New Offroaders,

Submitted: Sunday, Aug 13, 2006 at 20:30

ThreadID: 36744 Views:3309 Replies:8 FollowUps:7

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Geoff (Newcastle, NSW)

Hello Crew,
I went for an outing today along Stockton Beach, threw the longboard in the back of the Troopy and went for a Surfin' Safari.

I got on and off the beach at Birubi, the northern end. I went as far south as the Sygna.

When I was both letting my tyres down and pumping them up a couple of different guys approached me and asked about pressures, why let the tyres down at all? etc. Both of these fellows admitted to being newbies.
I take my hat off to both of them for knowing what they didn't know and being prepared to ask someone they thought looked like had a bit to share. (Pity they found me, don't know about you guys but from what I've learned Troopy's seem to say "experience" to others) There was even a guy in a Subaru reading the owners manual as he was letting down the tyres, good for him he knew he needed to do something with the tyres!

Unlike the bloke in the brand new 100 Series wagon who roared past when I was airing down. I found the same bloke a kilometer further on bogged and then letting the tyres down. Enter my best royal wave!!

What I'm trying to say is, it's great to see good people out there having fun and being prepared to learn.

Geoff.

Geoff,

Grey hair is hereditary, you get it from children. Baldness is caused by watching the Wallabies.

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Reply By: Member - andrew B (Kununurra) - Sunday, Aug 13, 2006 at 20:53

Sunday, Aug 13, 2006 at 20:53

Gday Geoff

Yep, i'll admit sometimes I don't like to ask advice, but it is a good thing to do and it is good to see people doing it. Its funny how people consider letting down/pumping up tyres to be a chore. Stop the car, gife it a once over, crack a beer (safety and law taken into consideration). Its a part of the trip, no different to lighting a fire or setting up a tent.

I don't do much sand driving, but having been overtaken by a few on roads like the Gibb, only to see them shortly changing a tyre is similar. Its good to slow right down, stop, and ask if they need a hand.......always respond with a no thanks.....its funny when its 40 degrees.

There is a bit of pressure on you when you get asked advice though, I hope never to give someone a bum steer. Just the other day I advised a famoly we met at home velley that they should go into Mitchell falls, their camper should be fine......If they get several flats and break a spring I'm not going to look like a nice bloke! (I did say I got away with the trip, highlighted the potential hazards and said it was their decision in the end)

Smetimes we need to ask a bit more, as you point out!

Cheers Andrew

AnswerID: 188827

Follow Up By: Geoff (Newcastle, NSW) - Monday, Aug 14, 2006 at 13:50

Monday, Aug 14, 2006 at 13:50

Funny watching some buggers isn't it? They raise stupidity to an art form.

I think you are right on the chore part of letting down and pumping up tyres. They are the first to complain when the vehicle won't do what they want and when a tyre fails they'll give the dealer and brand of tyre hell.

Yesterday I had a shocker and dropped the first tyre to 12psi, far lower than I normally use on the beach. What the hell, I just dropped the other three to 12 as well. I went absolutely everywhere on the dunes coming home. Never had an ounce of trouble.

The ones that worry me are the blokes that fly over blind sand dunes and hope to hell there's nobody coming the other way!

Now the weathers warming up us regular visitors to Stockton Beach are entering the entertainment season. Get onto the beach early, get settled and about 10:00am the F3 crowd finish the run up from Sydney. It's even more entertaining if the high tide is about 3:00pm!

Bogged vehicles, highway pressures, no recovery gear, no idea and worst of all a sheite attitude. Though at times nature has interesting ways of chlorinating the gene pool.

Geoff.

Geoff,

Grey hair is hereditary, you get it from children. Baldness is caused by watching the Wallabies.

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Reply By: ross - Sunday, Aug 13, 2006 at 21:06

Sunday, Aug 13, 2006 at 21:06

Im sure some owners see it as a threat to their manhood to deflate their tyres.

I had a friend come round the other day. He has had a 1990 patrol for a couple of years and he was telling me all about this place where he went offroad for the 1st time last week
Its a spot Ive been to many many times and when I asked him what psi he deflated his tyres too,he seem to think I was knocking his 4wd and begun insisting his patrol doesnt need it

Well after much debate I conviced him to try it next time.
It was when I told he stood to gain from lower fuel consumption that he begun to listen;)
I guess the old petrol lwb patrol put a hole in his wallet that day: )

AnswerID: 188829

Reply By: ross - Sunday, Aug 13, 2006 at 21:15

Sunday, Aug 13, 2006 at 21:15

The newbies can be a pain sometimes. I come across one bellied on top of a sand dune last week.
I suggested that with lower psi and a different angle he might have made it.
It didnt seem to sink in.
While I was turning around to pull him off the dune he had already attached his strap to the towballs on each of our 4wds.
I politely told him how they can turn into cannonballs if they snap off but I dont think it sunk in.
Ok,so now we are set up to pull him off the dune.

Nope we are not ,for some reason my wheels are spinning and he is not moving.

I get out and he doesnt think its neccessary to start his engine,mine will do all the work.
I bit my toungue and told him nicely it would require the effort of both vehicles.

Boat ramps and soft sand seems to attract em ; )

AnswerID: 188831

Follow Up By: Exploder - Sunday, Aug 13, 2006 at 21:55

Sunday, Aug 13, 2006 at 21:55

It’s not just the Newcomers ether.

We ran into a group of real bloody cowboys today wile out on some trails.

We rescued one well-stuck solo 4WD and then watched as another 4WD from a group of 3 drove into the exact same bog hole we just pulled this guy out of.

We couldn’t f**king believe it!!! ,That recovery turned dangerous, just about every Rule regarding the safe use of snatch straps was broken and bleep on by these bunch of Cowboys it was just luck nobody was injured, we got the hell out of there after seeing how they operated!!!

FollowupID: 446113

Follow Up By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Sunday, Aug 13, 2006 at 22:18

Sunday, Aug 13, 2006 at 22:18

Yes there's plenty of them around. I was asked to snatch out a couple of guys who'd got well and truley stonkered in some mud. Because of the nature of the area it involved two snatches joined together. They had very thoughtfully joined two of their snatches for me. One guy started hooking the snatch up to the rear of my vehicle and I was overlooking the "operation". I then noticed that they had joined the two snatches with a shackle!! I put my hand over my reece hitch as he was about to slot it through the pin and said "Sorry guys, I don't really feel like dying today, you either get something to join those snatchs properly or I'm outta here". They then thought I was a weird bastard for strapping mat's over the two straps. They honestly had no idea... People do not realise the dangers involved in this recreation.

And regarding the reece hitch, yes I do use it for recovery even though it is a debatable topic. With a 4runner/surf chasis/body rear recovery points are very tricky to mount and the reece hitch is very securly mounted with 6 bolts, welds and cross bars.

The other thing that blows me away is the fact that people think it's fine and dandy to stand 5 metres away from a recovery and that all will be well! I am constantly telling passengers and other 4wders to GET AWAY before a recovery.
I once got asked "Well how far should we go then?". I said "If you can see what's going on you're too close! Go and stand behind that dune".

Man, people have been killed at 10m by snatch straps, when will people learn?

FollowupID: 446124

Reply By: Footloose - Sunday, Aug 13, 2006 at 23:42

Sunday, Aug 13, 2006 at 23:42

I've been using a 4wd for touring the outback since 1973, and still know bugger all. Two mobs I met recently know a heck of a lot less!
One guy doing 120K in places (according to his passenger) over the Plenty. Didn't even have a screwdriver with him !
Some females who once again zoomed around Centralia. They came unstuck changing a tyre and didn't know how much fuel they had left.
An ex oil driller told me of a guy who arrived at their camp demanding two tyres changed asap. He had wife and kids in back, wife was crying because they had arrived on "square rims". How to win friends and influence people !
I've had a bit of help from time to time in the bush, and am always grateful for a hand. I rekkon what goes around........
I know snatch straps are great in the right hands, but I find it's healthier to keep clear of em. They are up there with hi lift jacks in my estimation. I carry one but would have to be desperate to use it.

AnswerID: 188857

Reply By: _gmd_pps - Sunday, Aug 13, 2006 at 23:42

Sunday, Aug 13, 2006 at 23:42

yeah especially guys like this ..

" target="EOF" class="lbg">www.break.com/movies/sanddune1.html

have fun
gmd

AnswerID: 188858

Follow Up By: ross - Monday, Aug 14, 2006 at 10:13

Monday, Aug 14, 2006 at 10:13

no workys : (

FollowupID: 446163

Follow Up By: BenSpoon - Monday, Aug 14, 2006 at 12:21

Monday, Aug 14, 2006 at 12:21

Sand Dune

FollowupID: 446188

Follow Up By: Member - Scott M (NSW) - Monday, Aug 14, 2006 at 22:29

Monday, Aug 14, 2006 at 22:29

These are the sort of idiots you've got to worry about....

Site Link

FollowupID: 446349

Reply By: Muzzgit (WA) - Monday, Aug 14, 2006 at 00:16

Monday, Aug 14, 2006 at 00:16

I snatched an old FJ45 ute out of the beach at 80 mile beach. The diik heads had 45psi in the tyres [750/16's], they didn't have any tools or rope or even a jack!!!!

They thought I was mad when I got out my staun's and let their tyre down before I hooked up the snatch strap.

The guy was spinning his tyres, digging himself in further, even after I said he should stop so I can help. But no, he kept at it, making it worse than it should've been.

AnswerID: 188862

Reply By: Sand Man (SA) - Monday, Aug 14, 2006 at 05:15

Monday, Aug 14, 2006 at 05:15

G'day Geoff,

A longboard?.....heyyy!.....what do you call "long"?

Takes me back to my surfing youth. We used to head south from Adelaide in a Holden Panel van with the 14 foot Malibu's sticking out of the rear window. Gee they were heavy compared to the current crop of "knee boards".

Arh!.... those surfing days, where a bottle of port and a bottle of green ginger wine went hand in hand with those colder days on the water.

Bill

I'm diagonally parked in a parallel Universe!

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AnswerID: 188865

Follow Up By: Geoff (Newcastle, NSW) - Monday, Aug 14, 2006 at 09:20

Monday, Aug 14, 2006 at 09:20

Well Mr Sandman Panelvan, I guess at 9' 6" my "longboard" qualifies for being a shark biscuit by your measure!

Port and Green ginger Wine, now that killed some memories!

Geoff.

Geoff,

Grey hair is hereditary, you get it from children. Baldness is caused by watching the Wallabies.

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Reply By: ross - Monday, Aug 14, 2006 at 10:16

Monday, Aug 14, 2006 at 10:16

When someone is stuck and they are obviously inexperienced ,I make it clear Im in charge of the recovery.
If they dont like it, fine,I get back in my cruiser and it saves me getting dirty; )

AnswerID: 188884