Towing a van in the soft sand Help please ?

Probably.

Would I do it?

Probably not.

If I had a bad heart - definitely not.

There is nothing better to make the heart beat fast than racing the tide when you're up to the gunwhales.

Cheers
Andrew.

I doubt if you will be able to tow that weight when the sand is soft. Hard stuff no worries.
I think you will be asking for trouble when the going get tough.
Regards
KEN

Hi BBB, I only have a 16' caravan but when full loaded I would guess it would be around 2000kg, I go to teewah beach, moreton and fraser and as yet not had any major problems (not saying I havn't been bogged but always got out)although at moreton this year I stayed on the west coast and the only problem was getting back on micat at hi tide, had to let the tyres down to 9 or 10pounds as I couldn't get a run off. When I did go to the other side in the past I made sure I had someone else with me just in case. Moreton's sand seems to be worse for some reasion but timing the tides seems to be the answer.
Wazzaaaaaaa

it is not just the weight per wheel .. the total weight and resistance in soft sand is much higher ... I would NOT go where the water would get me .. when I tow my boat trailer through the sand (2.4t loaded) I always make sure I have an anchor point for the vehicle to winch out .. the boat is no problem it swims .. your caravan sinks ... if you want to go places on the beach I would stay out of the waterline (soft sand is there too) and would take sand ladders .. if it gets too soft lay sand ladders .. it's not meant for long distances but to reach the spot for the next 2 weeks :)) ...
Even a stronger vehicle like my new one will not necessarily be better , it is heavier and stronger though, but when it gets stuck its even harder ... there is only so much you can do with a 20footer ... like Andrew said ... racing the tide is stressful .. :))

good luck
gmd

BBB, I haven't towed that sort of weight in soft sand, but I do tow a 1,500KG trailer with a 3 lt TD Hilux. Your trailer might be heavier, but your GU will have more torque as well (if it's a 4.2 TD). It will still be tougher for you though with the extra weight.

In the cuttings and getting to the Fraser barge etc, you should be OK with tyre pressure and plenty of momentum. Just don't stop!!

But I'd avoid the long stretches of soft stuff, like high tide and probably Indian Head and the like.

I'd suggest that for the first trip, you travel with someone else with a powerful vehicle who can help if you get into trouble. Choose the right tides so you have plenty of time if you do get stuck.

I've seen plenty of vans and big boats at Fraser, but don't know what they weigh.

Hi BBB

I tow a boat weighing about 1.6t with a fully loaded truck through the soft cutting at Indian Head regularly. Trailer has standard 13 inch light truck radials. Key to it all is tyre pressure. I let truck tyres down to 15psi for the cutting and keep trailer tyres at 25psi as they are bagged up heaps at that pressure - this is from trial and error for my setup. Pick a gear and stick to it and follow a good non churned track through. I reckon you will have no worries. Heaps of guys towing big boats and vans through there now. Only those who don't let tyres down enough generally have problems. As Norm mentions above pick the tide to give yourself heaps of time. I choose to stick to the water line, but I know that beach well and too many drop offs and idiot backpackers to sit up higher - especially if the beach is wallowy or melon holed (knocks truck and boat around too much as well). In 25 years I have never hit a soft patch close to the water line on Fraser or Double Island

Cheers

Thanks for the replies so far.

Are there any Bush Trackers or Phenices owners out there that have done beach work as above ?

BBB

Gees BBBs,
I'd be inclined to check Jiarna's post titled 'Lost, one steel ball' . JH.