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>>Tips 'n Tales >>Beach Driving: What to do when
you’re stuck! |
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By Rudy Nielsen |
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Snatch Straps |
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NIHO Land & Cattle Company strongly advises that
the best way to not get stuck on the beach….is
don’t drive there in the first place. |
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Things have changed since Darin and I
made our fateful trip around the Queen
Charlotte Islands. While beach driving
is allowed in parts of the United
States, it is frowned upon, if not
outright illegal throughout British
Columbia. Beach Driving is restricted on
the beach in White Rock, and not allowed
in Provincial Parks. Members of the
four by four driving community that we
talked to recommend the “Tread Lightly”
code. It’s like the “Pack it in, Pack it
out” philosophy of camping- if you must
drive off-road, leave the landscape in
the same or better condition as you
found it. Responsible driving ensures
that we all will be able to continue
exploring the backcountry. |
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However, if you do find yourself in a place
where beach driving is permitted, such as Long
Beach Peninsula in Washington, where beaches are
considered part of the highway, take a couple of
moments to scout out the terrain. David Blair,
President of Rover-Landers of B.C suggests that
you always check out unknown sand before driving
on it. Wet sand can hide dry spots, and dry sand
is very fast. “There’s nothing like knowing what
you’re getting yourself into before getting
yourself out of it.” he commented.
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When driving on beaches, stay on wet sand, which
is packed, and allows your vehicle to maintain
traction. Dry sand will turn into powder almost
immediately, and be much harder to keep from
sinking. The most important thing is to keep
your wheels from spinning. Spinning wheels means
the vehicle will be sinking faster than you
would like it. When driving in a 4 x 4, you want
to keep the vehicle in the high drive, or for a
standard, in second gear. This will mean that
there will be no torque to cause the wheels to
spin. Also, maintain momentum- don’t stop your
car for anything. You will get the worst wheel
spin when you start the car up, and it will only
take a couple of pumps of the gas to get you in
trouble. |
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So what do you do if you gunned the engine
to get out and are sunk? Well, before things
get to this point, the best thing to do is
to be sensitive to the car’s sinking. You
want to stop before the car is axle deep in
sand. The other important thing is to never
go 4 x 4ing alone- it’s much more fun to go
with a buddy, and you may need his help at
the end of the day to get yourself out of a
tricky situation. |
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Covered in Sand |
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The first thing to try is to put your car or
truck in reverse and try to gently back up
along your tracks, as they provide a
compacted path for your wheels. Another
trick is to rock the car back and forth,
remembering not to spin your wheels, so that
the car compact about 4-6 inches at a time.
Each time you try this, it will compact the
sand a little more, hopefully providing the
stability you need to get out. |
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You can also try deflating your tires down to a
PSI of 13-20 and clearing some of the sand away
from behind the tires or from the underside of
the vehicle. If necessary, lower the psi to 10.
Why deflate them? The softer the sand, the lower
the pressure that is needed. This will give
your tires a bigger area that will allow your
tire to float over the sand, rather than dig
down into it. The more tire rubber you have on
the sand, the more support your tires will have
if one of them gets stuck. You must deflate all
four tires, because the front two create sand
hills that the rear must climb continually |
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If you are still stuck and your tires are down
to the minimum pressure, you will have to resort
to a tow strap, winching or jacking to extricate
yourself. The easiest method is usually by tow
strap, but this relies on your buddy being
present. Make sure that you have secured tow
points to the front and back of your vehicle,
which is where you’ll be attaching your tow
strap for your buddy to pull you out of the mess
you’ve made. If you are by yourself you will
have to resort to winching (if you have one!) or
jacking. |
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Before leaving home, take
along a
shovel, bucket, and a pair of 2x10s. A shovel is
probably all you need because you can use it to
dig away the sand that is between your tires,
by digging a rut in front of at least two, if
not all four tires. You
can also use a bucket to scoop up ocean water
and pour it on the sand. This will harden the
sand and give your tires a bit more friction to
use when digging itself out. Wood planks also
can be used by putting them under a tire or two
for added friction. I remember using this method
to take my family out camping. Click
here to see just
how I was able to do that. |
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Thank you to David Blair, President of
Rover-Landers of British Columbia
for his assistance with this article. To visit
their web-site, click
here. |
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