BajaNomad - Stuck in the sand

Stuck in the sand

wilderone - 12-3-2010 at 10:10 AM

As long as I’ve got the scanner out (actually, just delaying my yard work) …
Got stuck in the sand in the El Cardon area northeast of El Rosario (so what else is new)

Had a visitor while digging out (he wasn’t much help)

The aftermath. What a morning.

sanquintinsince73 - 12-3-2010 at 10:18 AM

What happened to the snake??

durrelllrobert - 12-3-2010 at 10:26 AM

easier to carry a spark plug wrench, remove the plugs (get rid of compression) put it in low gear and use the starter motor to pull you out of the sand :coolup:

DENNIS - 12-3-2010 at 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by durrelllrobert
easier to carry a spark plug wrench, remove the plugs (get rid of compression) put it in low gear and use the starter motor to pull you out of the sand :coolup:

Sounds like a lot of strain on that starter, but whatever works.

vandenberg - 12-3-2010 at 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by durrelllrobert
easier to carry a spark plug wrench, remove the plugs (get rid of compression) put it in low gear and use the starter motor to pull you out of the sand :coolup:

Never heard of that before.... and have difficulty figuring out why that would make a difference from using engine power??

Nice looking rattler btw. :biggrin:

wilderone - 12-3-2010 at 10:48 AM

"What happened to the snake"

I was working on the other side, so I ignored it. I'd check now and then, and it didn't seem bothered by my activity. I let it alone. I'd have to take a break every 20 minutes or so because the temp was at least 100. One time, after a break, I noticed it was gone. When I first saw it, I was approaching the car and a movement caught my eye - it was bobbing and weaving - may have been ready to strike.

vandenberg - 12-3-2010 at 10:50 AM

In both pictures it's coiled like ready to strike.
Pays to stay out of range. :biggrin:

David K - 12-3-2010 at 11:07 AM

To get unstuck, just let air out of the tires.

If you spun your tires while stuck... (which only makes it worse) then clear away built up sand to allow the car to roll away from that point without a 'block' of sand in front of the tires.

Have a good tire gauge and electric air pump to refill once you are unstuck.

Lowering to 15 or even 10 psi to get unstuck (all 4 tires, even if 2WD) will work.

motoged - 12-3-2010 at 12:58 PM

Rattlers can strike a distance of 30-50% of their body length...stay 3 feet or more away and you tend to be out of the strike zone.

Me??? I am afraid of snakes and get the heebeejeebees around them.. Killed a rattler once for the skin (ate some of it for the experience....did NOT taste like chicken, but a similar texture).

Quote:

Originally posted by vandenberg
In both pictures it's coiled like ready to strike.
Pays to stay out of range. :biggrin:

durrelllrobert - 12-3-2010 at 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by vandenberg

Never heard of that before.... and have difficulty figuring out why that would make a difference from using engine power??

Slow tire rotationin combination with low tire pressure if necessary) is best way to pull out of sand when stuck. If the gear ratio of first gear in the tranny is 4:1 and the gear ratio of the rearend is also 4:1 then the overall gear ratio is 4 x 4 = 16 and with the engine is idleing at 500 RPM then the tires are trying to spin at about 31 RPM (500/16).

Because the armature within the starter motor turns at around 12,000 RPM but armature to output gear ratio is about ratio of 5:1 (5 turns of the armature to 1 turn of the output gear and because the typical reduction gear ratio of the starter drive to the flywheel is close to 16:1;(sixteen turns of the starter drive to one rotation of the flywheel) the overall gear reduction is 5 x 16 = 80:1 (eighty turns of the armature to one rotation of the flywhee)l. Therefore the starter motor turns the engine crankshaft at 150 RPM (12,000 /80). Using the same tranny and differential gear ratio =16 the tires are ony trying to spin about 9 RPM (150/16).

[Edited on 12-3-2010 by durrelllrobert]

Barry A. - 12-3-2010 at 01:31 PM

D-robert----------yes, that works, but David K's advice is a lot simpler, and is almost guaranteed to work, if you have not buried the tires in the sand.

Since my job in the desert required me to drive all over the boonies, and I was stuck numerous times in the sand, the "low tire pressure" trick has ALWAYS worked for me. I am not saying that you cannot get so stuck that it will always work, but if you follow David's advice, keep your tires straight, and do not bury your drive-tires, you will get out with low pressure almost always unless trying to climb a sand dune, or something similar.

That is a BIG rattler!!!!

Barry

Cypress - 12-3-2010 at 01:48 PM

Yea, that's a real healthy looking rattler.

ELINVESTIG8R - 12-3-2010 at 08:36 PM

I'd like to hug it and kiss it and love it... :lol:

mulegemichael - 12-3-2010 at 09:20 PM

....and EVERYTIME i've eaten rattlers, it's tasted like chicken...you must have gotten a bad on robert.

vgabndo - 12-3-2010 at 11:24 PM

The picture might be deceptive, but how the heck did you get stuck THERE. :?:

wilderone - 12-4-2010 at 12:20 AM

"...how the heck did you get stuck THERE?"

As this road progresses to Mesa el Cardonal (not El Cardon as I stated before), you need to cross a river bed that is solid river rock, then climb out of that into deep sand with turns, until you finally get to the mesa which is packed dirt. I had walked it and was pretty certain I wouldn't be able to get through that sand. So I decided to camp right off the road before the rock river bed, backed into this spot to get off the road and immediately my back wheels sank into some very loose sand. I later realized this was sand that had overflowed the banks of the river at one time, and hadn't had time to compress. This was during the first El Rosario Festival, which I missed entirely, but hiked for miles all over the mesa.

CortezBlue - 12-4-2010 at 03:16 AM

Holly crap
Living in the desert in AZ, I see rattlers quite often, but that was impressive. If I was there it would have been in the freezer awaiting my friend to process the skin to add to my collection

And yes, it is now illegal to kill rattlers in AZ. It seems after the diamond backs became a mlb team many were killing the snakes and making baseballs with diamond back skins.

David K - 12-4-2010 at 06:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CortezBlue
Holly crap
Living in the desert in AZ, I see rattlers quite often, but that was impressive. If I was there it would have been in the freezer awaiting my friend to process the skin to add to my collection

And yes, it is now illegal to kill rattlers in AZ. It seems after the diamond backs became a mlb team many were killing the snakes and making baseballs with diamond back skins.

So a rattler can kill you... but you can't kill it???

So much for a government 'for the people'!

racheldarlin - 12-4-2010 at 07:49 AM

All offroad Nomads checkout "sandmats.com." I do not leave the road without them. (Usually used for the people who do not deflate."

David K - 12-4-2010 at 09:48 AM

In this photo taken last summer... I had my tires at street pressure (32 psi + heat buildup to maybe 37 psi) and drove across the deep dry sand and onto the sloping beach as it was low tide, wet sand is easier to drive than is dry sand.

Now the new Tacoma has TRAC or Traction Control (limited slip) and I actually drove easily without deflating last New Years in 4WD with TRAC... First time I could do that... Previous Tacomas were open differentials and no TRAC... and I had to deflate.

This past summer, with the heat plus a heavier load in the truck the truck started digging in and sliding towards the water! I even tried the A-TRAC (a low range traction enhancement that simulates the affect of front and rear lockers) but it was just wanting to dig in and in sand you want to FLOAT on top!

I stopped, dropped the air to 15 psi, and drove on with ease... I circled back to take this photo of the what a world of difference lowering the air pressure makes in the sand...

I was looking at this some more and realized it showed something else pretty special. Normal 4WD would have one tire (mostly) in front and one in the rear spinning in the sand once forward motion came to a near stop.

In the photo, you can see where all 4 tires (before deflating) were digging in equally, which is what you get with front and rear lockers... Toyota calls this system A-TRAC (Active Traction Control). Ken was asking about it earlier. In sand like this, deflating is even better than lockers or A-TRAC.

[Edited on 12-6-2010 by David K]

dtbushpilot - 12-4-2010 at 10:17 AM

That's a great visual of the difference DK, thanks.....dt

wilderone - 12-4-2010 at 10:29 AM

"A sand mat is useful only for the time it is under your tire... "

I think it would be very useful in many situations, considering the various factors involved. Sand mats would be another tool available for the occasion when it's required, like a shovel. In my case, I realized I needed more traction for the front tires to pull me out (had it in low 4WD), rather than fix the rear problem. After I built a traction "ramp" for the front tires, I was able to power it out fairly easily. I don't think the R rear ever got enough traction. The sand mats would have given me 4 ft. of instant traction. hmmmm 1/2" polyethelene with 1/4" bolts screwed in. I found another site where a person inquired about aluminum "mats". I think you could make your own using the same bolts through a strong, flexible material design. I've been stuck in the sand many times (other people driving - really!), and hasn't ever been a disaster - just part of the trip. I would have been out much sooner had it not been so hot, had more sticks and traction materials available (the smooth river rock only made the tires spin against them), and had another person to help. Live and learn.

watizname - 12-4-2010 at 10:35 AM

That picture is certainly worth a thousand words

motoged - 12-4-2010 at 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
So a rattler can kill you... but you can't kill it???

So much for a government 'for the people'!

David, David, David......tsk, tsk !!

That is "Government for the snakes"....

"Although snakes are widely feared, fewer than half a dozen deaths occur per year in the United States after snakebite. Lightning kills more people in the United States than snakes do. However, serious injury and disability can result from a snakebite, such as the loss of a finger or the loss of function at a joint."

# Approximately 8,000 people a year receive venomous snakebites in the U.S., 9-15 victims die. (FDA)
# 25% of adult rattlesnake bites are dry, with no venom injected.

http://lomalindahealth.org/medical-center/our-services/emerg...

http://www.desertusa.com/mag98/mar/stories/rattlesin.html

[Edited on 12-4-2010 by motoged]http://lomalindahealth.org/medical-center/our-services/emergency/programs-and-divisions/venom-er/resources/when-snakes-strike.page

[Edited on 12-4-2010 by motoged]

Barry A. - 12-4-2010 at 12:06 PM

How about BROWN RECLUSE and BLACK WIDOWS------should "we" protect them too??? perhaps reintroduce them to areas where they are seldom seen???? They are part of "nature" you know. (on and on and on and on)

I will kill any animal that poses a serious threat to people, like these known dangerous animals in areas of human habitation or large use. Animals in the real wild are a different matter------so I leave them alone, and give them a wide berth.

It is just a matter of priorities, I guess. As a Ranger I just have seen too many horrible results of people vs dangerous animals, mostly as a result of people just not realizing the danger they put themselves in, and refusing to believe any warnings.

We used to move rattlers rather than kill them, but we found out that snakes bruise so easily that we were during fatal harm to them in the catching process, more often than not, so we seldom moved snakes out of areas anymore-----just dispatch them.

Barry

motoged - 12-4-2010 at 12:17 PM

Darwinian.....

Quote:

Originally posted by Barry A.
.... As a Ranger I just have seen too many horrible results of people vs dangerous animals, mostly as a result of people just not realizing the danger they put themselves in, and refusing to believe any warnings.Barry

Barry A. - 12-4-2010 at 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by motoged
Darwinian.....

Quote:

the reality of that word has NOT escaped me, believe me. :light:

Barry

David K - 12-4-2010 at 01:32 PM

Getting bit by a rattlesnake in Borrego Springs or Escondido is not the same as getting bit by one in central Baja... no cell phones, helicopter medivac, then add being stuck in sand so you can't drive yourself out, if you could...

Of course, I am not one to talk when this photo of my 12 year old daughter made the Discover Baja magazine in 2003! :lol:

(the Red Diamondback was unharmed, and went on his merry way after the photo shoot!)

BajaBlanca - 12-4-2010 at 03:52 PM

what an amazing photo - and your daughter's smile is precious. Can't say I wd be able to pose for the picture myself

Brian L - 12-4-2010 at 05:01 PM

Great picture!

Are you sure the stick wasn't harmed? Hmmmm??

mojo_norte - 12-4-2010 at 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cypress
Yea, that's a real healthy looking rattler.

Beautiful snake - good for you for letting it be.

vgabndo - 12-4-2010 at 07:32 PM

I would venture to guess that more people are trampled to death by humans than are killed by rattlesnakes each year.
The real danger to humans on this planet is NOT wild animals; it is one of the self conscious mammals. The human animal. With the intelligence to create fiendish weapons, but without the reason to control their use. We're the champions of intraspecies violence where the victim is not considered food. I believe our closest relative is known to murder, but I believe there is also a use of the corpse for food.

Rattleshakes are cool if for no other reason than that they let us feel how our bodies have evolved to respond the the snakes warning. The suddenly racing heart, the goose bumps, the clamminess, all occur almost before the mind can consciously identify the threat or even see it.

If you already know rattlesnakes, the proximity, and position can in another milisecond add pounding kidneys as the adreneline hits. I haven't had to kill one for a long time.

In retrospect I always enjoy my encounters (so far) as stimulating and educational.

[Edited on 12-5-2010 by vgabndo]

Barry A. - 12-4-2010 at 08:50 PM

I have been bitten 3 times by rattlesnakes, all 3 while on the job-----thank God each time I was wearing high logger-type boots, and they did not reach my skin. All three times was in high grass in the San Diego back Country. No warning at all-------just bang, they got me.

I don like them sneaky critters-------and adrenalin surges make me deathly ill---always have.

Barry

Neal Johns - 12-4-2010 at 10:12 PM

I'm an air down guy, but here is a hot tip from an old miner (now deceased) at Kingston Spring, CA for sandmat users:

Tie a 10 ft. rope to the sandmat from your bumper and drag it as far as necessary to get to a firm spot after the vehicle gets moving.

Don't stop 'til you get to the firm spot! :lol:

David K - 12-4-2010 at 11:13 PM

I am trying to visualize that Neal...? Photos please

Skipjack Joe - 12-4-2010 at 11:29 PM

Neal,

That reminds me of one of Baron Munchausen's episodes.

Somehow he ends up on horseback sinking in a bog of quicksand with no help in sight. At the last possible moment he grabs his own hair with his right hand and is able to lift both himself and his horse to safety.

racheldarlin - 12-5-2010 at 08:43 AM

The sand mat is a self recovery tool i.e. helps if you get stuck. I carry them but have never used them except to help someone else get unstuck. I alway air down when going off paved or well graded road. That is what I meant to say in my original post and I'm sticking to it.

Geo_Skip - 12-5-2010 at 10:10 AM

Thanks David K for the pic and story. If the snake was not near your tent...and no threat... release is the honorable act!

Tire Pressure Information

bajalou - 12-5-2010 at 10:26 AM

From Extreme 4X4 Trails

Please visit our Sponsor, CLICK on the Banner above

Letting the Hot Air Out of Tire Talk
Tire Pressures for 4-Wheeling

by Harry Lewellyn
Experiences Playing in the Sand

I guess I should cut those reluctant to lower their tires down to sand pressure a little slack. My first time onto the beach in San Felipe, Baja, I did the air pressure trick, with a little unwillingness, and wasn’t sure it was really necessary. Then, over the next three or four years, I would first tackle the mellow white stuff at full street pressure and when all my power, skill and finesse failed, I would let ‘em down and move ‘em out. Me, low range and low gear, would struggle along at a whole five MPH. Deflation they defied resistance as I sailed along in high range, OD, at whatever speed I chose! Time and again, year after year, I tested the softies with the same undeniable results. Low tire pressure just plain works in the sand!
What Affects Optimum Sand Tire Pressure

Optimum sand tire pressure is a combination of many things, of which old husband's tales are least productive. However, your tires, their construction methods and materials, what your car weighs, how it is loaded, and wheel width all play into the sand-pressure tire formula with predictable results. For this article, I will neglect tire temperature which I suppose could be critical if you test below freezing and play at +80°. Why low pressure works and how to determine your best sand pressure follows.
Why Low Pressure Works

It’s a simple fact, which some diehards still deny, the bigger the footprint, the softer the stuff you can travel. Mother Nature knows it. Take a look at the feet of camels, polar bears and marsh birds. They are big and spread out to distribute their weight over a larger surface area. For those who say skinny, hard tires are better for snow, mud or whatever, please tell me why they don’t use ten-speed bicycle-type tires on snowmobiles? Sand rail people and mud boggers know big feet work better too! With that out of the way, lets take a look at tire pressure and footprints.
Tire Pressure and Footprints

Right next to your wheel, on the tire, find the small black print that specifies maximum load pressure. For example, my BFGoodrich Radial All-Terrain T/A 30x9.50R15LTs state 1990 pounds at 50 pounds per square inch (PSI) cold. Most folks, generally including those who install tires, run them up close to this, and neglect the actual term, "MAX. LOAD" pressure. The street pressure, TREAD FOOTPRINT figure below represents Coyote assessed over inflation.

Do you really need maximum load pressure?

Consider that standing flat and level (static), loaded the way you normally run is one thing. Now further consider you lose full tread width contact as the 4X cruises at higher and higher speeds. Centrifugal force tries to increase the diameter of the tread. You only have to look at dragster tires when they light 'em up to convince yourself of this tire reality. The sidewalls tend to hold the outer edges closer to their static diameter than the center of the tread and hence the center of the tread spins into an ever increasing diameter with increased speed. In other words, while moving at highway speeds, the tire is trying to run more on the center of the tread than the edge. That’s why I feel my full width, static contact test (described below) is conservative. My tire life and wear pattern prove putting more rubber on the ground increases longevity.
Full tread width contact, street pressure

Since this article deals with sand tire pressure, see a back issue of Ecological 4-Wheeling for full details on how to safely determine your exact, full tread width contact, street pressure. Summarizing Tire Pressure, April, 1990 4-Wheeling, you don’t want to overheat the tire and should only be able to slip a business card under the outside and inside edges of the tread less than 1/4 inch. Reprints of past 4-Wheeling articles available for $4.00 each.

Follow along with some arithmetic that scopes in the same results. Four tires times 2000 pounds each (1990 MAX. LOAD rounded up to simplify math) equals 8000 pounds total (tire) load capacity. My Explorer weighs 4000 (3800 rounded up), or half the maximum capacity of all four tires combined. That roughly says half the pressure should yield ample load capacity.

As a result of both methods above, I run 26 PSI, night and day, seven days a week, and typically get 60,000 to 80,000 miles out of a set of BFG T/As, including sand runs at much lower pressure. I trust this information will add practicality to determining your street pressure and encourage you to accept overall lower tire pressure. No figure is shown for the increase in street pressure footprint, but it should approach full tread width.
Optimum Sand Pressure

To determine your optimum sand pressure, perform the following test on a flat, level and smooth surface, fully loaded as you would be for a sand run (gas tank and passengers included). Measure the vertical height to the bottom of the wheel (rim) from the ground. This is your 100%, street pressure, wheel height. Now reduce this height by 25%. In other words, let out air until your wheel is 75% of the street height. Measure and record this pressure and depending on your vehicle and loading scheme, front and rear tires may differ.

This is your optimum sand pressure. As the TREAD FOOTPRINT figure shows, this typically results in more than a 250% increase. That is like having ten tires where you only had four. This pressure is only valid for exactly what you tested. Change vehicle, tires, wheels or load and you have to retest.

It’s obvious a vehicle change would dictate retesting. Tires differ in number and stiffness of sidewall plys and rubber compounds, hence the need to retest with a tire change, and in actuality, tire age/wear too. Wider or narrower wheels influence how the sidewalls bulge, so this too requires doing the deed anew.

How did I measure the 250% increase? I measured the pressure, painted the tread, let the tire down onto a piece of paper and “printed” the footprint for various air pressures. I could see the edge begin to make contact and footprint increase with ever-decreasing pressure.

The results are dramatic, but carefully observe the PRESSURE-HEIGHT CURVE, and understand this is not a universally applicable curve. It is specific to my 4X, tires, wheels and load. Wheel height and footprint are obviously related. Putting the curve into words, the footprint really starts to increase (wheel height decrease) with the last few drops in PSI. Note I measured no height change from 50 to 37 PSI. From 50 to 20 PSI resulted in only 3/8 inch drop in height. The drop from 20 to 12 PSI was about 1/2 inch and the drop from 12 to 7 PSI yielded more than 3/4 inch drop in height. These last few pounds are where the real effect takes place. Give them pudgy cheeks!

I’ve had people tell me the low pressure trick does not work. "I went down to 16 or 18 PSI and still had trouble in the sand," so the claim goes. It should be apparent from the curve, the last few pounds really count! A good indicator other than ease of movement comes by watching your engine temperature gauge. If you are heating up, your pressure is still too high or you’re really in some tough stuff!

So does this mean flat tires are best? I believe not. Again the 75% rule is somewhat tire and wheel dependent, but at too low tire pressure, the center of the footprint begins to well up, reducing the footprint and creating a small “traveling hill” in the center of the footprint. This hill offers increased resistance to vehicle movement.

For my combination of 4X, tires, etcetera, my optimum sand pressure is six to seven PSI and I typically get by with eight to ten.
Tire Gages
The Great American Big Numbers Misconception

Before we move on, let's talk pressure measurement - tire gauges. I’ll leave the type - stick, dial or digital - up to you and a future article in 4-Wheeling. What I’m primarily addressing is the Great American Big Numbers Misconception; the bigger the number, the better it is.

As a kid, I remember one of my first automotive questions was, "What does the speedometer go up to?" Not how fast does the car go, but how big is the number at the end. This end number on both speedometers and pressure gauges has little, and sometimes a negative bearing, on gauge usefulness.

Actually, I have quite a few tire gauges. Several fell prey to the Great Numbers Misconception. I carry and use two. One for everyday street use and another for low pressure. My street pressure gauge goes to 50 PSI and my low pressure gauge goes to 20. It’s pretty hard to measure 10 PSI on a gauge that starts at 20 PSI. Most 120 to 200 PSI gauges don’t even start until 20 or more. These are useless for sand pressure measurements. Don’t waste your money on high pressure gauges! Consider having two and perform the above tests and field air-down measurements with the same low pressure gauge. The exact accuracy of the reading or value is not as important as repeatability.

And something to plan for is the eventuality of no gauge or a failure. This is easily handled by knowing how long it takes to air down from street to sand pressure. I use the one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, second counting method. I can let 50 seconds worth of air out of my tires before I need to take a reading. It’s usually another ten more seconds before I reach my optimum. Given a gauge failure, I will still stand a fair chance at "bringing ‘em back alive" - me, the car and the tires.
Four Affects of Low Tire Pressure

Low tire pressure changes four things: footprint; ground clearance; rolling radius and what I call Obstacle Rolling Resistance. Footprint was covered above. Common sense and the TREAD FOOTPRINT figure shows the center of the axle is lowered by the decrease in wheel height. This results in lower ground clearance and consider the softer tires also flex and give more resulting in compression loss of ground clearance too. But on the other hand, ground clearance is not that important in the sand.

Rolling radius is part of the equation which contributes to your net moving force; your overall gear ratio; your "stump pullin’ power". See December 1988, Ecological 4-Wheeling, for a complete treatment of net moving force. Think of it this way: you know how bigger tires eat up low gearing and smaller tires effectively give you lower gears? Flatter tires act like smaller tires and increase your pulling (moving) power.
OBSTACLE ROLLING RESISTANCE

Move on to the OBSTACLE ROLLING RESISTANCE figure below to learn how significant this sleeper is! Several years back, I was convinced a tire’s ability to conform to obstacles played a big part in ease of movement, but I had no idea how significant it was until I measured it. Here’s my experiment.

Face-off two 4Xs some 30 feet apart, on a flat, smooth surface. Take the winch of one and connect it to the other, with a dynamometer (a big fish scale) in the cable. Put a pair of 2X4 wood blocks in front of the pulled vehicle and measure the force (pull) required for different towed vehicle tire pressures.

A simple, lowly 2X4 offers more of a climb angle (hill) than you might initially think. It is roughly 25° to 30°. Knowing this, it’s now easy to see why not so big rocks require the thrash and bash technique to climb with hard tires.

The 2X4 tests showed a 40% difference between street and sand pressure! And it may be worse than that because the initial burst of pull required to get the street pressure tires started up over the obstacles (the 2X4s) was not precisely recordable with my crude equipment and test methods. With the sand tire-pressure, it was obvious the dynamometer saw a gradual buildup in force as the tires smoothly conformed and crawled over the obstacles. What this 40% difference means is you now have roughly six tires where you only had four. Add this to the "ten tires" of the pressure drop and you now have 16 where you had four. Any more questions about the effectiveness of lowering tire pressure?

There is a lot more to making this test perfect and I would be most happy to redo it using proper equipment and controls. Anyone have access to strain gauge cells and strip chart recorders?
Rock Crawling

Actually, I suspect this is also why lower tire pressure is very effective for rock crawling. The Obstacle Rolling Resistance factor, as I call it, plays an even more crucial role when rolling through the rocks.
Caution!

Now comes the soap box. Use Caution! Caution! Caution! with low tire pressure. The Obstacle Rolling Resistance factor works against you with speed and in the rocks! Soft tires easily bend and break wheels. Drive with caution when back on hard ground or the rocks! And you obviously need some way to reinflate the tires back to street pressure when you hit the black stuff.
Even in 2WD

You 2-wheelers take note as well, for this trick works equally well in 2WD. But remember, you must still deflate all four tires even though you are only putting power to two. Your hard front tires create hills that your rears must continually try to climb.
Treading Lightly

I also feel lower pressure is more ecologically compatible. With better traction you don’t have to spin the tires and hence leave Mother Nature unscathed.

You’ll be doing yourself and Mother Nature a favor when you lower your tire pressure the next time you hit the soft stuff.

© Harry Lewellyn

Ecological 4-Wheeling Adventures
P.O. Box 12137
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
voice: (949) 645-7733
fax: (949) 645-7738
email: info@eco4wd.com

This method hasn't ever failed me.

David K - 12-5-2010 at 10:50 AM

Thanks for posting that Lou... Harry has some good things in his books... He was at VivaBaja #3.

Brian L - 12-5-2010 at 10:54 AM

What do you guys use to fill your tires back up? Any pictures or examples?

Barry A. - 12-5-2010 at 10:59 AM

No pics, Blane, but I use a QUICKAIR II and it works great. I have had it for over 12 years.

There are cheaper compressors that are good, but I suggest that you not count on the ones that plug into your cigarette lighter and cost under $40. They are incredibly slow, and will burn up quickly.

Barry

elgatoloco - 12-5-2010 at 11:00 AM

This guy was a neighbor of ours.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/oct/15/la-jolla-man-...

David K - 12-5-2010 at 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by blane
What do you guys use to fill your tires back up? Any pictures or examples?

BajaLou recommended this one from Harbor Freight... under $50 and have used it many times the past 4 years. Previous I had the cigarette lighter ones (Coleman brand), but the battery clip on ones pump 3 times faster. 6 pounds per minute vs. 2 pounds of air per minute.

That means 12-15 psi on the beach to 30-33 psi highway in just 3 minutes per tire or 12 minutes total filling time. Before, it would take 36 minutes.. so it is worth the little more for speed.

The only problem I have had with the Harbor Freight unit is the fuse holder and fudes melting a bit from the heat... I bought a bunch of extra 30 amp fuses and have to wiggle the fuse holder a bit to sometimes get the electricity to flow.

Since then Baja Nomad Tienda has a fast air pump that looks almost the same and Costco as well... under $80 I think.

[Edited on 12-5-2010 by David K]

David K - 12-5-2010 at 09:57 PM

Harry is right about 8-10 psi being better than 18... I have gone as low as 8 once on my first Tacoma and got out of a bad spot as the high tide was getting too close! Usually 12-15 works very well.

mcfez - 12-6-2010 at 06:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K

Quote:

Originally posted by blane
What do you guys use to fill your tires back up? Any pictures or examples?

Home Depot! Theirs are heavy duty. Fast. Has a built in battery to hold a charge for days too! The charge will handle 4-5 uses. Fact is, I use ours not only in Baja...but at the farm too. 50 bucks if I remember correctly.

Sorry...it aint a fancy dancy chrome job like Davids

:spingrin:

bajalou - 12-6-2010 at 08:47 AM

I've had those battery packs that you charge and carry around - I'm in a solar area and the charger's aren't built to handle modified sine wave and burn up. Went through 2 before I gave up.

I have several vehicles and have a compressor in each (just want to be sure I'm covered if I need it) I have a couple from Slime, the tire sealant company, and they seem to work very well also. Haven't used them nearly as much as the Harbor Freight one, but several times each.

[Edited on 12-6-2010 by bajalou]

David K - 12-6-2010 at 08:49 AM

How fast are they...? Hard to believe a battery pack one could fill a tire in 3 minutes if a cigarette lighter one takes 6 minute?

Sunman - 12-6-2010 at 11:08 AM

For the price, these are hard to beat:

http://www.amazon.com/Industries-MV50-SuperFlow-Hi-Compresso...

Been using mine for over 3 years and it is still going strong.

Neal Johns - 12-6-2010 at 04:25 PM

DK, usually when you use a sandmat or board or expanded metal, you have to walk back and retrieve it after driving over it and moving forward to a firm spot. Put a tether on it and attach the other end to the back end (bumper) of the vehicle, drag it along with you and you won't have to walk back to retrieve it. No pics available.

Compressors, general:
The cigarette lighter is usually fused for 15 amps which mandates a low power compressor with a slow fill time.
Many clamp on battery compressors pull 30 amps or more and are much faster.
Even an inexpensive battery pack can put out 30 amps for a while.
I have a clamp on Viair.

David K - 12-6-2010 at 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Neal Johns
DK, usually when you use a sandmat or board or expanded metal, you have to walk back and retrieve it after driving over it and moving forward to a firm spot. Put a tether on it and attach the other end to the back end (bumper) of the vehicle, drag it along with you and you won't have to walk back to retrieve it. No pics available.

Compressors, general:
The cigarette lighter is usually fused for 15 amps which mandates a low power compressor with a slow fill time.
Many clamp on battery compressors pull 30 amps or more and are much faster.
Even an inexpensive battery pack can put out 30 amps for a while.
I have a clamp on Viair.

Thanks for explaining that Neal... good idea!

Arturo - 12-7-2010 at 01:01 PM

I have been lucky not to ever get stuck in the sand, But I have pulled 3 4x4's outta the sand @ the camping beach in Punta Chivato Our Bombarder quad with a wench is a bad ass.
Love to Help anyone and everyone when I can.

Thanks for the tips.

Sherman - 12-7-2010 at 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Barry A.
No pics, Blane, but I use a QUICKAIR II and it works great. I have had it for over 12 years.

There are cheaper compressors that are good, but I suggest that you not count on the ones that plug into your cigarette lighter and cost under $40. They are incredibly slow, and will burn up quickly.

Barry

Whichever model or type, make sure to keep the pump out of the sand. Sand sucked into the pump will kill a brand new pump in very short order.

Barry A. - 12-7-2010 at 05:51 PM

Excellent point, Shermin. My QuickAir II comes in a small steel suitcase-like box, is permanently mounted inside the box, and has a filter on the air-intake, but I have never figured out how you could clean the filter as it does not appear to be accessible. QuickAir's are not cheap, but you do get some goodies with the more expensive models like mine. As I remember mine cost about $300 some 12 years ago, so it is 'high-end', I believe.

Welcome to the NOMADS board.

Barry