One for the weekend offroaders

3stagevtec · Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 10:13 pm Post subject: One for the weekend offroaders

take note eh guys.. how easy things can turn for the worst..

read the full story here

this is one of my biggest fears while off roading.. having to back down a steep hill in reverse..

i had gotten stuck 3/4 way up a grassy slope once.. i then decided to back down a few feet to try and get a running start to make it up through the very slippery last 1/4.. as soon as i popped in reverse, the van started sliding and i slid straight back down to the bottom of the hill..

was a pretty scary feeling knowing i had no control of the vehicle during the slid, and i kept picking up speed going backwards down the hill.. luckily i came to a safe stop..

the right course of action in such cases is to put in reverse gear and coast down the hill using engine braking.. panic usually makes you do the wrong thing..

Mr. Go Slow · Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 11:37 am Post subject:

Manual FTW!

booge · Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 4:02 pm Post subject:

Oh sheit

booge · Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 4:13 pm Post subject:

Oh sheit

biggy82 · Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 6:34 pm Post subject:

that is just plain idiocy. at least 2 guys are in front of the ute (cameraman and someone else on the RHS). one of them could have acted as 'spotter' behind the truck. it wasnt the fact that the hill was steep that caused him to turn the ute over; was the fact that he turned the wheels too early and got the rear bumper jammed on the bank and this caused the ute to go up on one wheel.

need to exibit some common sense when off-roading Rolling Eyes

Greypatch · Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 6:43 pm Post subject:

1st of AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

2nd Oh sheit..

bladett · Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 8:30 am Post subject:

not using a spotter's will result in this. Driver need to know via them what the vehicle is doing.

trini44 · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 8:35 am Post subject:

3stage, You are quite correct on using the engine for braking providing that your gearing is low enough to keep the van crawling. If not a little brakes may be needed but just enough to avoid any wheel slippage. The van in the video was rolling not crawling. 2nd big mistake..he did not keep his wheels facing downhill..when he started getting sideways he did not correct his front wheels by turning a bit to his left. Always keep your tyres i the direction of the downslope, if not one wheel hitting a bank at an angle will flip you (did this with El Toro in Cedros some years ago..lucky on flat!). Just another thing..you should get your wheels into the ruts even if you can potentially hang up your diff..straddling the ruts should be attempted only with experience.