Member Since: 08 Jan 2011
Location: Chilterns
Posts: 4130
Yes Sand Mode for Quick Escape from dry sand.
6th Nov 2015 3:20 pm
J77
Member Since: 03 Mar 2008
Location: Fife
Posts: 6270
Some good advice here, I've always been too scared to venture on to beaches. I've got visions of getting stuck and my Landy going to a watery grave.
I received my voucher the other day so will get booked up for Dunkeld in the Disco. Which reminds me that I haven't used the one I got when I bought the Disco Sport. Happy days.
I seen the Fl2 Terrain Response video and it explained a little bit about sand, momentum is key, power in at the pedal, power out at the wheels.23.5MY Defender 90 X-Dynamic SE D250 MHEV Pangea Green
6th Nov 2015 5:18 pm
Pedros
Member Since: 25 Jun 2011
Location: Cumbria
Posts: 454
All good advice. It's also worth mentioning that sudden changes, either in direction or braking or accelerating hard should be avoided. In effect, getting the tyres to rotate at a different speed to what the vehicle is doing will cause grip to go and before you know it, the car will be up to it's sills in sand. So keep the momentum up and make really gradual changes in speed and direction.
I recall one occasion when being driven on the beach with a colleague to get to some unexploded ordnance that had washed up, I could feel the car struggling for grip. It was only going to get worse (wasn't a 4WD vehicle) so I said to the driver we should go back to the car park and walk. He petulantly slammed the brakes on, stopped, chucked it in reverse and dropped the clutch. The result was that I could only just open the door to get out. As luck would have it, another colleague arrived, having walked from the car park. I tagged along with him, leaving the original driver to walk to the nearest farm to beg the farmer to pull him out with a tractor.
6th Nov 2015 5:30 pm
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26775
Have you considered a winch?
If its launching/recovering a boat, then a long winch cable might be better than venturing too near the sea?
6th Nov 2015 5:33 pm
Nikki
Member Since: 10 Mar 2015
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 140
Re: Driving on Sand
Robert SausageTrousers wrote:
Does anyone here have any tips for driving on sand? I got pretty stuck yesterday, naively thinking that 'sand mode' would be enough! I've no knowledge whatsoever about off road driving, have driven on sand a few times without problems, but yesterday was a bit of a heart-in-mouth moment! I managed to get out by digging around the wheels and sort of 'rocking' out of the ditch, fortunately!
Having gone through the experience and having a business that requires me to do a bit of driving on beaches now and then I thought it would probably be a good idea to learn how!
So, while in 'sand mode', how should I drive it on beaches, what are the 'do's and dont's' etc?
EDIT - I also wondered about tyres, I don't think mine are off road tyres, I'm assuming this makes a big difference?
Turn off the DSC!
7th Nov 2015 7:05 am
DaveT
Member Since: 01 Aug 2005
Location: Cornwall
Posts: 2576
And next time don't forget the camera Long succession of Disco's since 2001...
SIII Lightweight - neglected & rusting. Bulkhead, A panels, vent panel & outriggers now disintegrated - Next years project!
7th Nov 2015 8:49 am
Robert SausageTrousers
Member Since: 09 Aug 2015
Location: Cornwall
Posts: 467
I'm not launching boats, I'm a photographer and was there to take photos so definitely had a camera, but my first thought wasn't to document my stupidity, I was more concerned with getting myself out of that pickle!
7th Nov 2015 9:11 am
christyler
Member Since: 31 Dec 2005
Location: Cork, Ireland
Posts: 1168
Sand
You have been given some great advice by the other guys, here is some to prevent the digging !!!
Get yourself some maxtrax, they are fantastic on sand.
First D3 in the World with a Hydraulic Winch.
2006 Disco 3 TDV6 S Auto,
Diff Locks, Turbochipped, Raised Air Intake, 220volts Onboard, Onboard Compressor, Large Bore Exahust, Underbody Protection, One or two Other Mods as well.
Other toys include, Argo Avenger 8x8, Tatra 6x6 Motorhome (Being Built)
7th Nov 2015 12:25 pm
Iceman08
Member Since: 22 Sep 2014
Location: Hereford
Posts: 2284
Robert SausageTrousers wrote:
Deflating the tyres is a bit of a pain to be honest
Surely being stranded on a beach is much more of a pain?
7th Nov 2015 12:49 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73086
Especially with the tide coming in.
7th Nov 2015 1:22 pm
DDDad
Member Since: 10 Jan 2015
Location: Angus
Posts: 1201
Perhaps the Mud setting would be better for waterlogged sand? Went for a job as a human cannonball. Not the right calibre.
7th Nov 2015 3:08 pm
Captain Crash
Member Since: 11 Aug 2013
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 15
Doesn't the Mud setting allow more wheelspin though? That might work but I think you'd dig in more.
The Maxtrax look amazing but a titch expensive for me. I carry a few of these:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yellow-Escape-Trac...rip+tracks
.. which work well with a motorhome on wet grass. Haven't yet tried them with the Disco.
The main thing with beaches is to have a Plan B (as well as C, D, and E).
If there's a band of loose wet sand, I won't go on it. If necessary I'll back down as far as I can and then drag the RIB over the dodgy bit with the 20 metre towrope that I carry.
Getting moving from a dead stop is a lot easier if you are at a diagonal to the slope of the beach, rather than pointing straight up. If necessary reverse round until you are at right angles to the slope, and don't start to head upwards until you have momentum.
My first step if I do get stuck on the beach is to unhitch the RIB and try to move the Disco to firmer ground (with help from digging, grip tracks etc).
Where I usually operate we also have a fixed winch that can be brought into play. In addition we have the benefit of being able to whistle up a tractor pretty quickly.
If you don't have all this in place then yes you do need to be very careful on a rising tide!
8th Nov 2015 3:39 pm
mse
Member Since: 27 Jun 2005
Location: Shropshire
Posts: 2704
Great advice here...if you are going to use gip strips, get some para cord and a long run so you dont stop to recover them and they get dragged along.Mike
8th Nov 2015 4:10 pm
Stuff
Member Since: 04 Sep 2015
Location: In between cradle and grave
Posts: 510
Fit KL71. DSC off, and dig until you reach bedrock. Drive away normally.
10th Nov 2015 7:23 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73086
Ah I remember those KL71s! Great for digging trenches. Best memory where driver got stuck at top of a nice steep slope and floored it. Car dropped faster than an express elevator.
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