# Things to know before driving on the beach.



## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

this question has prabably been asked before, but I couldn't find the thread.. Anyway, now that I have an 4x4 I would like to learn the correct way to use my viechle to fish the surf. I have never taken a truck on the beach before so I really need all the information you guys have. even stuff that may be considered common sence.

DO I need a permit to drive on AI's beach?


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## SeaSalt (Apr 29, 2002)

I'm also interested in this thread...


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## fresh bunker (Jul 9, 2006)

yes you need a permit to drive on the beach. dont forget the necessary equipment. rope shovel, wood planks ect.


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## DERFM (Jun 19, 2004)

permit info and requirements :
http://www.nps.gov/asis/planyourvisit/osv.htm


the next thing is to air down !
how much to air down ??
depends , but a good gauge on how much is to take your foot off the gas , if you don't 'coast ' for a short distance , ya have too much air in your tires .
follow the tracks untill you get to where you want to be .. it's easier driving , usually , and most of the time there isn't any debris in the tracks . 
take it easy , if your tires start to spin , stop and let more air out


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## bryanorosz (Jan 6, 2005)

Airing down is good. But do not air down too much that you are riding on your sidewalls. Only let enough air out so that your vehicle's footprint is hitting the sand. 
Good luck and be safe!

campNfish


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## Green Cart (May 14, 2002)

*See 4 x 4 Forum*

This thread shold be moved to the 4 x 4 Forum


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## marstang50 (May 3, 2005)

Dont drive on the dunes. Dont drive in the water. For better traction, install a positive lock griptionator module pannel.


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## CrawFish (Sep 23, 2003)

Drive behind NTKG. He'll keep the sand nice and flat for you.


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

CrawFish said:


> Drive behind NTKG. He'll keep the sand nice and flat for you.


alright man... i know whos getting the eel in their face for 07. i wouldnt sleep if i were you fat boy


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## CrawFish (Sep 23, 2003)

NTKG said:


> alright man... i know whos getting the eel in their face for 07. i wouldnt sleep if i were you fat boy


That's dirty. Try that and I'll tell Amanda everything.  I'll put the curse on you, you know the leak waders and loose knots.


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## marstang50 (May 3, 2005)

that is just too funny


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

CrawFish said:


> and I'll tell Amanda everything.




dirty... i thought we were friends


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## AtlantaKing (Jul 7, 2002)

CrawFish said:


> That's dirty. Try that and I'll tell Amanda everything.  I'll put the curse on you, you know the leak waders and loose knots.


Nooooo, not the dreaded "leaky waders and loose knots" curse!  

But, if you were to have to put that hex on a person, lemme know cause I'll be bringing my video camera!


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## Newsjeff (Jul 22, 2004)

Neil, that's low callin' Crawfish a fat boy.

He's lost some weight, ya know. 

Al told me he's down to a size 16 in panties. 

Still likes them in pink, Al says.


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## CrawFish (Sep 23, 2003)

Newsjeff said:


> Neil, that's low callin' Crawfish a fat boy.
> 
> He's lost some weight, ya know.
> 
> ...


I was going to offer you a ride as I plan to head out fishing somewhere, but you just might as well walk to where you're going.


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## Newsjeff (Jul 22, 2004)

CrawFish said:


> I was going to offer you a ride as I plan to head out fishing somewhere, but you just might as well walk to where you're going.


Ya know I love ya, Teo.

Sorry fer what I posted about yer thing for pink panties.

Still need a ride Satruday.

Yer still my brother, ya know.


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## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

Talk about a thread going down the crapper..... 

A guy wants to know about driving on the sand, and it turns into what kind of panties the A/C wears at DA POINT....      

Everyone get back on track, and let's argue about AIRING DOWN....

I've been messing with 4x4's all my life, and I've NEVER aired down a tire on any beach, sandbar, or dune (legally in all cases) I've been on....It's just not necessary on any beach from Amelia Island thru St. Augustine, or any sandbar on the Satilla or Altamaha Rivers.

Must be Special Sand at all these places everybody is airing down....

The key to sand driving is, in most cases, successful negotiation of the entry/exit points. The reason for this is that there are ALWAYS gonna be morons who have no clue getting buried to the axles in these high traffic areas. Therefore, they are generally the roughest part. 

1. You gotta know how much ground clearance you have at your lowest point, the rear axle. Drag the chunk, get stuck. Pretty simple.

2. Go on and select 4x4 BEFORE you are in trouble. Carry momentum, without ANY tire spin.

3. At the FIRST sign of trouble, get out of the gas and let the vehicle stop on its own, with NO brake application. If you hit the brakes, you are gonna mound up sand in your own ruts, and you already got problems, so don't add to it.

4. Now's the time for 4 Low. Gently back up until you are on better ground, back to 4 high, select a NEW line and try again.

5. Don't tailgate, or allow yourself to be tailgated.
Leave room to maneuver between you and other vehicles. Some fool too close behind you, let him go on by, and then laugh out loud as you go by his stuck truck later.

6. NEVER spin a tire.

Think I'm fulla crap, fine. I got a steak dinner that says my little XJ will follow you anywhere you wanna go, with a full load of 50 psi in my BFG's.


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## surfcast (Nov 7, 2006)

Not everyone has an XJ...If ya get stuck with air up...don't spin yourself down...drop your air..Your truck will love ya for it. Easier on the engine and transmission. It does depend on your vehicle too.. I had a Suzuki Samurai that would go anywhere on the beach i wanted..never let air out..and most Jeeps will cruise the beach. My explorer sport will go on any beach i have been on with full air...but i see explorers buried all the time. If i'm there for the day..i drop the air. Stop at an army surlplus and get one of those folding shovels..convenient and can be a lifesaver. And a good strap is a must..never hurts to be prepared.


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## Newsjeff (Jul 22, 2004)

I've not driven in the sands of AI. However, I always air down on the Outer Banks. I've got 33" AT tires on 16X10 rims with my current truck. I've tried the sand on Hatteras Island without airing down. Let me just say I won't do that again. I didn't get stuck, but my truck didn't like it. Didn't like it at all. 

A tow stap is good to have - if not a necessity. 

If you see red sand, avoid it. That red stuff will get ya stuck with the quickness.

I air down from 60psi to 20psi. I drive on Rt. 12 the whole time I'm down and don't air up until headed home. I haven't had a problem yet.


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

I don't know about Hatteras or AI but any of you guys ever seen pure coquina? I know the FLA boys know what I'm talkin about. This shat eats Hummers,I've seen it,and learned the hard way from it. RR I believe you about most of what you said but try drivin down at Jungle Hut in north Flagler co. without baggin the rubber and you'll be real sorry. As for sand/coqina mix or sugar sand, I don't usually bag,but I know what i'm doing and being a *******, I just plain don't care,Someone will pull me out  For the record I've been stuck on the beach 3 times in about 15 years 2 of which were w/ a 2wd truck and the third was at Jungle Hut tryin to climb back up the hill to get out.


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

*Thanks a lot..*

Thanks for all the replies.... I hear those jeeps are wranglers are good on the beach. I have an 06 Durango so I'm not sure how they normally do in the sand.


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## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

barty b said:


> RR I believe you about most of what you said but try drivin down at Jungle Hut in north Flagler co. without baggin the rubber and you'll be real sorry.


******* here, too, Bro! 

When we goin', and how do you like your steaks???


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## CrawFish (Sep 23, 2003)

Railroader said:


> Talk about a thread going down the crapper.....
> 
> A guy wants to know about driving on the sand, and it turns into what kind of panties the A/C wears at DA POINT....


My bad, it's all NJ's fault.


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## justinfisch01 (Feb 19, 2006)

Your Durango will do fine, ass long as you air down to about 15-18 PSI follow the tracks that are already there and go slow.


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

*Good To hear....*

By the way I have seen several pictures of people's SUV\Trucks getting swallowed by the high tide.. What would cause some one to loose their truck?


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## DERFM (Jun 19, 2004)

kmw21230 said:


> By the way I have seen several pictures of people's SUV\Trucks getting swallowed by the high tide.. What would cause some one to loose their truck?


basically , just not paying attention to what is going on around them ..
know what the tide is doing ; coming in , going out and when it's going to come back in ...
the worst case is getting stuck below the high tide line when it is coming in ...


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## damifinowfish (May 29, 2006)

This is all great things but I would like to add my two cents worth.

Tow hook are a must:

I have tried to tow out too many greenies out only to find that they have no anchor pionts to hook a tow strap tow.

Jackes: 

The factory ones are good on the road but run out of lift in the sand. Find one that will lift your 4x4 high enough to fill in the hole you just dug with those fancy tires.

Please do not forget a good size shovel

damifinow fish


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## hooper (Mar 20, 2004)

Take a look at the NC Beach Buggy site(ncbba.org).
Lots of info on what to have handy. Do's and dont's about driving on the sand and a map or 2.

Hope this helps.

hooper


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## ReelinRod (May 29, 2003)

Airing down isn't just about not getting stuck.

Airing down reduces the strain on your entire drivetrain especially the transmission and transfer case. Driving on loose sand with hard tires takes its toll on those components.

There is a way to determine what the optimal tire pressure is for your vehicle:

Perform the following test on a flat, level and smooth surface, fully loaded as you would be for a sand run (gas tank full, passengers, cooler rack etc. included). Measure the vertical height to the bottom of the wheel (rim) from the ground. This is your 100%, street pressure, wheel height. Now reduce this height by 25%. In other words, let out air until your wheel is 75% of the street height. Measure and record this pressure and depending on your vehicle and loading scheme, front and rear tires pressure will probably differ.

This is your optimum sand pressure. This reduction typically results in more than a 250% increase in footprint area. That is like having ten tires where you only had four. This pressure is only valid for exactly what you tested. Change vehicle, tires, wheels or load and you have to retest.

Too low a tire pressure isn't good either . . . The center of the footprint begins to well up reducing the effective footprint and creating a small “traveling hill” in the center of the footprint. This hill offers increased resistance to vehicle movement.

Here's a visual on the 25% decrease and increased footprint:












Railroader said:


> I've been messing with 4x4's all my life, and I've NEVER aired down a tire on any beach, sandbar, or dune (legally in all cases) I've been on....It's just not necessary on any beach from Amelia Island thru St. Augustine, or any sandbar on the Satilla or Altamaha Rivers.
> 
> Must be Special Sand at all these places everybody is airing down....
> 
> Think I'm fulla crap, fine. I got a steak dinner that says my little XJ will follow you anywhere you wanna go, with a full load of 50 psi in my BFG's.


I can assure you that if you were to pull off the pavement at Island Beach State Park in NJ with 50 lbs of air you would most definately be following me . . . off the beach with a 30ft tow strap separating us.    

Sand there is like mashed potatoes . . . very heavy, 10 inch deep mashed potatoes.

An Exterra with 35lbs . . . 










My F-350 diesel has pulled many a Jeep, Nissan, Land Rover etc. out . . . Small trucks are not iimmune from getting stuck, much to the consternation of their owners who believed the commercial . . .


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## Surf Fish (Dec 16, 2005)

kmw21230 said:


> By the way I have seen several pictures of people's SUV\Trucks getting swallowed by the high tide.. What would cause some one to loose their truck?


Getting stuck too close to the water and not getting unstuck before the tide comes in....

What amazes me is when I see pictures of what people drive on the beach; brand new $40K trucks. I drive on the beach too, but not in my new Tundra, I drive a disposa-vehicle. If the Jeep gets stuck in the wash, I'll carry my rods back to the road, call somebody on the cell phone to come pick me and forget about it because I won't be paying for it for the next five years. 

Not to mention that if you take a brand new truck on the beach, it'll probaby rust out way before it's paid for.....


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## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

Sarge, good info as usual, but it appears that whoever was driving the X-terra violated rules 2,3,4,and 6... 

THAT's why he's stuck...


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## ReelinRod (May 29, 2003)

Railroader said:


> whoever was driving the X-terra violated rules 2,3,4,and 6...
> 
> THAT's why he's stuck...


#2 Aired down properly you can do quite good even without 4 wheel drive engaged. I have forgotten to pull the lever coming back on the beach on occasion and I am surprised how far I can drive before a little tough patch reminds me to look down.  Duhhh.  

#3 Aired down properly unless you get into some off camber stuff and slide sideways you don't have a hint of trouble.

#4 In 25 years I have only used 4-low three times on the beach and each of those was when I was pulling someone out in an emergency, _tide's-a-risin'-no-time-to-dig-out_ situation. 4-low isn't a band-aid for too much tire pressure; in a vehicle mired in sand with tires that are too hard, 4-low just creates hop which only digs you deeper. 4-low is completely unnecessary for beach driving and using it because your tires are too hard will severely overtax your vehicle.

#6 When properly aired down spinning a tire is impossible to do. If you _can_ spin a tire, you have too much pressure.

When you have aired down properly your rules become virtually moot. The ramps are not a problem, low clearance is not a problem, sand mounds when braking are not a problem, and you can't spin a tire if you tried . . .

There are beaches up here that for the most part you can get by without airing down, Wildwood, Sea Isle City, Brigantine; very hard packed sand, even well above the high water mark. . . But, even on those beaches, as you said, the ramps get torn up . . . The ramps are torn up because people need to go through with too much speed because their tire pressure is too high. The truck mires a bit, things get a little squirrelly, they power thru, spinning the tires and then they congratulate themselves on their excellent beach driving skills as they pull onto the hardpack. "*Damn! this thing is UNSTOPPABLE!*" Of course, behind them what should be a nice track over the dune is a mess, all torn up and full of squiggly ruts.

I have several appropriate descriptive terms for those guys . . . None can be stated here.

Every October at Island Beach State Park there is a huge surf fishing tournament; _The Governor's Cup_. 

It has a thousand contestants in 500 trucks and, because working it is much more fun than fishing it  , and being a Courtesy Patrol member of New Jersey Beach Buggy Association I volunteer every year to judge this event. In the 15 years this tournament has been running I have done innumerable recoveries of no-air-down experts in their magic trucks. It's funny, upon examining the situation they usually say, "I _never_ need to air down in this truck." 

IBSP, along with Long Beach Island and Seaside Park are real tough beaches, 10 - 18 psi is an absolute must to negotiate them safely and without incident.


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## robschonk (Nov 29, 2006)

kmw21230 said:


> By the way I have seen several pictures of people's SUV\Trucks getting swallowed by the high tide.. What would cause some one to loose their truck?


Here are some pictures/stories:

http://www.drumwagon.com/

Click on Pictures, then Bad Truck, Bad Bad Truck


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## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

Sarge,

I'll just leave it this way, and allow the others to have a shot at this thread for a while. 

With proper driving technique, airing down becomes virtually moot....

I've never aired down a tire,

I've never been pulled off the beach,

I don't tear up the environment.

My system works for me.

You DO have me interested enough take along a compressor sometime, and "air down" properly, according to your diagram, just to experience the difference.

Nice to know how to do it the right way, should it become necessary. 

Thanks for that info, I learned something new.


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## marstang50 (May 3, 2005)

Air Down!!


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

*stupid question..*

Why do people get so close to the water. I have seem people who are so close the water hits their tires, and I've seem people that look like was 100 feet from the shore. Why get so close that in no time you are in risk of losing your truck..


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