Simple Beach Recovery tool idea

[adrenaline503]

Its just a picket.

These models are used for mountaineering and if properly set and laid out provide plenty of holding power. If you want more info on the details and how to make it for vehicle recovery let me know.

 

[wanderer-rrorc]

get the handle from yer highlift and use it as the cross handle for one of these...many lenghts..

http://www.tractorsupply.com/home-i...in-l-earth-anchor-with-6-in-dia-auger-3610927

 

[nebep]

Its just a picket.

These models are used for mountaineering and if properly set and laid out provide plenty of holding power. If you want more info on the details and how to make it for vehicle recovery let me know.

I'd suggest a third one of these LONGER than two and setup a "tripod" with the longest one at the back as you face it. Bolt the three together with an anchor shackle.

The idea is, as you're winching yourself out, you're pulling the front two posts further into the ground enhancing your anchorability. Once you're out, if you can't get the two out by hand, flip your anchor shackle and pull it out with the winch slowly.

(I don't know how much of this is discussed here, but, hopefully a LOT - when you're down in sand, you must have additional force to overcome your resistence created because of the "mire resistence" you're in. So, be prepared to use hardware with higher WLL to prevent catostraphic failure.)

 

[alexrex20]

I grew up in Corpus and spent huge amounts of time on the island in the sugar sand there so I can give you some driving hints.
1. NEVER EVER EVEN ONCE SPIN YOUR TIRES, YOU WILL ONLY DIG A GRAVE FOR THE VEHICLE!!!!!

um, WRONG

sometimes what it takes to get unstuck, or not get stuck in the first place is some good ol' fashioned wheelspin.

but like others said, air down and you'll be fine on PINS. try to time your driving with the tides. when the tide is out, you can drive on the hard-packed beach closer to the water - it's nice and smooth.

PINS is not the place to get stuck though, because in the off-season you can go days without seeing a single person.

if all else fails, dig yourself out! it's just sand.

 

[Master-Pull]

Have you guys ever buried a spare tire in the sand/ snow and used that to winch off of? I have heard of it being done in the past but never been able to try it out.

-Alex

 

[nebep]

Have you guys ever buried a spare tire in the sand/ snow and used that to winch off of? I have heard of it being done in the past but never been able to try it out.

-Alex

That actually makes sense - I've been racking my "previous life - bring tractor trailers back up on their wheels from steep embankment" brain seeing if I can figure out how to test the anchorability of something like that....first thought is you'd need to dig a heck of a hole PLUS pack the sand/snow down as tightly as you can, and not just over where you dig the hole. It's like you're doing the "praying mantis on the surface of the water" trick from underground...

IMHO - it's all about how deep in the mire you are. As you get stuck deeper, you need more force in order to get out, and with more force comes the requirement of more anchorability.

 

[chet]

I have done the buried tire trick and it worked for my light little rig although it was alot of work! I carry a fullsize shovel with me now after that experience

 

[Mr. Leary]

Something that has worked well for me (Grew up in Galveston) other than not getting stuck in the first place is to not push it once you bog down. Just get out, inspect, and grab you buckets to go get some water to wet the sand. A good peice of plywood and a scissor jack are also valuable tools to jack up and fill in with nice wet sand. Airing down is the single biggest way you can keep yourself from getting stuck in the first place. When you stop, face the beach, let gravity work with you. I've done a lot of surfing on remote beaches with a front wheel drive vehicle, and I can assure you that all it takes is a little common sense and driving skill and you can do anything at PINS except maybe big shell beach (just keep your speed up and get ready to get a lottle airborne) easily. Forget the anchor, bring two buckets, a small shovel, a scissor jack and a half sheet of plywood...and try not to get stuck in the first place.

If you have to bury your tire, so be it. It WILL work, and it will be a learning experience for you.

Dear McGuyver... :coffeedrink:

BTW, There is a cleanup down there 20 March. Hope to see you there!

 

[Strizzo]

i was down there a couple weeks ago, and to see how tough the soft sand really is, i drove into it and stopped in 2wd. i found that the key is to not spin the tires once you start to bog down and stop. when this happened, i stopped, and tried reverse, which usually would go a bit and then start to get stuck again. then back to forward and out, usually. i didn't have to put it in 4wd to get out, but i also wasn't on big shell.

 

[alexrex20]

mike, my nissan club is going down there april 24th for some beach cleanup, and of course some good fishing.

who is going on march 20? got a link to a thread about it?

 

[MunkeyTX]

Just last week I made a split second decision to head out to the beach to do some tooling around.

Result? Stuckage...major stuckage, all my wheeling recovery equipment at home, no one around in sight, cell signal nil, way past where any sane person would be. It actually happened when I stopped to look around on foot; got back in and 'BRRP!', I went down instead of forward. I thought, "Beach, please, don't you know who I am? Shoot, I've been up and down you more times than I can remember, and I've never gotten stuck...I'll show you who's boss around here!!" Put it in 4-low, reverse, and gunned it. Now I had sand fountains front and rear. Tried forward 2nd gear, no go. OH CRAP AM I STUCK? ******? :Wow1:

Front skid was kissing the sand, lower a-arms were all up in the beaches business, and frame was about 1/2" from entering into unholy matrimony with the sand. Fark, major fark. No straps, no sand ladders, no shovel....Ah-HA! The plastic cover to the rear storage area should work! Every time I dug out a nice clean path for the tires, it would either get filled in by gravity, or the wind would blow it back in. Spent about an hour digging, got everything to point where it looked like I would make it out. Decided now would be a good time to test the testicular fortitude of my beads in the single digit PSI zone...but I didn't even have a friggin' tire gauge so I used a pen and just eyeballed it.

Thankfully, she popped right out. Was a looong ride back to the nearest service station with tires that low. Got many looks and points from passing motorists pointing to my tires...don't they know I was urban'wheeling?

 

[alexrex20]

did you also forget your underpants when you went out there?

thanks for the laugh.

 

[Mr. Leary]

I've seen a lot of folks park on boards or driftwood when they set up camp out there. It makes sense since the wind can dig out the sand around your tires and make you have to get over the hump to get out. Never done it myself, but I guess it could save you some time on the other end.


Alex, here is the link to the cleanup. Hope some of you guys can make it out.

http://www.billysandifer.com/

 

[njsjeep]

Would it be possible to scale up a deadman snow anchor, a fluke, used in climbing to use in sand as a winch anchor. A fluke is pushed into the snow and the cables buried so the top one is level to the snow surface. Tension on the cable causes the fluke to dig down and the wide face of the fluke pushes against the snow holding the load. Here is a picture of a fluke and a sketch of a scaled up version. It would need to be made of stiff metal, maybe 5/16" thick and have maybe a couple of square feet of surface area but this is all supposition on my part, just throwing the idea out there.

 

[Pskhaat]

1. NEVER EVER EVEN ONCE SPIN YOUR TIRES, YOU WILL ONLY DIG A GRAVE FOR THE VEHICLE!!!!!
2. The best "get out" tool is available in endless amounts right at hand. Water, wet sand packs solid.

I agree with these two statements, especially #2. #1 is very true if it is not too humid or if the wind is blowing. At Expedition Trophy we had a sand recovery with a running nearby stream. I was hoping someone would use the water technique. Alas no, but that's not material, what is is that water-packed sand solves most stucks.