Getting out of the mud

[JeremyClarksson]

The "winch" thread reminded me of a couple of ways of getting out of the mud so I thought I would post this and see if anyone has any other ideas or methods.

I saw a tip that suggests setting the car at an angle so it will pull one wheel out at a time - not tried it but it sounds logical

I have a vague memory as a caravan kid os seeing someone wrap a strop around a tyre and then attach it with a rope to a tree or pole to use the turning of the wheel to wind the car out - not sure about the safety issues or the effect it might have on the steering geometry.

I have used a towrope on a 4x4 to pull a complete outfit out.

There must be loads of other methods out there that do not require a winch.......

 

[BrianStAlbans]

The towrope 4x4 method reminds me of a house I bought . The old guy that lived there pruned all his prize roses for me before he left.He returned unexpectedly the next day to find me pulling them out with a Range Rover to make room for the caravan.

Brian (",)

 

[Steve L]

HI Garry and Brian.

I've used an old trial driving trick before now to good effect. i lower the tyre pressure to around 5 to 10 Psi on the drive wheels of my Laguna which then puts a larger foot print of tyre on the groung and by gently pulling away I have managed to get out of most spots. Then with the aid of my trusty halfords 12v tyre compressor I re-inflate the tyres.

I have used a pair of plastic traction mats before which are available through most caravan accesory shops, which also work well too.

As a stand by I always have a tow rope in the car which again will give most folk access to harder ground to pull the van out. Just make sure you have an alert person at hand to apply the caravan hand brake if required without being run over by the van!!

I've owned a couple of 4X4 and while they are great at towing heavey loads and can cope with wet grass and mud, I can't realy justify the extra fuel consumption, maintainence costs and polution to the environment.

Whoops thats probable about to start a riot.

Steve L.

 

[Lol1]

Not on the 4x4 debate you wont, Steve. However I would question your methods of moving your Renault on site. Use of the plastic mats can be extremely hazardous to people passing by at the time you use them. There is a great risk that the mats can be thrown out from under the car. Tethering them to the car proves ineffectual too. Lowering the pressures on you car tyres is a bit of an old wives tale too. It wont help unless you have specially designed off road tyres fitted. All that happens is the tyre deforms in the center and removes that part of the tyres tread from the equation. It is replaced by a small amount of side wall which as you know, has no grip. Imagine the wear pattern if you drove with your tyres under inflated all the time and you will begin to see why.

Hope I haven't started an argument here, but there are better ways to do this job.

 

[Steve L]

Well Lol,

I can only speak from experience of what has worked for me in the past. Your right the gripper mats can slide out but generally they go straight back and collide with the rear wheels.

I used to use Perrelli P6's on my trial car with a pressure of 4Psi and they had no trouble gripping on a 1 in 4 muddy hill. Putting a larger foot print of tyre lowers the gravitational weigh per square inch placed upon the tyre besides placing more tread in contact with the ground.

While there can be no substitute for raw all wheel pulling power there are often small tricks you can try yourself when you find yourself stuck on the field.

I've taken my 4X4 off road and over the welsh mountains to places that only a Uni mog could tow you out of, and by the same token with careful driving I took a Renault 18 estate over snow covered roads that were officially closed to get emergencey supplies to the wifes sister who was snowed in on top of a hill that is the second highest point in Worcestershire.

Two wheel drive with care and thought can accomplish some of the most difficult conditions.

Have a look at the "Spanish windlass" thread.

Steve.

 

[Lol1]

I too have driven off road Steve, mainly in a Series 3 Landrover. Experience may have made it seem like lowering the pressure in your tyres work, but sometimes it is the opposite that is needed. Particularly in winter when ice becomes a problem. All things considered equal, a set of "skinny" tyres will give you more grip. There is more weight per square inch of tread, which forces the tyre to grip more. So perhaps next time you are stuck, try over inflating your tyres to simulate narrow tyres, you will be astounded by their effectiveness. At the end of the day, it's all down to the conditions at the time and not every solution is ideal for every problem. You will however find that tyres will give the most grip when they are at their correct pressure, because at that point all the tread is being used.

As for the Spanish Windlass thread, in an emergency using this method can be a life saver. There again, it can also create the emergency, when it goes wrong. You pays your money........

 

[RickyLionheart]

If ever I get stuck I send the kids off with their buckets and spades on a gravel search and spread it under the wheels, works a treat and keeps them occupied.

Much cheaper and friendlier to the environment than buying a gas guzzling and polluting 4x4

 

[Martin_E]

IMO "LOL" and "Steve in Leo" are both correct but it is not just a clear cut lower or raise tyre pressure it depends on what type of ground you are on to what method to use. If IIRC I think if you are on ground that has a covering of mud but has a solid base then it would be better to try and cut though the top layer simulate narrow tyres to enable you to get traction on the ground below, but if you are on boggy ground that has little base it is better to go for the lower pressure to spread the load.

 

[RickyLionheart]

agree 100%

it's more down to technique than the type of vehicle

 

[Bernard2]

If ever I get stuck I send the kids off with their buckets and spades on a gravel search and spread it under the wheels, works a treat and keeps them occupied.

Much cheaper and friendlier to the environment than buying a gas guzzling and polluting 4x4

Yawn,Yawn, Yawn! I am still amazed that anyone can still come out with words like "Polluting and gas guzzlers " Check your facts! or as we say in Yorkshire " Put brain in gear before selecting mouth"

 

[RickyLionheart]

If ever I get stuck I send the kids off with their buckets and spades on a gravel search and spread it under the wheels, works a treat and keeps them occupied.

Much cheaper and friendlier to the environment than buying a gas guzzling and polluting 4x4

sorry check YOUR facts and study the data and see how much pollution that these vehicles generate

 

[Steve L]

Technique and resorsefullness are the key words here, because when you do get in a pickle you can bet your shirt on it that there's no one for miles.

I once had to do a temporary fix on a broken universal joint on the propshaft of my VW LT35 which broke at 3am on a bleak mountain road in the winter.

Lucky for me I could find two bolts with nuts to steal from the trucks chassis and I had my tool box on board. I knocked out the broken UJ and put the bolts through the bearing holes. I managed to limp at 5mph the ten miles to the nearest garage ( agricultural workshop) to get a full repair done and be on way by 9am.

Wonder what the AA or RAC could of done at the road side? Oh I know that one. Refuse to tow the truck because it tows a 2500Kg trailer and tow the truck 50 miles to the nearest main dealer where I pay 78 quid an hour to get it fixed.

My way.

 

[mark_374224456]

You should NEVER wrap a rope or a winch around a tree - a dedicated tree strop should be used to protect it.

and thats environmental advice from a gas guzzling 4x4 owner, who happens to work for the RSPB as well as multi-national agrochemical companies!

 

[Bernard2]

sorry check YOUR facts and study the data and see how much pollution that these vehicles generate

Britain contributes 2%of the worlds man-made "greenhouse gas" emmisions.Of which 12% are from all transport (aircraft 7%,public transport 2.5% and cars 2.5% )Of all the cars sold in Britain last year,just 7% are from the 4x4/SUV category.But this includes all 4x4 vehicles inc Fiat Pandas and so on.If I estimate that 4% are the hardcore "gas guzzlers" it would seem fair don't you think? So the anti-4x4 extremists are in fact targetting 4% ( no of gas guzzling 4x4s ) of 2.5% ( % of of 2% ( Britains contribution to to greenhouse gas emmisionsemmmisions that cars are responsible for)Thats 0.002% of global man made emmisions.

Now consider that the overwhelming majority of these emmisions are natural - volcanoes,cow f*rts,the carbon cycle etc and so on. It's estimated to be between 60% & 70%,so lets call it 70%.So a quick recalc, to work out the 4x4's impact on total global man made emmisions = 0.002% ( total global emmisions for UK gas guzzling 4x4s )of 30% ( stuff that we could change ) of total emmisions.

Thats 0.00066% recurring.Just in case you don't understand I shall recap....UK 4x4 gas gusslers are resposible for 0.00066% of greenhouse gas emmisions.These are Facts.

 

[Ogre]

Just drive the car onto firm ground, and then use a rope from the caravan to the tow bar and gently pull it onto firmer ground. Never fails.

Most campsites have a tractor or heavy duty 4 wheel drive if you get completely stuck anyway.

It's only happened to us once in twenty years, so we don't worry about it at all.

 

[354]

Low Ratio 4x4 gets me out.

 

[Lol1]

Britain contributes 2%of the worlds man-made "greenhouse gas" emmisions.Of which 12% are from all transport (aircraft 7%,public transport 2.5% and cars 2.5% )Of all the cars sold in Britain last year,just 7% are from the 4x4/SUV category.But this includes all 4x4 vehicles inc Fiat Pandas and so on.If I estimate that 4% are the hardcore "gas guzzlers" it would seem fair don't you think? So the anti-4x4 extremists are in fact targetting 4% ( no of gas guzzling 4x4s ) of 2.5% ( % of of 2% ( Britains contribution to to greenhouse gas emmisionsemmmisions that cars are responsible for)Thats 0.002% of global man made emmisions.

Now consider that the overwhelming majority of these emmisions are natural - volcanoes,cow f*rts,the carbon cycle etc and so on. It's estimated to be between 60% & 70%,so lets call it 70%.So a quick recalc, to work out the 4x4's impact on total global man made emmisions = 0.002% ( total global emmisions for UK gas guzzling 4x4s )of 30% ( stuff that we could change ) of total emmisions.

Thats 0.00066% recurring.Just in case you don't understand I shall recap....UK 4x4 gas gusslers are resposible for 0.00066% of greenhouse gas emmisions.These are Facts.

Well put, Bernard.