually pull off the saw. So we had a repair station set up on the tailgate of the Tundra to replace the chains, or to fill up the lubricant reservoir. As we threw limbs in the  truck's bed to haul, the back window of the crew cab could be lowered to facilitate communications from inside the truck to anyone working behind the truck. The Limited edition also has a sunroof, heated seats, traction control, 4-wheel drive and lots of features that make driving it as easy as turning on the cruise control. Of course, if you have an ice storm to deal with, it's not to shabby either.

Truck bed full of pine tree debris

To view the 2014 Tundra treehouse video click here.

All work and no play - No Way!

To view past blog entries about the 2014 Toyota Tundra click here.