Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

[samo Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close samo]

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

lindsay stocko is renound for stuff like that, but it was a good effort, 6/10 :wink: cheers samo

[WBY 1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close WBY 1]

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

sheltered parts of dunes are going to be much softer than the parts exposed to the wind, which can bog you down in a similar way to Lindasay's pics. Also when driving on big dunes watch out for those little ledges about a foot high created by the wind. In bright sunshine theyre difficult (sometimes impossible) to see until you go flying off them.

[chester Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close chester]

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

Chesters tip if going to stockton after 2 weeks of rain th puddles at lavis lane are bloody deep

Seriously if you are snatching make sure you put some sort of dampening device in the middle in case a recovery point or shackle lets go

[Schaffer Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Schaffer]

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

Another tip is to remember to keep to the areas designated for driving. We went through the Beachport/Robe area with a club and heard heaps of stories about how they some groups want to close the area down (has been going on for a long time). It would only take a small group to leave the areas we can use and rip up the vegetation and environment which will cause access to these beautiful areas to be restricted or closed.

Another tip is to treat it like a car park in a shopping center. People can come out from everywhere so you need to keep your wits about you.

Final tip. If you have kids with you then you have to stop a few times to let them out to play. After all, isn't "Daddy" just playing in the sand?

[LiveFreeAndRoam Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LiveFreeAndRoam]

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

Another tip is to remember to keep to the areas designated for driving.

That reminded me of an exprerience we had on Moreton Island several years back. There are big fines for driving on dunes or unmarked trails. The books iterate over and over to stay on well marked tracks. So off we go, family loaded and car packet to the hilt. I was following some tracks that ran along the top of the dunes when a national parks officer flags me down. He was not a happy chappy and gave me a blast for driving on the dunes. I was trying to get a word in, but had to wait for him to take a breath as he pulled out his fine book.

You see, we arrived after new year, and their had been an enormous amount of traffic between XMAS and New Year. The tracks we were following looked like they had been there forever, but had only been worn in by the heavy traffic one week earlier. When I finally got to explain my reasoning for following existing tracks and the officer looked up the path, he graciously acknowledged my decision as acceptable and sent us on our way. (BTW, kudos to that officer, who understandably came in very hard-lined. Then when he saw reason and logic, he quickly changed to a friendly persona - that's a rare talent in itself.)

The very next day the officers were installing giant bollards along the top of the dune.

Cheers,
LFaR.

[Schaffer Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Schaffer]

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

Another tip is to remember to keep to the areas designated for driving.

That reminded me of an exprerience we had on Moreton Island several years back. There are big fines for driving on dunes or unmarked trails. The books iterate over and over to stay on well marked tracks. So off we go, family loaded and car packet to the hilt. I was following some tracks that ran along the top of the dunes when a national parks officer flags me down. He was not a happy chappy and gave me a blast for driving on the dunes. I was trying to get a word in, but had to wait for him to take a breath as he pulled out his fine book.

You see, we arrived after new year, and their had been an enormous amount of traffic between XMAS and New Year. The tracks we were following looked like they had been there forever, but had only been worn in by the heavy traffic one week earlier. When I finally got to explain my reasoning for following existing tracks and the officer looked up the path, he graciously acknowledged my decision as acceptable and sent us on our way. (BTW, kudos to that officer, who understandably came in very hard-lined. Then when he saw reason and logic, he quickly changed to a friendly persona - that's a rare talent in itself.)

The very next day the officers were installing giant bollards along the top of the dune.

Cheers,
LFaR.

Good to hear you had a win. Better money in yours than with some ungrateful bastard (not aimed at the officer)

[FlyingBushPig Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close FlyingBushPig]

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

Another tip is to remember to keep to the areas designated for driving. We went through the Beachport/Robe area with a club and heard heaps of stories about how they some groups want to close the area down (has been going on for a long time). It would only take a small group to leave the areas we can use and rip up the vegetation and environment which will cause access to these beautiful areas to be restricted or closed.

As mentioned in my trip report we ended up on the buggy club dunes down there. We followed the main tracks and stayed on the "right" side of the poly pipe fencing stuff and still ended up unknowingly in the wrong place.
Unfortunately this goes a few ways: There were a dozen places with tracks leading straight onto the buggy club property with no signs up to say "Robe Dune buggy club" or even private property. It was only once we'd driven the entire length and gone through a gate that we noticed the sign on the other side of that saying private property! Also, the 4WD maps given out by the info center didn't show the club. The poly fences had been ripped down in countless places, it seems by irresponsible 4WDers...but also hadn't been maintained at all. Unfortunately some had driven all over some dunes in these areas which weren't even worth going on :?

I guess all we can do is lead by example as best we can.

I kind of hope having a sticker of a club (read: PPsticker) helps a bit to show people you're part of a friendly law abiding 4WD community :?:

[iceage7 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close iceage7]

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

buy a good set of floor mats n it does the same thing as max trax. just chuck em under the wheels. tree branches sticks anything.. if all the above fails tak a hot chik sporting a bikini.. if bogged go for a walk and when u come bak ur truck will be free of all problems.. if she is really hot they may hav even given the beast a service!!!

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

buy a good set of floor mats n it does the same thing as max trax. just chuck em under the wheels. tree branches sticks anything.. if all the above fails tak a hot chik sporting a bikini.. if bogged go for a walk and when u come bak ur truck will be free of all problems.. if she is really hot they may hav even given the beast a service!!!

Why would they give the beast a service - I thought you said she was a really hot chick?

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

This one is from a mate of mine who bogged his nissan on a beach up cape york. He had been trying for ages to get out and with the waves just about lapping the back wheels he was resigned to loosing the Pootrol. A couple of local lads rocked up and said for a carton of xxxx they would get him out. They let the tyres down to 4PSI and drove straight out. Personally i reckon he got a rough deal as i am sure a carton of xxxx is worth more than a 3 litre Pootrol :twisted:

Cheers Andrew

[Hutch Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hutch]

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

This one is from a mate of mine who bogged his nissan on a beach up cape york. He had been trying for ages to get out and with the waves just about lapping the back wheels he was resigned to loosing the Pootrol. A couple of local lads rocked up and said for a carton of xxxx they would get him out. They let the tyres down to 4PSI and drove straight out. Personally i reckon he got a rough deal as i am sure a carton of xxxx is worth more than a 3 litre Pootrol :twisted:

Cheers Andrew

Good tip, pressure makes a world of difference in these situations.

[MRW82 Member Find all posts View Profile Close MRW82]

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

heres a tip for if your stuck in soft dry sand. grab a bucket (kids toy bucket comes in handy, or whatever you can find) and fill it with water, you're at the ocean so there'll be plenty around. wet the sand around your tyres to help compact it and it will go a long way to helping you to get out.


ALWAYS CARRY A TYRE GAUGE. I got caught in my dads cruiser on karratha sand on a 40* day (mild day for karratha), had no tyre gauge so didn't know what pressure the tyres were going down to and the servo was quite a drive away, really didn't want to let out any more then we had to. when we got to a servo to reinflate them they were still on 36psi, no wonder we were having a hard time getting off the sand!!!
another tip, have a pair of shoes in the car, thongs just don't cut it in hot sand.

[Frozz Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Frozz]

Beach Driving 150

Great Advise, I can add turn off traction control and stabilizer control in the Prado150 models as that will help you get stuck.

[Mule Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mule]

All good reading, just add my voice to avoid driving up the top of the beach in the zone where you get the start of vegetation where all the birds and critters roost and breed.

Also interested in views re using diff locks in the sand, I think they are great up to the point where you start to get stuck then possibly dig you in even further, interested on others views re to use or not lockers in soft deep steep sand?