duetto owner Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 We were for first time at the weekend parked on a grass viewing area, but when time to move rear wheels just spun going nowhere tried 1st and reverse no joy collect a load of broken branch's and litter from the bin and put either side but wheels still spun, in the end passing 4x4 towed us off. anyone else been stuck in the mud, I presume a few grass campsites may have caught a few out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe90 Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 More than once, grass always strikes terror into me with 3.5 tons, I don't go near the stuff anymore. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Not for a few years, I now never,EVER park on grass without putting down 'bread crates' first, to stop the van 'bedding in' overnight (4.25 Tonnes). I also carry a couple of spares to drive the front wheels onto , to get momentum going when heading for the perimeter road. Which if the ground is dodgy i make sure is not more than a few feet away. Worst one i saw, was a very heavy hymer in Ireland, overnight he had sunk down to his axles, both front and back, they had to get a tractor to pull him out, and even then it wasn't easy. Completely destroyed the pitch, serves the owner right for only allowing 'His' Caravanners on the hard standings. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Late nineties at the Shepton Mallet Show in January. Pushed off by friendly motorhomers. About four years ago at the Great Dorset Show when we were crudely towed to our pitch by a tractor, making a right muddy mess of the van. About three years ago entering the Cheshire Show but grip mats and sensible steward saw us rescued and park on firm land. Surprisingly, never got stuck on a camp site. Probably because we avoid grass pitches as much as we can, and if not our grip mats have always worked. Not an uncommon problem and no doubt a few will have tales of the legendary problems experienced at outdoor motorhome shows despite best efforts of the organisers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 When parking on grass or sand I always put the bread crates under the wheels, all 4 wheels a lot of people only put them under the driven wheels but if the un-driven ones sink into a hollow it greatly reduces your chances of getting out. Doesn't stop you getting stuck at the muddy field entrance, got stuck D Day week in France in one of the free camping fields, they had a tractor on hand for a tow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Stuck yes. Once at Hornfleur., where they put the MH in the lower field, had to be pulled out by a Dutch caravanners 4x4.The rope offered by the site manager, was about 4/5 ft long and had sereval knots in it 2014 stuck in France had to be pulled out by the owner with a large tractor, BUT his "rope" (I think is was more like string) broke. After the Hornfleur episode, we always carry a large tow rope, brought from a chandlery , the type used to moor up large "Gin Palace " boats, usually available as off cuts, or end of line We always now use bread crate mats when parked on grass, even if not wet, much prefer to park on hard surfices where possible. PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Once and that was one too many. A saintly tugger yanked us out with his traction control Mercedes. Don't go anywhere near it now except in summer in France when it's generally bone hard. Helped a Dutch motorhome owner out with carpet squares which we carry as a foot wipe at the entry door . He couldn't believe it when his van gripped the carpet and slowly eased its way out of the quagmire he'd created 8-) Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellyro Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Yes last year 2014 Spring time after wet winter at site near Stirling had to be towed out by tractor . Nearly again December near Edinburgh the pitch was hard standing but had to cross grass to reach it asked for another pitch with hard access. Now I refuse to go on grass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
everhopeful Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 With my last van I had three very close and muddy shaves where bread crates only just saved my skin. My present van (x250 3.3 ton) has traction control but of course I've never had the chance to try it out. Has anyone any experience with this on a Motorhome? It must make some difference but 4WD it is not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea Cup Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 It's not just the 4-wheel drive but the tyres u use. I remember the embarrassment of not being able to get up a normally gently dewey bank with a 4-wheel drive Mazda Bongo with normal road tyres. No traction is no traction, 2 or 4 wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 everhopeful - 2015-01-05 7:35 PM With my last van I had three very close and muddy shaves where bread crates only just saved my skin. My present van (x250 3.3 ton) has traction control but of course I've never had the chance to try it out. Has anyone any experience with this on a Motorhome? It must make some difference but 4WD it is not. Don't give up the bread crates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 everhopeful - 2015-01-05 7:35 PM With my last van I had three very close and muddy shaves where bread crates only just saved my skin. My present van (x250 3.3 ton) has traction control but of course I've never had the chance to try it out. Has anyone any experience with this on a Motorhome? It must make some difference but 4WD it is not. This is the subject of a thread last updated a couple of weeks ago, the conclusion seems that it's pretty useless. My last escape from slippery grass was with Aldi traction mats. The last time I got bogged down was the last time I listened to a site owner, took a Kabuto and a 4x4 chained together to get us out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasnt Me Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 We got stuck in the mud at Postern Hill in Savernake Forest. We went in February last year after all the rain. We turned up on the site in the dark with fish and chips ready to be scoffed, so were keen to get pitched. The warden gave us his advice, which I did try to follow. To pitch parallel to the road as it was very wet. I foolishly thought to myself I will be fine with my twin wheel rear wheel drive machine. 20 mins later the beloved was going to get him, so he could pull us out with his tractor/lawn mower Needless to say I felt a bit silly, when my 3500kg MH was being pulled out by a lawn mower. I did try to add some photos but do not know how You live and learn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Ha Ha, me too, after some very heavy snow up in the Preseli's my neighbour was going to walk up to his field, where he kept his ponies, to take them some Fodder. I had a Toyota Rav4, one of the genuine original ones with 4x4 and a differential lock, which I thought was 'invincible', so I offered to drive him up there, Things were looking really good until we had to cross a frozen snow drift about 3 feet high !!! with all 4 wheels spinning helplessly, even though they all had drive. And the Tyres were Goodrich AT's. Stuck !! had to get a large Tractor to pull us out. Some conditions are just TOO bad. *-) Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasnt Me Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 They do say that a big heavy 4x4 with normal tyres is not better than a normal car. Could have been worse you could have been a BMW, you probably would not have moved it off your driveway. BMW the ultimate driving machine, so long as you have snow tyres. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pampam Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Bread crates for me lightweigt and strong! Pp:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 From bitter experience . The early 1970s Range Rovers could cope with 2 ft of snow but in three feet they effectively grounded. A tracked digger pulled us out. Simple 4X4s get up slippery hills better than most cars but slide as well as anything else downhill. As a general rule the higher the proportion of weight on the driven axle on 2X4 vehicles the better but even more important is how soft the suspension is. In my 50 + years of owning cars the 2 best for slippery conditions were an Austin Maxi and a Citroen GSA. Both had a brilliant ride. I drove the Maxi across a steeply sloping field that was running with water without a touch of wheelspin. The GSA took me past a long line of cars stuck on packed snow on the hill up to Haytor. I can never recall breaking traction even on wet grass with my front wheel drive and softly sprung VW T4 based Camper but have been stuck twice on level grass pitches with my RWD VW Lt 'van. One pitch was mud anyway but a little scrounging for old mats etc got me out and the other was on a very recently unfrozen clay pitch.The clay was a superb lubricant over the freezing ground beneath. despite spinning the wheels did not dig in. There was so little traction just two people gently leaned against it and I got off. The important thing is the moment wheel spin starts is to stop and seek anything to improve grip before the wheel digs a hole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 I got my first car when living on the edge of the Pennines. Come November I was advised to go and nick some stones off the farmers' walls and lay them in my boot across the rear drive axle of my RWD Vauxhall Viva. Never got stuck in snow doing this - we'd go out in the bad weather in those days. I replaced the stones every February. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 We've been unceremoniously dragged on and off 'site a few times...Not on campsites admittedly but on muddy, music festival sites. ..and as our main reason for having a van was so as to have comfier accommodation(than a tent!) whilst at festivals, having come perilously close to having various bits ripped off the van,on too many occasions, it was one of the reasons we opted to switch from our MH Chausson to solely using our little Hiace (more robust,less precious) "camping-van". Not for one minute pretending that it provides the same levels of "comfort", as it clearly doesn't! but for the bulk of our use, insisting on a hard standing pitch isn't an option. (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Ever been stuck? Yes, all the time when I used Michelin XC Camping tyres. They slipped on damp grass, never mind Mud. *-) They had to be the worst tyres ever made for Campers. Hardly ever, now that I use Michelin Agilis M & S Tyres. That was with a 5 Ton Tag Axle van and now with a 4.5 Ton Tag Axle van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Oh YES a CCC site near Seahouses :-D it was blowing a gale and we had problems opening the door to get out !! so I suggested we move the van around 8-) O.H moved too far back and went over the wood edging that had newly set grass behind it we STUCK SOLID couldn't get forward the more we tried the deeper it sunk! 8-) a farmer came in his van! he went back for his tractor he said it would cost us £20 so agreed ! he brought a new tractor opened the door to jump out and put the chain on ! the wind caught his door GLASS ALL OVER the pitch and showered my husband !! he was fine and wouldn't except anymore he said his insurance would sort it !! :$ I now keep my mouth shut Im not going through that again ! I was having a heart attack!! stressing!! That was in the KonTiki I wouldn't have had a problem sliding the door on our new van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Not since I made 4 x 12" square 1" thick plywood pads and make a point of parking with all four wheels on a pad to spread the tyre load and prevent the wheels sinking into a circular pit. When driving off, first warm the engine, put it in gear, pull away smartly but without wheelspin and drive all the way to firmer ground and only THEN walk back to collect the pads. Works every time for us even on sodden show grounds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southender Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 No never. Always use slip/grip mats when parking on grass even if it`s dry. Morning dew can be a problem as well so for the sake of a couple of minutes use the mats. If you can`t be bothered or your time is better spent then be prepared to get stuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Southender - 2015-01-08 4:54 PM No never. Always use slip/grip mats when parking on grass even if it`s dry. Morning dew can be a problem as well so for the sake of a couple of minutes use the mats. If you can`t be bothered or your time is better spent then be prepared to get stuck. Thanks for that informative post... ..morning dew?...grip mats?...(lol) If I "can be bothered" I shall bear them in mind next time we're at an event like this....(lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazooka Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Been stuck twice traction controle useless,now use plastic grips under driving wheel sbut rear wheels still sink in overnight,best to avoid grass unless very dry.Helps if you can park on a down slope. Baz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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