Can 14 inches of ice break with a suv driving on top

[kercha83]

Ok its starting to get warmer where i fish, but the ice is still 14 inches and above.  When i drive over the ice now i noticed that you can hear the ice crack louder now and one time when i drilled one hole alot of bubbles and water started coming out of the hole.  It looked similar to a mini volcano getting ready to erupt.  Is that ice any safe to drive on anymore.  Plus is there any signs that you can tell if the ice is getting weak?

[fishonNH]

Best sign is SUV shaped holes in the ice.

I would be leary about your ice, we are having problems on my home lake. The ice is exactly the same, but with out warning there is 4 inches of ice. Sounds like you either found a spring  or some good current. I'd either hoof it or fish closer to shore without the rig.

Might be safe a little longer, but don't be the first to know when it aint.

Good Luck, and be safe!

[princecraft]

Should be OK if your going over 100 MPH.  No seriously, if that ice is not good hard black ice, I wouldn't chance it.  Stay safe, there is always next year.  Well almost always??

[SPARKYICE]

i'll trust 2 1/2 inches of ice in december before i'll trust 18" in march.
the strongest ice is clear, black, and has very few bubbles in it.
as it weakens towards the end of the season, it develops bubbbles, which honeycomb it and make it weaker.
IMO, late ice will approach the 32 degree mark throughought it's mass, and can turn into slush in a matter of hours on a sunny, warm day, regardless of it's thickness. thats just my observation, i'm not a scientist.

when in doubt...

[scavengerj]

First thing I like to keep in mind...no ice is "safe" ice, 3" or 3'. 12" of "safe" ice can support a vehicle, 3' of "unsafe" ice won't. What is "safe" and what isn't??

But having never driven a vehicle on the ice limits my experience. I'd just hate to hear of another member going through.

[USMarine2001]

Best sign is SUV shaped holes in the ice.

LMAO

Sounds like you already don't feel safe doing it, so I wouldn't do it. Everyone has thier own opinions of what they will/will not take on the ice. choise is always going to come down to you. I would NEVER take a car/truck/suv on the ice. Heck it's gotta be at least 8 inches before I will take my quad and at least 4 inches before I will fish on foot but thats ME

[michianafisherman]

The ice may be fine out on the lake, but don't make the mistake of thinking you can stay all day and try to drive back to shore. The run off of the water from snow melting will eat the bottom of the ice, even though the top looks fine. Be careful.

[eriksat1]

We are still making ice it's going down to -10°f tonight. 24" and growing. I stop driving out around the last week in March. Many years there is still ice on the lakes a week before fishing opener, first Saturday in May.

[Jaycr3183]

My rule..........17 of Hard Black Ice.........22 of crystal ice.
Rather safe than sorry becasue atleast I will have a ride home at the end of the day.

[bmxrider11976]

i would never drive a truck on the ice as it is!

[Drifter_016]

i would never drive a truck on the ice as it is!

I would never drive a vehicle on the ice that far south either.   
Now, up where I live it's a whole 'nuther story.   

[highsparks]

  Yup drifter , I imagine youll still have driveable ice after were have boats on the lakes .   

   The biggest danger i find in spring is depth , ice will melt at different speeds , there are too many variables to guess at it .  In the fall the ice freezes pretty much at the same speed .  But as the temps warm , areas that open first start thawing the ice from underneath .  It may be a spring , moving water , less snow cover  etc .  The problem is you cant see that , until its too late ....

[fishermantim]

Even though we had pretty much a solid freeze this winter, I wouldn't risk it.
Sure, the ice COULD be a foot thick, or an inch. I tell me friends why I don't take risks on the ice with this reasoning:
Towards the end of February the sun starts climbing higher in the sky as spring approaches.
This will start heating the shoreline/shallow water UNDER the ice, and begin eroding the shoreline.
I affects the eastern shores mored than the west because the sun is still low enough to have more of an effect on the east than west. REMEMBER- the ice will melt from the bottom - up, not from the top - down. Rain will erode the surface, but it will do more damage when it runs under the ice at the shore, or through old holes.

Now if we had had a season with snow, rain and refreezes then the ice conditions would be at their worst. layers of ice, frozen snow/slush and more ice are a disaster waiting to happen when the temps climb. Fortunately we didn't have that kind of season here. We had solid ice forming over the first couple of months with little snow or rain to ruin it.

Unless we get another solid freeze, the days on the ice are truly numbered, and unless you really like the water, I would think twice (if not 4X) about brining ANY "machines" on the ice.

Good luck and stay dry and safe!

[Drifter_016]

  Yup drifter , I imagine youll still have driveable ice after were have boats on the lakes .   

Yep, I was still driving my truck on the ice at the begining of May last year.
There was still lots of ice then but the shore lines were getting sketchy. 

[D-mo]

my truck has yet to be on the ice this year .. due to the warm-cold conditons up here.  A 1.5 ton SUV on 14inchs of bad ice is not a good idea. 
Just last week up here in Ottawa we had lost the life of an icefisherman/woman due to driving on the ice with such poor conditions.

d-mo

[sinkyfish]

Even though we had pretty much a solid freeze this winter, I wouldn't risk it.
Sure, the ice COULD be a foot thick, or an inch. I tell me friends why I don't take risks on the ice with this reasoning:
Towards the end of February the sun starts climbing higher in the sky as spring approaches.
This will start heating the shoreline/shallow water UNDER the ice, and begin eroding the shoreline.
I affects the eastern shores mored than the west because the sun is still low enough to have more of an effect on the east than west. REMEMBER- the ice will melt from the bottom - up, not from the top - down. Rain will erode the surface, but it will do more damage when it runs under the ice at the shore, or through old holes.

Now if we had had a season with snow, rain and refreezes then the ice conditions would be at their worst. layers of ice, frozen snow/slush and more ice are a disaster waiting to happen when the temps climb. Fortunately we didn't have that kind of season here. We had solid ice forming over the first couple of months with little snow or rain to ruin it.

Unless we get another solid freeze, the days on the ice are truly numbered, and unless you really like the water, I would think twice (if not 4X) about brining ANY "machines" on the ice.

Good luck and stay dry and safe!


This guy knows what he'  talking about .......good job!   

[skybuster20ga]

i always tell ppl the thickness doesnt have much to do w/ anything. its quality. ive seen snowmobiles go through 22" of ice. it was late march and the kind of ice you could dig through w/ a shovel. the ice is gettin rotten alot faster this year it seems.....ide shy from drivin on it now. especially w/ a dusting of snow on top

[GDominy12]

nah you should be safe!

[ice--cube]

If it was me I would stay off. The water that comes out of the hole shows me that the ice is getting weaker. The weight of the truck is pushing down on the ice and water is coming out. Not for me.

[stoph]

Try the new arctic armor suv suit.  , or borrow a friends car...

 If you go through and manage to stay alive, in these parts they charge you ten grand to get your machine back out! (and you can't leave it there it HAS to come out) i think i'll stick to walking f-in miles!
 

[eriksat1]

It all depends where you live, we have had almost no melting of anything yet, no January thaw, nothing, only 2 or 3 days all winter have been above freezing so far. As far as I'm concerned it is still mid winter. The problem we usually have up here is no Spring, we go from winter straight to summer, it's either cold or hot.

[mealworm]

i'll trust 2 1/2 inches of ice in december before i'll trust 18" in march.
the strongest ice is clear, black, and has very few bubbles in it.
as it weakens towards the end of the season, it develops bubbbles, which honeycomb it and make it weaker.
IMO, late ice will approach the 32 degree mark throughought it's mass, and can turn into slush in a matter of hours on a sunny, warm day, regardless of it's thickness. thats just my observation, i'm not a scientist.

when in doubt...

i agree 100%,3 years ago we walked out almost 2 miles from the lot,when we left the lot there was over12" of ice on the way back in that 12" of ice had turned into 12" of slush and i could stomp my foot through the ice/slush,that was a pretty nerve racking hike to get off the ice

[Nam 69]

Just let your common sense tell you my friend. If you are asking us its time to pack up your gear and wait till next year or just fish without your ride, I hate when I hear guys go through the ice, it happens every year here in Pa. and most times its not good news for the guy who went through, Stay safe

[Ny Ice Fisher]

usually if i go ill drive out if there is at least like 10 other guys that have already drove out that day.  haha let them decide.

[perchslayer716]

new york fines $1200 per day if it fall through. so i wouldnt do it unless you want to give the gov more money

[thefinlessbrown2]

absolutly !!!!!

[indeeptreble]

I have been on the ice road on Lake Athabasca in the first week of June then flew home to Regina and was out fishing in my boat the next day. try explain that to young kids. When I drill into the ice 3 feet but not all the way though and pull the auger out and if it fills with water from the honeycomb ice I call it quits, but most time the season ends here before the ice is not safe.