That Backwards Feeling

How long since you last slid backwards with no control over the car at all ?

For me its been years since post 68264 "Full-Metal Broadslide" at it was serious heart attack country but this little slide was no where near as bad but you still get that terrifying state of mind feeling when you realize there is just nothing you can do on the way down but hope you stop before some expensive dents are incurred.

Here I was just driving along a wet grass track and turned left to go up a mild slope no more than 15 degrees up bubble.
The car had completed the turn and was just going straight when all 4 wheels just spun a little and instead of stopping the car quietly slid backwards towards some bushes that lined a deep gully.

I wasn't really paying attention, driving very quietly at walking speed trying to re-aquire a Deer that not long before ran across the track and I don't think I even realized I was going backwards for a couple of seconds.




I thought to myself what can I do ?
The wheels were rotating forward already and tyres must have clogged up with slick mud/grass and had no drive.
I wasn't even on the brakes so I couldn't release them, hope the wheels would rotate and grab anything, and then gently re-apply them.
With nothing else to do I applied the brakes which seemed to make no difference and the gentle slide into oblivion continued for a few feet and then car just stopped as the slope lessoned.

OK so what to do now ?
The car seemed so willing to slide that I was afraid just getting out and slamming the door may set it off sliding again, so whatever I did I would have to ensure that I got away from it quickly as I had to passenger to evict and make the scene safe.

I knew better but still engaged the front locker and got nowhere as the car was in a straight line with no side slope so lockers do nothing in that case.

I sought of rolled out of the car away from the door and found some wood to chock the back wheels and then stopped to think the situation thru.

Always prepared, I grabbed the thermos and made an instant coffee but then the tragedy deepened.
Inside the little Nescafe packet I opened the coffee powder looked a very dark crytalized grey, but use by date was only 2006 so I have no idea what happened !
Maybe I'd better stay in a better class motel on the next trip and stock up on there instant coffee's.
So I sprinkled in a few granules just for psychological support as it tasted awful.


Extraction Options

1/ Winch had fair prospects, had maybe 120 ft of rope but nearby trees looked like dead Wattles and didn't like the idea of pulling on them , done that before and its expensive.

2/ Maxtrax - never really got me out of anything and I couldn't even count on moving car 6" to get wheels onto them and unlike sand you couldn't dig'em into the ground easily to get them started.

3/ Chains - nothing works like chains, but for first time in forever I was carting goods for someone and had emptied the car , but still they were an option as they were in a shed only 3km away.

4/ Mattock - the universal tool, the ground was only soaked down to about 50-60mm and I could dig down to dry dirt around all 4 wheels and tyres would definitely bite in and I would move - but for how far ?

5/ Drop tyres pressures , the simplest and often most effective solution, however if it didn't work the car would almost certainly career off to the side on slippery grass and I could only end up in the bushes.

The deer was probably hiding in the bush laughing its head off but I had to decide and I went with Option 5.




While dropping pressures would help they where already at 20 psi before the slide so I thought I maybe had one shot at this and just went straight down to 10 psi, then chocked read wheels, liberated the bushes I would likely slide into, got carefully into the car , selected snow mode to give gentlest application of power, and well I just slowly drove out.

With great relief the car pulled away carefully without any wheelspin at all , and all I could think of was just how wonderful it is when theory meets practise and they both agree.