Guest tony benison Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 I had got stuck on my first outing in oct, and had to get pulled out by a farmer. Is ther any thing on the market that can overcome this problem. I have tried this yellow plastic strips but they just gripped and flew out.There must be something better.Please can any one help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David Powell Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 Hi Tony...Those yellow plastic strips are not very good are they, they grip the tyre but not the ground. A much better way is make your own, planks of wood about half an inch thick, about twice as wide as your tyre tread and as long as you can stow away easily, wooden strips right across the bottom about half inch by half inch to grip the mud, roughly six inches apart[or less if think that better] and something on top to grip the tyre. Perhaps your yellow plastic strips stapled on? or there is none slip material like very course carborundum cloth obtainable from boat chandlers for making decks non slip, wire netting or chicken wire also works very well. If you sink in you can jack up the 'van and slide the planks under the wheels[Messy but gets you out]...Visions of the Welsh motor home show at Carmarthen show ground come to mind. I also have an eletric 12Volt winch, but ignore that I always was a bit too much of a"belt & braces" twit. It is a good idea to have a rear wheel drive 'van of course, but unfortunately most are front wheel drive now a days. I contemplated fitting 'off road' tyres on the back wheels, but my tyre shop advised against it because of the noise they make on a smooth road, and poor traction on a wet road. It is a good idea if it is a rainy day or rain is forecast to have a walk onto the site 'circumstances permitting' and test the ground before you drive on and commit yourself. It is your 'van and your money, so do it your way!Best of luck, and don't get stuck, wellies and waterproof leggings so you can kneel in the mud like a proper motor homers. See you in a muddy field some where some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clive Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 Rear wheel drive gives you a distinct advantage at the outset and the limited slip differential provided as standard on Merc Sprinters is an aditional aid. We drove onto the York showground on the Thursday afternoon in the pouring rain towing a trailer with two motorcycles on it and arrived at our desitnation un-aided. Mind you the little light on the dash saying that the limited slip diff was working was flashing away well. Many others did not fare so well! Carry a set of chains for the drive wheels. I have even seen Fiats do quite well with these fitted (At Stratford a few years back) and they take up less space than those bits of plastic or wood. Don,t forget the old clothes that normally live in the garage for laying under the car, carry these in a bin liner to wear when you conceede to fitting the chains. Nil Carburondum etc Clive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RayJ Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 I carry 4 'Bread Crate' bottoms for if i have to park on grass,at least then the wheels are not already bogged in before i move off,the momentum usually carries me onto 'the hard stuff'. plus i don't 'chew up' a perfectly good piece of grass.They don't take up much room in the back box. I wouldn't be without them. RayJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David Powell Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 I have just chucked my chains away as they got too rusty. They always worked fine on front wheel drives but I found them not worth all the effort in fitting them onto rear wheel drive, not much room to work on the back wheels. I have found rear wheel drive only needs "extras" when really stuck like tyre deep in real mud enhanced turf, that is when the ridgedness of the little planks really come into there own....a little folding spade helps as well....and like Clive sez...don't forget to pack those "get under clothes"!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest petej Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 I'd agree those yellow things are pretty crap but don't throw them away, if you know the surface your parking on is dodgy then park with the drive wheels on the yellow mats, this helps to spread the load a bit and stop sinking whilst on the pitch, giving you a better chance to 'get the wheels in motion' when making a beeline for the firm surface. pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dave Newell Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 The yellow grip mats do work if you use them correctly. If you suspect the ground to be soft place the mats where your driving wheels will end up and drive onto them, they will spread the load and stop the wheels from sinking. If you do get caught out and find yourself bogged in, place the grip mats as far under the wheels as possible then let the tyres down, and I mean down, about 3-5 psi should do it. you will now find that you have grip and can drive gently out of your boggy mire. Don't stop moving till you're back on terra firma and re-inflate your tyres to the correct pressure asap. A few dozen yards driving on flat tyres will not hurt them but keep the speed down. This method does work, I've used it myself and the Icelandic drivers use this method to drive up glacial ice flows. Dav@davenewell.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clive Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 Time you sold chains then Dave! They used to be a standard requirement in Dad,s the boot when I was a kid. I saw a nordic 4X4 nutter blow up the deflated monster tyre on his vehicle. He popped a little gas (Propane I think) into the void and slung a match at it. It went POP the tyre inflated to flatish but driveable and he was on his way again. As you say very low pressures for driving on such surfaces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dave Newell Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 I don't need chains Clive, I just do the Icelander trick. I too saw on TV how the Icelanders deal with a tyre off rim situation, the passenger got out but the driver did not stop moving slowly. Passenger sprayed lighter fuel into the tyre for about five seconds or so then ignited the stream of fuel with a ciggy lighter and bang the tyre was back on. Obviously the tyre wasn't completely off the rim but the bead had fallen into the well. I wonder who thought of using lighter fuel like that! dave@davenewell.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike E Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 I was amused by the suggestion to carry chains and a bag of dirty clothes. These combined could represent about 30% of the available storage space in my hi-top. The yellow things are useless if they are not anchored to the ground. To overcome this drill three holes in the yellow thingies and anchor with appropriate tent pegs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bill Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 When I was a youngster in South Africa we used to fit dual hand brakes to our beach buggies. Just a matter of modifying the standard handbrake such that you have a different lever for each wheel. That way, if one wheel is on firm ground but the other is spinning you simply use the relevant brake to lock the one that is spinning. Same idea as a limited-slip diff but MUCH cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Brian Kirby Posted November 1, 2005 Share Posted November 1, 2005 Back to Tony's question. Probably the best advice is to look at the ground ahead when arriving and get out and stamp around a bit before you drive in. That patch of long, lush, grass is almost always on a soft patch as well. If the ground is soft underfoot, it'll probably yeild to a tyre. After all, each wheel on a motorhome carries about 3/4 ton, in some cases, more. That's quite a bit for the average patch of wet soil to support. I know this won't help if the wet arrives after you do, but even on dry ground you can often see the ruts left by others who have visited in the wet, indicating that the ground tends to become soggy. Then avoid if possible, or leave early if the weather turns. If you do feel the front dip as you go in, straight into reverse and gently back out immediately. Don't get out to look, it'll sink further the moment you stop moving! Hope this helps Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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