Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

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

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

Awesome information people, keep it flowing in !!

Question ? Manual Diesel, what gear for cruising on beach and what ratio, HL or LL ?

Excellent ideas, so impressed !

Use AWD first (ie unlocked). HL if it's especially soft. LL only when you really need it - which is not very often for most sand driving.

LFaR.

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

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

Based on 1 days instruction/experimentation:

Diesel Manual:

On the sand, driving about: HL 1,2,3 depending on conditions and speed.

Tackling soft stuff and dunes: Low range 3rd, or High Range 1st (they're about the same ratio)

[bevwone Member Find all posts View Profile Close bevwone]

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

Perform u-turns by doing as wide an arc as possible and turn towards the water (ie downhill)
Expect the surface to change suddenly and without warning;
Especially in Northern Australia - keep an eye on tides and tidal crossings you may have to make to get back off the beach.

Almost learnt this lesson the hard way at a beach near Dundee Beach in the NT.

[Gingerbeer Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gingerbeer]

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

When at the soft or churned up beach entry and exits. keep the momentum up , but not too gung ho.(the beer will froth up) Always anticipate that the fellow in front will get bogged and let him clear before hitting the entry/exit. Do not try to do sharp turns, keep wheels generally straight. Some camp areas can have the soft stuff in the entry track for several metres into the camp area, keep up momentum. A bad sand track will not have a flat bottom in the wheel track, it will be a "V" , of soft and very loose sand. In this case , select your gear, HL1st or 2/3 LL, auto can be in 2nd start mode, low range,and keep revs and momemtum up, do not change gear.

If you bog and are snatched out by a good samaritan ( like a PP'er) it is worth a carton (maybe only a dozen if they are Corona's )

The importance of driving slow past parked trucks cannot be overstated. I very nearly lost a 7 yr old (at the time) son due to him not looking , and a stupid young prick hammering down the beach. :evil:

We are so lucky to be able to drive on the beaches

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

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

I can't be sure about this one as I haven't tried it yet...but,

I saw a sand driving training vid a while back and it showed how to get out of ruts without causing possible rollover etc.

Make a quick turn, say from 2 o'clock to 12 o'clock then as soon as your front wheels start to dig into the side of the rut, bring it back to 2 o'clock (this is for a LH turn). The vehicle will just "pop" out without giving enough time for the weight of the vehicle to end up on that one front RHS wheel, which is wanting to dig in and cause a rollover.

Seems logical enough and it worked well on the vid but it's amazing how many times I see shots of wheels dug in far more than they need to be for this purpose.
As mentioned, I haven't had a chance to try it (not much coast driving here in Vic) but may give it a go at easter either at Robe in S.A. (is this a good idea at this time of year??) or in little desert or something similar.

Might also try the budget Maxtrax a go (milk crates cut and zip tied together) .

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

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

On the beach the harder sand normally is on the edge of the wet stuff and a bit further down. Just think when you walk or run on it where you would rather be. Walk on it first and dig your heels in, they will tell you.

Correct air pressure is a must. When you do air down you must go slower cause you can and will run the tyre off the bead if things go bad.

The sharper you turn the wheel the more it will bog into the sand.

Best to drive along the beach on the outgoing tide so you have all day to panic when you do a mistake. :shock:

In the softer sand, from the middle of the day to late it is hottest and softest. Early morning you wouldn't even notice. Middle of the day you get stuck. ops:

If you are in NQ or FNQ watch out for wildlife like crocs, pigs, turtles, etc. I spose the southeners have people instead - and dingoes on Fraser.

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

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

I can't be sure about this one as I haven't tried it yet...but,
I saw a sand driving training vid a while back and it showed how to get out of ruts without causing possible rollover etc.

I saw the same video. I tested the technique on the Bribie Island inland tracks and it worked most of the time on the very first attempt.

LFaR.

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

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

Our family, and a couple of others, are off to Robe next weekend to do the Beachport to Robe run, so I will watch this thread closely and hopefully get some useful tips. This will be our first offroad adventure in our recently aquired Prado.

I plan to take plenty of photos and post a trip report on our return.

Cam

A sand flag and UHF radio are a must for this trip. You will be leaving the beach and driving through the scrubby dunes quite often, so a flag lets everyone know where you are, and a radio for calling your mates up when you are clear.

You will probably see other people coming the other way along the tracks, so stay alert.

Have a top trip, look forward to some pics

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

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

I've seen tips for manual drivers, but for autos I found it really easy to drive the car like a manual. I drove most of the time in 2nd gear, that way you can drive in the turbo range if need be without the auto changing gear on you and losing power.

Also, if you have a 2nd start button, learn how to use it.

[rhs58 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rhs58]

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

If you need to be snatched out, use your own snatch strap (or at least offer).
Brother-in-law had the misfortune to ruin his strap snatching a poorly prepared git out of the sand, and all he got for the inconvenience was a wave from the git as he drove off into the distance.

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

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

If you need to be snatched out, use your own snatch strap (or at least offer).
Brother-in-law had the misfortune to ruin his strap snatching a poorly prepared git out of the sand, and all he got for the inconvenience was a wave from the git as he drove off into the distance.

That sucks!! I think its only fair that no one is recovered unless they supply their own gear. I know my club stipulates that recovery gear is the responsibility of each vehicle.

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

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

Find what tyre pressure suits your rig on the sand by seeing if it "floats" - lift off the gas at about 15 - 20km/hr and see if the car continues to roll forward and come to a gentle stop or does it stop more rapidly and start to dig in. If it digs in - lower the pressure another 5psi and try again. My Prado likes 18 - 20psi and floats beautifully.

Drive in the wheel ruts left by previous vehicles.

When doing a u-turn commence your turn from the upper side of the beach and turn down towards the water. This way you use gravity to maintain your momentum.

Don't brake suddenly, use the gears and coast to a halt. Reverse back along your tracks for 10 metres or so to build a hardened launch ramp to make take off easier on your car.

Get a tide chart and time your runs to avoid the changing tide. Most GPS have built in tide timings.

Watch out for wave cliffs in the sand.

Be aware of king waves that appear out of "no where" and can swamp your car or even drag it into the ocean.

Watch out for the shimmer that signals quick-sand like conditions near where rivers/streams meet the ocean, especially those near where the waterway has silted up.

Don't drive alone without recovery gear onto beaches such as 90 Mile Beach north of Port Hedland unless you are prepared to fork out $500 for the local fella to drag you out with his tractor.

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

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

Watch out for hazards at creek crossings :shock:

[rhs58 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rhs58]

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

[quote="lofty
That sucks!! I think its only fair that no one is recovered unless they supply their own gear. I know my club stipulates that recovery gear is the responsibility of each vehicle.[/quote]

I had to use my own gear also to rescue a bunch of backpackers blocking a track on Fraser Isl - after letting their tires down to 15 psi (from 40!), showing them where the could find low range (at least they had it in 4wd and hubs locked!), digging and snatching them out, and sending them on their way, so that we and many others stuck behind could get on our ways.
These backpackers had no f@#$%ing idea - We found them sitting beside their car playing sandcastles. Hadn't even tried pushing! And would you believe we had to do all the work while they watched!
And I'm told the 4wd hire companies tell them not to reduce the air pressure in the tyres!!
Unbloodybelievable!

[Lindsay & Linda Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lindsay & Linda]

Re: Beach Driving - Tips and Tricks for all Levels

My tip would be watch out for holes after a few days of heavy rain! This was this mornings effort, fortunately I didn't drive off the steep part of the hole and was only doing about 20km/hr at the time. The left hand side was however close enough to the edge to drag the prado down the hill to the bottom.





After some digging and some help from a friendly nissan driver we were soon on our way again. Luckly for us I had fitted the rated front recovery points during the week, and yes I did have my own snatch strap!

Cheers
Lindsay