The Snorkel's relevance to North American overlanding

Bullseye240

Adventurer
I hate to break it to everybody in this thread that is pro snorkel but the flaw in your logic is this, it doesn't matter how big or how large of a diameter your snorkel is, you are only going to be able to cross as deep of water as your significant other in the passenger seat allows you too. Unless of course you are trying to drive them away that is.
 

W0lfpack91

New member
In Kentucky I live in a river flood area, Our property sits on a little hill in a valley like area. In the flood seasons When the river gets high There's only 3 ways to get to our house. Boat, Helicopter, And a vehicle with a decent snorkel and at minimum 4" of lift. I have an old Ford pick up that I don't care much for the interior That we used to go back-and-forth during floods. It's been fairly reliable And we use it several times a year, Basically all we did Was run PVC pipe From the intake through the Fender and up above the cab And then just put a K&N cone filter on the end of the PVC "snorkel" above the cab.

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Meili

Adventurer
Did not read the whole thread but those worried about the "flow" on thier set up could use one of these: http://filterminder.com/

I am sure with some creativity you could make multiple ports to monitor/test.

A simple vacuum gauge would work too.
 

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Marine

Adventurer
I hate to break it to everybody in this thread that is pro snorkel but the flaw in your logic is this, it doesn't matter how big or how large of a diameter your snorkel is, you are only going to be able to cross as deep of water as your significant other in the passenger seat allows you too. Unless of course you are trying to drive them away that is.

The above quote says it all.
 

Laramieskibum

New member
3 years ago my BIL hydrolocked his 06 powerwagon on a puddle I was behind him waiting to enter. A mud hole maybe 2-3’ deep with a steep entrance less than a truck length long. Nothing crazy. Kids and wife in both trucks. Just out for a yearly cruise to a swimming hole in national forest lands on a legal road. A road I’ve taken every spring for years on the same weekend.

What was different? A) Higher snow melt. B) His after market custom welded up heavy bumper was not made with a wagon in mind but a 2500/3500. The plastic wheel wells were slightly trimmed to fit it. C) Water slushed to the back of the puddle as he entered, came back, traveled inside the passenger wheel up into the intake just as his wheel completely entered the hole. I crossed the same puddle/ditch to come around and recover him. We were both in 4x4 low. I went even slower into the puddle, much slower than I would have if i was going first after watching that trash his truck so easily — it easily could have been me.

Pulled the plugs. Turned it over. Trashed. Dropped a rod. Had to tow him all the way back to hard road and trailer it back home. I didn’t even get muddy pulling him out when I connected a tow strap, that’s how small the hole was.

My fender liners have also been trimmed to clear 37” tires with a hockey puck lift before I purchased the truck. I could purchase new OEM fenders to get protection back but won’t be much less than snorkel (“raised air intake”).

Ever since we never went out that forest road road. There are only a handful of legal roads in our area that would turn me around due to similar conditions all of them a blast when they are muddy and legal. I’m talking blm and forest roads in the mountain west. That road in northern Utah has since been closed and rerouted and more of that is to come in the west. This road had it coming because people would not stick to the track and tore up meadows.

Only 1 other road I frequent in my travels would concern me, or so I thought until I witnessed this simple water crossing go wrong. I’ve since tested the ram air system to see how much leak by it allows (since the AEV snorkel for ram Cummins is not water proof due to this). It is a mere trickle of water into the air box with a garden hose at full force - so a snorkel system could help in a steep water entry scenario if the engine is cool and ram air system is closed. Looks like the same sort of entrance you might see during higher water conditions on Kane creek trail in Moab.

That said, I still haven’t gone the cheap insurance way of preventing a such a thing to my truck - I just turn around now. But it remains on my list.

Edit: think this sort of entrance only with the passenger side wheel well low (intakes on this side) not driver. Kane creek Utah
3948b8778b96ec2a550860a7565f79a5.jpg


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