Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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split roads and airing down
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.
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Frank
Senior Nomad
Posts: 861
Registered: 6-5-2005
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Is it time to leave yet?
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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
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
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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!!
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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pokey
Nomad
Posts: 199
Registered: 5-20-2005
Location: ensenada
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Mood: sun burned
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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.
Keep Mexico weird
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baitcast
Super Nomad
Posts: 1785
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: kingman AZ.
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Mood: good
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Problems
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 
BAITCAST
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15937
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
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| 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.
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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."
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Frank
Senior Nomad
Posts: 861
Registered: 6-5-2005
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Is it time to leave yet?
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| Quote: |
unless, of course your rig is equipped with a clutch...
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Dont you have a 3 third leg? 
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15937
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
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| Quote: |
Dont you have a 3 third leg?
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oh frank, of course!!! but i've only learned to use two at a time
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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call me weird
| 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
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.
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4459
Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
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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)
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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baitcast
Super Nomad
Posts: 1785
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: kingman AZ.
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Mood: good
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I can Relate
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 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
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
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4459
Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
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It's an inborn thing in some of us - testing nature and cherishing our wins. Good work!!
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15937
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
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JOE - you're 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;
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Your life becomes a sleepwalking experience.
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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...
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mcgyver
Nomad
Posts: 444
Registered: 8-22-2003
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Spark Plug Pump
| 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)
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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.
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4459
Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
Member Is Offline
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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.
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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