BajaNomad

split roads and airing down

Skipjack Joe - 7-22-2005 at 08:52 PM

The thermometer showed over 110 degrees this summer when we stopped at Cocos for refreshments. We made a right at the fork in the road on continued to Calamajue. At the Calamajue plain I decided to take a split road to make it easier on our truck's suspension system.

Alex was against this. He kept insisting that we cross the desert and make it back to the main road. Our road got steadily worse and our vehicle lost traction on larger and larger sections of the road. I finally turned off the road and headed across open desert for the graded road. The desert looked so hard packed. Slowly I started to lose traction and we came to a stop with the right rear wheel spinning.

What to do? We were about 200 yds from the graded road and hadn't seen a car the whole time (none did pass that day, as it later turned out). I panicked. I cursed. I used all those words I told Alex never to use. We had plenty of liquids so I wasn't too worried. And then I thought about a bajanomad post I had read 4 months earlier (which is why I am writing this post).

It said:

I HAVE ALWAYS MANAGED TO FREE MYSELF FROM EVERY SITUATION BY AIRING DOWN THE TIRES.

I don't remember who wrote it but it stuck in my brain and I decided there was nothing to lose anyway. I started digging trails behind the rear wheels and I aired down the troublesome wheel from 50psi to about 15. The ground was so hot I couldn't kneel down without burning myself. I worked in brief spurts during this whole affair. Finally, I got in the truck, put her in reverse and, lo and behold, she just came out as easy as can be. It was almost miraculous.

After recovering the truck, boat, and trailer to the split road I rummaged through the back and found the compressor I had bought 10 years ago and had never used. It worked fine, but at 40psi it started smoking and produced a high whining sound that alarmed me. The air temperature had been so hot that the compressor had managed to melt it's plastic housing.

As we continued on the main road to Calamajue I thought about why airing down the tires worked so well. I don't think that the additional surface area created by the bulging tires can fully explain all the added traction gained. I think that the new shape of the tire generates better gripping power. Instead of having vertical tires that meet the road only at the very bottom I think the gradual roundness of the tire allows it to grab the sand from below and partly from the side of the tire.

A couple of weeks later I had difficulty pulling my boat on wheels across the sand when I noticed that one of the tires was real low on air. After I pumped it up the ease with which the boat could be pulled was remarkable. Another example, to my way of thinking, about how much friction a low pressured tire has on a surface over a full tire.

Don't have any pictures of this episode except of this one at the stopover. They asked me for a donation but I didn't have a clean pair.

Frank - 7-22-2005 at 09:17 PM

One more trick. Most vehicles have "open" differentials, usually only 1 tire has power to it. The tire that loses traction is the one that gets the power, you found this out first hand. Its more complicated then that, but thats enough info to learn the trick.
When your stuck, and only 1 tire spins, stop. Press down on the brake, push just enough to stop the wheel from spinning when you give it gas. This tricks the rear end{differential} into thinking that both tires have equal traction, so they will get equal power. Give it more gas to over power the brake, both tires should have power. It wont always get you out of a bind but, stick in your memory anyways. Frank

bajalou - 7-23-2005 at 08:36 AM

Try to remember to air down as SOON as you start to spin (or before). You don't want to wait till you have dug a big hole that you have to dig out of. At the FIRST sign of spinning - let it out!!

pokey - 7-23-2005 at 08:45 AM

Frank that is some great info man.... I'm gonna give that a try next time I'm wondering how to get out of an arroyo.

Problems

baitcast - 7-23-2005 at 10:45 AM

Joe first it was getting stuck in the wastelands then engine problems,what else?....I remember my first trip to Gonzaga I was in a sand trap up to my hips and my first wife looked up and saw several vultures overhead and quietly asked me "do we have plently of water"why I asked " well she said they are starting to gather already :O
BAITCAST

woody with a view - 7-23-2005 at 02:08 PM

Quote:

Press down on the brake, push just enough to stop the wheel from spinning when you give it gas. This tricks the rear end{differential} into thinking that both tires have equal traction, so they will get equal power. Give it more gas to over power the brake, both tires should have power.



unless, of course your rig is equipped with a clutch...nonetheless, great bit of info. last time down i got stuck almost to the axle. being sufficiently hydrated with pacifico's i jumped right out and let the air down to about 10 in both rear tires and rolled right back out. the guy and his girl who were in the back just shook their heads saying, "man, that sure saved us alot of digging.":wow:

Frank - 7-23-2005 at 04:31 PM

Quote:

unless, of course your rig is equipped with a clutch...
Dont you have a 3 third leg? :biggrin:

woody with a view - 7-23-2005 at 05:24 PM

Quote:

Dont you have a 3 third leg?



oh frank, of course!!! but i've only learned to use two at a time:light:

call me weird

Skipjack Joe - 7-24-2005 at 10:03 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by baitcast
Joe first it was getting stuck in the wastelands then engine problems,what else?....I remember my first trip to Gonzaga I was in a sand trap up to my hips and my first wife looked up and saw several vultures overhead and quietly asked me "do we have plently of water"why I asked " well she said they are starting to gather already :O
BAITCAST


Call me weird, sick, or whatever, but it's these misfortunes that make a trip for me. Years from now it won't be the great fishing I will remember. It will be the unbelievable heat (more on that later) and this road calamity.

Baitcast, you yourself have talked several times about your problems at Gonzaga so I know they have made a lifelong impression on you.

YesterdayI thought about this adventure and realized that may have been the first time I got out on my own. Usually it's someone with a towrope that bails me out. Towing a 3/4 ton truck isn't as simple as the old VW camper I had before.

OK, time to get philosophical.

The problem with our modern existence is that things go TOO smoothly. Our lives in the modern world are so efficient that the unexpected rarely happens. Insurance for everything takes all the worry out. Triple A shows up with a cell phone call from the freeway. Twelve lane freeways without a bump from the border to SF.

Your life becomes a sleepwalking experience.

Then you come to baja and bury your wheels in 110 heat without a soul in sight. Your anxiety level shoots through the roof. Your sphincter muscle tightens to the point of making a German envious. You're faced with having to figure out how to get out of an unexpected situation. Now you are really living.

At Calamajue it took me half a day to figure out how to launch that boat. I had to find the right section of beach with firm ground close to the water. It required a system of ropes and launching wheels to get it up and down that incline. In the states you just drive down the ramp and it's over. Call me weird, but I like the challenge of a more primitive world.

bajalou - 7-24-2005 at 10:15 AM

Being prepared is 90% of having a sucessful trip. And much of that preperation is the reading - like you did on this board - of ways to help yourself. I have several of the $20 12V air pumps - one in each vehicle I drive. But when I head out to the backwoods alone, I have a pump that replaces a sparkplug to inflate my tires with. They were popular years ago before the 12V models. work great and won't burn up in the heat of the desert and inflating a couple of big tires. Don't know where you could find one new these days but must still be some around. Also It's good to read up on getting water from the sand of the desert - might save your life if you have a really big problem. (Hint - piece of black plastic and a cup)

:cool:

I can Relate

baitcast - 7-24-2005 at 11:49 AM

JOE..........What to do? A guy has to use a little ingenuity,like the time we just could not that last hill,three runs at and no soap,the real problem was backing down for another run:O What to do?........I was a real newbie at this sort of thing.
So while sitting at the bottom,I got the idea,reduce the weight of the rig,by this time my wife wanted to go home,so I suggested that she and the kids and my buddy walk up something she wanted to do anyway and I,ll try one more time.
I waited for them to make it up half way to the top and I started,foot to the floor and holding my breath,as I passed them everyone cheered,damn if I didn,t make it,felt like rocky on top of that hill:biggrin:
Yes JOE that whole trip was wonderful,my kids speak of it often,I felt like Daniel Boone
I can relate,we speak of the trip more than the fishing.
BAITCAST

bajalou - 7-24-2005 at 12:32 PM

It's an inborn thing in some of us - testing nature and cherishing our wins. Good work!!

:)

JOE - you're WEIRD!!!

woody with a view - 7-24-2005 at 04:53 PM

Quote:

Call me weird




welcome to the club.

BTW, i can totally relate to your post. it takes a strong person to accept the reality that this might be the last mistake you ever make, only to cheat death once again and drive off smug and ready to overcome the next challenge life throws at you.

after all, as you said;
Quote:

Your life becomes a sleepwalking experience.


problem is, most people never realize they're dreaming until it comes to the point of no return - and they wish they were dreaming!

good on ya...

Spark Plug Pump

mcgyver - 7-24-2005 at 06:03 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajalou
Being prepared is 90% of having a sucessful trip. And much of that preperation is the reading - like you did on this board - of ways to help yourself. I have several of the $20 12V air pumps - one in each vehicle I drive. But when I head out to the backwoods alone, I have a pump that replaces a sparkplug to inflate my tires with. They were popular years ago before the 12V models. work great and won't burn up in the heat of the desert and inflating a couple of big tires. Don't know where you could find one new these days but must still be some around. Also It's good to read up on getting water from the sand of the desert - might save your life if you have a really big problem. (Hint - piece of black plastic and a cup)

:cool:
Lou, You can still buy those at J.C. Whitney. Mine came with 4 sizes of adapter , slow but sure. For faster and bigger I carry a Black & Decker 110 volt compressor ans a 1000 watt inverter.

bajalou - 7-24-2005 at 07:12 PM

Thanks for the tip Mcgyver. Don't think I need another one right now but great to know. The reliability is what I like. The 110 ones are great also. My cheapo 12V work Ok most of the time, the other is the backup.

I was just wondering about you yesterday - hadn't seen a post in a while.

:biggrin: