I enjoy four wheeling on a regular basis. Sometimes my friend and I go on excursions in his rear wheel drive truck. I know, not too bright. Needless to say, we've had many strange things damage his truck, and have become quite good at getting his truck out of soft sand after getting dug-in.
The two items that you MUST bring with you any time you go offroading are:
- A Jack - I know, you should have this, but you'd be amazed how many morons neglect to keep one in their vehicle (or maybe I just hang out with way too many idiots)
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Boards - Strong, thick, wide ones. These will serve two purposes. They will support your jack and provide traction for your stuck tire, so brings lots of them.
If you are taking more than one vehicle, you may also want to bring along some chains or a small winch in order to get your truck out of the nice hole it dug for you.
Tips:
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Before you even begin to set up, plan the route you will take back to harder packed sand. You don't want to dig yourself out only to get stuck again due to poor planning.
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Set up your jack on the widest board you have. This will distribute the truck's weight out over a wider area and prevent more sinkage.
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Raise your truck and place the remaining boards underneath the offending tire on both sides of the hole. Make sure they are in nice and tight so they don't slip out when you hit the accelerator.
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Lower the truck back down on to the boards and remove the jack.
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Fill the rest of the hole with loosely packed sand. This will help to prevent board slippage.
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Climb in and hit the accelerator SLOWLY. You want maximum traction on the boards. Plus, if you gun it, you run the risk of shooting the boards out from under the tire.
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Get the hell out and go home. You've probably had your fill of the great outdoors for the day.
You will probably have to deal with with the local wildlife carefully when offroading. Also, try to avoid vegetation. Aside from the fact that you're hurting (if not killing) a living thing, you risk getting your truck stuck in the brush or shredding your tires. Plus, animals seek shelter and make burrows in the brush. Running over a plant can ruin an animals home/nest. It may even kill it.
Animals will frequently run across your path when you are four wheeling. Go out of your way to avoid hitting them because even something as small as a rabbit can cause major damage to your truck (trust me, I've seen it happen)
Stay safe and remember to leave the wilderness in the same (or better) condition that you found it. This will ensure that you will be able to enjoy the thrills of fourwheeling time and time again.