Well we seem to be getting ourselves into a weekly "lack of traction" adventure now that everything is soaked thru around
Melbourne.
This time however is was with the company commodores and falcons.
I'm down checking on a football scoreboard project for which I am
designing a short range radio control link and on approach I note
that a large section of the Oval is part under
water and the grass is
really slushy. So I
park just of the bitumen path
well away from
water and do my thing and then get back into the car to drive off.
Sure enough despite the relatively solid looking appearance off the verge, just the weight of the car has caused underlying mud to seep up.
Start the engine and we don't go anywhere. Thinking now, I select 2nd in the automatic Commodore, apply a little handbrake and where out.
Easy, however I know the work crew is not far behind me so I head off to warn them. Get about 500m when I see them approaching and flash the lights but they sail past.
Quick U-turn and I catch them just as they parked exactly where I did.
They realize from
wheels marks I put in the grass that this isn't good and try to get out, where apon they slide sideways on the gentle slope and embed the falcon ute further in.
I'm trying to give unheeded advice and it takes a while before they give up and give me the keys.
With 3 people we may have got it out by pushing but would have
made a real impact back at the office covered in mud, so instead
had a good look around.
Just at this time a bus load of school kids pull up and get out nearby !
Damm we really didn't needed an audience, espically this vocal one!
Noted that there was an ever so slight downhill slope behind the car.
So I thought, its like at
the beach, you need to start rolling down toward the
water for traction as sand is firmer - just don't go to far or turn to sharp!
I'm wishing however that the car was manual like my patrol as the
auto has almost no-feel in such slick conditions and you can't tell
when the
wheels start to spin.
Jumped in the ute with plan to reverse in the direction of the slight slope.
(this slope was away from the road - so this had better work !)
Wheels began to spin and carefully applied increasing handbrake to transfer spinning
wheels force to the non-spining
wheels.
Of course both
wheels started to spin, but with careful control got the car moving backwards and then kept it backwards until velocity increased enough to execute a large arc which brought the car back to the road to the amusement of all.