Cheap lesson on the sand

[Stephen Butler]

Well, on this last Sunday the wife and I went for a ride, and ended up on a path that led to the Rhode Island beach where it is legal to drive onto. Now I am currently riding on the Mastercraft Street tires that came with my Trac...so as I rode the packed sand down the path, I was doing fine in AWD, but as it opened up to the beach I hesitated... Curiosity won out, and I figured I would just go out, do a semicircle, and drive back. I was fine until the back part where I hit the soft sand and lost traction.... Tried 4wd both hi and low, front and back, just dug in till I was only inches from the running boards. Fortunately a couple was there on the beach, and they were experienced off readers... He suggested that I drop my tire pressure, and then we would push the truck back till I was on the harder packed sand, then follow some tracks to get back to the road. He and I deflated the tires, then pushed back while the wife reversed in 4 low. It moved back, I was able to get back in, put her in 4 HI and power back to the road. Lessons learned; 1) all terrian tires needed for sand. 2) I know to disengage traction control in snow, I forgot to do it in sand as well. So all in all, the truck did as well as can be expected with the wrong tire configuration for the surface. nline:

 

[Andy Chase]

Dropping the tire pressure in sand is definately one of the things to remember for next time as well.

 

[Jerry Gerner 2]

A couple other helpful things to remember when sand wheelin' are:



Lower tire pressure, take a piece of old carpet and or a 2x10x atleast 18" long for traction pads, a small spade shovel, jump up and down on rear bumper (some will say not to do the but it will help hop the rear tires out of the hole you just dug into).



Originally from out west in the high desert I have tons of experience on this matter. :haveabeer:

 

[Stephen Butler]

Excellent suggestions from both of you, and a friend of mine also suggested carrying 4 asphalt shingles to use as traction devices in similar situations.

 

[Rick Kent]

What Jerry said. When I visit the Outerbanks and buy the beach permit I have to prove I have all of those items or they will not sell me the permit.

 

[Bo Loo]

I carry a pair of traction plates (see link below). I haven't had a chance to use them yet, but they look like they'd work.

 

[Gavin Allan]

Guess I was lucky. A few years back I drove my Trac about a mile or more along the beach at Padre Island, TX and then back. I didn't go up to the edge of the water, but I was all over the sand. Was on street tires and had 4WD. No problems for me.



Up here is hillbillyland, we don't have any sand. All we have is hard red clay and rocks. After a lot of rain, the clay turns to muck, but after I spent bunches of money and time cleaning up my CJ-7 after an hour in the mud years ago, I don't do mud anymore.

 

[Pete Knippen]

In NE Florida we have a hundred of miles of beach to drive on, from hard packed to soft sugar. My experience driving all these and on Assateague, Md, The OBX at the Oregon inlet. I have never had off road tires only 235/75/15 Sears steel belted radials and rarely and only slightly ever reduce air pressure from 32 to 25 psi in serious fluff sand.

Deflating the tires is a mistake made by most people who get stuck because they often than let too much air out and loose the foot print of the tire and more important your ground clearance.

Most people get stuck trying to turn around and plow to a stop. Make big turns under power.

A lot of people get in deep loose sand and freak and power dig themselves into a hole.

Never put your ST in AWD it will only pull when it seances slip, but ok for flat pack shoreline.

Never turn on Traction Control. it doesn't work like you think. you will bog down.

Never follow too close if your buddy gets stuck your gonna join him.

Always choose 4X4 High (Low is for climbing)

Alway try to maintain momentum and "tread lightly" (let the sand steer don't fight the wheel)

Always cary tow straps, extra water and a shovel.

The BEST TRICK if you get your 4x4 stuck in sand is don't panic. Thats part of the party, If you ever noticed any 4x4 stuck you see one front tire and opposite rear spinning. (providing your not sitting on the frame,) DO THIS and you will pull out. under very little power SLOWLY apply emergency brake, continue to click until the SLIPPING tire starts to drag and suddenly your other non spinning tire will turn and pull you out.

PS , go 4 wheeling enough and everybody gets stuck some time... even me

 

[Jerry Gerner 2]

PS , go 4 wheeling enough and everybody gets stuck some time... even me

This is true, you're not Offroading/ Wheelin' unless you get stuck, roll over or cause atleast some kind of damage to your rig.

:driving:

 

[Pete Knippen]

TRUE THAT Jerry,

but my 2010 ST Limited is not going too hard core. My '01 ST or '84 Bronco II Hell Yeah !

 

[Robert Thomas]

Pete



Good Information, but I have to disagree with the tire pressure. I worked at both Assateague and Cape Hatteras. We maintained all the vehicles we used on the beach at between 23 to 18 lbs. Most of the time you never had to put the vehicle in 4WD. Actually, when I started at Cape Hatteras very few had 4WD, they had tubes dropped to about 12 lbs. I ran upon a lots of stuck vehicles, but all were because the driver spun the vehicle down till it bottomed out. I never had anyone bottom out because of low tire pressure. I very rarely did you have anyone stuck that started out with tire pressures below 20 lbs. The one exception is in the ice and deep snow in the sand.



Most people get stuck because they don't drop the tire pressure and try to drive in 4WD drive low.



The soft sand should never be a problem unless you are going up a dug up ramp. The real danger is the big gravel red sand.