On the beach.. lets see if I have this right

[Houm_WA]

Chesapeake, you're right. I wasn't thinking as much about it in terms of friction against the rotation of the tire but as the force pushing against the rig as it goes along the trail. If you drew a free body diagram, what would you call that? Drag?

vivaldi...the DSC re-engages when you switch to a different TR Mode.

 

[ChesapeakeRover]

Yeah i think you're right, I mean it would make sense, Drag is the force applied in the opposite direction of which the object is moving, and is directly proportional to the velocity of say the LR3 going through the mud, which can be fairly viscous, creating drag

btw... I highly doubt most forums go this deep into the physics of wheeling... i think we're "special" lol

 

[nwoods]

Chesapeake, you're right. I wasn't thinking as much about it in terms of friction against the rotation of the tire but as the force pushing against the rig as it goes along the trail. If you drew a free body diagram, what would you call that? Drag?

vivaldi...the DSC re-engages when you switch to a different TR Mode.

Yes, Drag, which is friction.... So you have two locations where friction is at play. The lack of friction under the wheels (in mud), and the excess of friction against the chassis in deep mud...and snow.

 

[Houm_WA]

...and I guess if we're talking freebodies, we can't forget about that pesky gravitational force, either!

 

[Geotrash]

One thing I learned the hard way on sand is to avoid wheel spin at almost all costs. When the wheels dig in, they do it really fast, and you're buried to the axles before you know it and are shoveling. Traction control really helps here but bring track webs or something to put under the wheels if you get in deep.

 

[toddjb122]

Sand mode
Hi range 2nd /3rd gear
DSC..off
GY SA's 18" 22psi
Easy on the throttle /Brakes
Shovel, air jack, tire repair kit and tow strap with D shackles

I"m going to Ocean City,MD with the family and plan on visiting Assateague Island MD as a side trip and not sure what to expect, but I want to be prepared

Thanks
John

So how was your trip? I'm probably late to this response now but I have an A.I. sand permit and get down there a few times a year. That is a great place to drive offroad as there is minimal traffic and you can drive a long way up the beach. Note that they limit the vehicles to a pretty small number (150?) so on summer weekends you may be waiting for an hour to get on the beach...one on, one off. Pays to get there early and spend the day.

The sand is really fine in Assateague and if it hasn't rained in a while a truck can work quick a bit getting along there.

I was down in Hatteras this spring and saw a RRS get stuck on the beach. It was the darndest thing....a bright yellow RRS comes on the beach and immediately gets stuck. I was going to lend assistance but saw him immediately just stomp on it with big rooster tails of sand coming off all 4 tires. A part of me just figured...well, this guy is clearly an ignorant ass and is literally digging his own grave. He was doing that for a while and I was sure digging himself down to the frame, but, he eventually got out. Lucky dog. He didn't go any further though...spent about 10 minutes on the beach and drove right out the way he came. LOL

Regarding driving...I used to muck around with a lot of the things mentioned here but now I just try to keep it as simple as possible....dropping the tire pressure is most important. I do that, raise to offroad height, and enter sand mode. I don't worry about anything else any more and haven't gotten stuck. If I sense a sticky situation I may put it into LO.

 

[vladyshka13]

I was going to Assateague Island quite often. I don't thing you'll be able to drive on the beach, at least in the MD side of the island. I passed a few fishing spots where you can drive directly on the beach but it was in DE right on the border with ocean city, MD.

 

[whydahdvr]

All the physics discussion is bringing me back! I'm reminded of studying physics for my commercial diving classes and in high school but it's all good reminders of how these vehicles are engineered - the forces at play.
As far as digging in in soft sand or mud, that's why a lot of people carry extra tracks and boards, to help them get through bad patches. I have a 1952 Willys M38 jeep and the only thing we do for that is drop the tire pressure in soft sand and dirt. They were built for off road. But in reading up about WWII in North Africa, the SAS loaded the hell out of their jeeps. They also always carried aluminum or steel grate sections to lay down under their wheels in really soft areas. And had winches. So it seems to me the tricks used for long distance travel in North Africa or Southern Africa, using buried tires as anchor points to pull out of soft patches or mud, carrying extra tracks to drive on, etc. would be good advice for the sand on beaches. Although, depending on where you are and how long you're out there I guess it's over ****. Just some thoughts.

 

[vivaldi1]

Quick query on the tire pressure. Most other sites recommend on sand going down to 18 psi. Is 20 psi recommended because the LR is so heavy? Also, do you put all 4 tires on 20? I know the rear tires are normally inflated at a higher pressure than the fronts.

 

[nwoods]

Quick query on the tire pressure. Most other sites recommend on sand going down to 18 psi. Is 20 psi recommended because the LR is so heavy? Also, do you put all 4 tires on 20? I know the rear tires are normally inflated at a higher pressure than the fronts.

Tire pressure is very dependent on wheel size, or more specifically sidewall height in this case. Most Land Rovers are running 32" or 33" tires, on 16" rims, so they have fairly meaty sidewalls plus larger air volume, so they can, and actually need to run lower pressures. On the typical 30"-31" tires and 18" rims run on LR3's, the pressures are higher across the board. Nitto's and BFG's are stiffer than the Coopers, so advice there has some range to it. I ran 15psi in deep sand with the Nittos, but 18 with the Coopers. On dirt and rocks, I ran 22 to 26 psi depending on terrain and tire. When off road I run equal pressure all around.