Fording depths?
Submitted: Thursday, Dec 08, 2005 at 11:33
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Coyote
An early post with footage of a Jackeroo doing it's best to impersonate a duck and almost a fish got me thinking.. obviously haveinga
snorkel minimises the chances of
water ingestion, but are the real limitations on fording depth.
Several things can go wrong so there are obviously as many limitations as guides for fording so there is probably eqwually as many variatios to actual fording depth but lets hear some comments fom those who have learnt the hard way.. .
It might be one thing to cross a still pond with
water over th ebonnet in a petrol, but when crossing fast flowing
water there is the very real rish of 'floating enough to loose traction.. if this happens, whats the consesus? open the doors.. accept some wet carpet for the sake of keeping the
wheels on the bottom and getting through..
What other things can go wrong?? Assuming you have a
snorkel, is
water over the bonet the limitation? Obviously just getting the diffs wet can be a problem i they have a leak..
I guess what I'm trying to do is start o thread that brings out all the do'don't of fording.. based on tried and practices methods and/or mistakes made by others.
Cheers
Reply By: Motherhen - Thursday, Dec 08, 2005 at 11:55
Thursday, Dec 08, 2005 at 11:55
If the
water is fast moving and more than a few inches (say 10 or 15?) - don't. Lives have been lost by people thinking they know the area and that it is ok to cross. I will be watching for others experience. We have a summer crossing on the river near us, and have taken the Lancruiser through when it was in flood, reasonable flow, and probably almost up to the top of the tyres. Kept the speed up. My late uncle used to live by the crossing, and got sick and tired of perpetually taking his tractor to pull people out of the river. Luckily it is a wide spot, so not too deep once washed off the crossing so there have been no fatalities here. Further downstream, in hilly country, it is more dangerous.
AnswerID:
142960
Reply By: Bill_Leonay - Thursday, Dec 08, 2005 at 12:18
Thursday, Dec 08, 2005 at 12:18
I remember years ago down the back of Nowra crossing a
creek in a sierra. It looked pretty deep, but being
young, stupid, and out with my girlfriend, I just decided to drive through it.
I now know sierras float just below the windscreen, and they are surprisingly
water-tight. The car floated for about 10 meters or so, with a wave coming up the windscreen. I didn't have a
snorkel or anything, and simply drove up and out the other side.
I spose the lesson there was sometimes it'll work like a charm, the engine doesn't stall, and you get the girl. The one time you get stuck, it will be at 7pm on a cold, rainy winter night......
hahaha
AnswerID:
142964
Reply By: Footloose - Thursday, Dec 08, 2005 at 12:41
Thursday, Dec 08, 2005 at 12:41
Walk it first. If fast flowing and in flood then don't go there.Large holes filled with
water can do just as much damage to your vehicle as a
creek or
river crossing. It's time to have a break when you come across them. (That's why a
Cape York Trip takes so long ). Like all obstacles stop, look and think "do I have to go there". A few minutes stopping may enable the drive train to let of steam so that the seals aren't infused with sticky goo you that was once oil and grease. Get your passengers to walk both wheel tracks. That what passengers are for. If there's a drop or a large rock in that mess, that's where your passengers stand.
Stop, let the diffs cool and observe any traffic. Is it a
tidal river ? Are there crocs ?
Tarp across bonnet, strap attached in case, 2nd gear and maintain the bow wave.
Remember the old advice, "If in doubt, don't".
AnswerID:
142967
Follow Up By: Member - Stan (VIC) - Thursday, Dec 08, 2005 at 15:00
Thursday, Dec 08, 2005 at 15:00
That's about sums it up. We normally get a short lunch brake before
the crossing to allow everything to cool down.
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Reply By: Tuff60 - Thursday, Dec 08, 2005 at 12:50
Thursday, Dec 08, 2005 at 12:50
With the cruiser, I will happily do a metre or spo of depth, have done up to metre and a half, but filled the cab and it did start to splutter, this is with no
snorkel and a custom airbox setup.
With the rental, brand new Ford Crown Victoria, I a creek/
river crossing of just under 2 feet, with a soft bottom, used mainly momentum on that one, it went through fine. I went through it, the day before and had to get out after rain. Figured the XD I used to own could do it, so could the rental.
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Reply By: Kiwi Kia - Thursday, Dec 08, 2005 at 18:11
Thursday, Dec 08, 2005 at 18:11
If you ford
water deeper then 600 mm then check it out first. If you have difficulty standing then the curent is a bit fast so watch the depth as when you float you will be swept along with the curent and possibly into a deeper hole! Try to cross either at right angle or heading down stream rather then up stream or the current will push
water up into a wall in front of the engine. In calm
water try to move at a speed that forces a small bow wave about a hand-span high in front of the vehicle. If traveling in a tunnel remember that when your bow wave hits the tunnel wall it will reflect back and increase the height of your bow wave so you may have travel a little faster.
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