An inevitable part of dune driving is getting stuck – but I never consider a car to be truly “stuck” until you need a rope or a winch to pull it out.
The Refusal
Sometimes it takes two – or maybe more – gos to reach the top of a dune, however so long as you can reverse down and try again, you are not stuck! Unlike show jumping there are no penalty points for a refusal, although after attempt three you will probably find your friends reaching for their cameras.
If at first you don’t succeed:
- Consider your tyre pressure – is it suitable for the conditions.
- Try a different gear combination.
- Reverse all the way back down until the back of your car is higher than the front and make another run at it.
- Each car which goes up the hill softens the sand a little more so take a track slightly to the right or left for more chance of success.
- If you are almost there then try wiggling the steering wheel very slightly (like you see in driving scenes in 1960’s movies) which will give your wheels extra traction.
The Situation
It is a fact that most “stucks” can be driven out of, even by beginners with a little encouragement and instruction. The most important thing is not to floor the accelerator and dig the car in even more; keep calm, assess the situation and you will often work out a solution.
As with refusals, the first thing to check is tyre pressures and make sure they are optimal for conditions;
- Consider changing to 4LOW to give you extra power but be aware that 4LOW and 1st gear will see so much power to the wheels that your car will often move too slowly to gain sufficient momentum to move.
- Engage differential lock if you have it
- Clear sand from in front and behind all four wheels – mini sand dunes built up in front and behind tyres give your car unnecessary work
- Remove “self-loading cargo” – i.e. passengers, less weight in the car does make a difference – and they can help you with clearing the wheels
- Find a harder patch of sand to aim for by walking around the immediate area.
The Stuck
There are many reasons why you may be truly stuck; cresting – where your car is balanced on a crest, especially easy in a long wheelbase but possible also with short wheelbases; parking on soft, flat sand meaning no gravity to help you move away; caught in a bowl with no easy exit; stuck behind a bush or other obstacle; the list goes on…
First try a self-recovery using some of the tips above – unless you are out in the middle of the day in summer, in which case, reach for the nearest winch or snatch strap! If that fails then you truly are stuck and will need assistance from one or more of the other cars in your convoy.
Extracting a car from a stuck is a potentially dangerous operation so thought should be given to safety.
If you have a winch, this is the safest and most gentle method of recovery however, bear in mind that:
- Steel winch ropes recoil if they snap so everyone should stand well clear.
- A winch is most efficient when there is only one layer of rope on the drum – so park your car a little bit away from the stuck one.
- Park the recovery vehicle sensibly – to make sure it does not get stuck too.
Winches are a very useful modification for your car but they are expensive and mostly used to help “other” people so for many, the only option is a strap
- Use a rated “snatch” strap – these are different from tow straps, in that they are elasticated and store up kinetic energy to pop the car out of the stuck.
- Use rated shackles – metal ones will have the safe weight load stamped on them and synthetic ones will have this information on the packet.
- Sometimes you cannot get the recovery car close enough but you can join two snatch straps – but never use a metal shackle to do this. Instead use a synthetic shackle or check out YouTube to research safe methods of joining them.
- Snatch straps sometimes break so you should ensure everyone is standing at least 1.5 times the length of the strap away from the recovery.
Sometimes, just sometimes, I lead an expedition which turns out to be a “Teflon Trip”, i.e. not stuck! That is not the aim of my trips but is a product of my group being taught self-recovery skills and putting them to good use!
Don’t be embarrassed when you get stuck, it happens to the best of us and you should just learn from it and move on!
Words + Photos by: Marina Bruce
