Techniques for newbies

Hi landie type people:

I've noticed that over the vast time that we have been laning (three weeks) I have learnt an awful lot from listening to people who go out with us. (Thanks to Spyderman and Urban Dekay for their unfailing support advice and merciless **** taking sometimes).

I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread asking for your ideas or advice regarding techniques for getting out of difficult positions without resorting to recovery.

Someone told me, for instance, that if sliding sideways I should steer into... rather than out of.. the incline. This would help me remain upright (kind of important when my youngest passenger is only 16 months!). I assume this is true but knowing now might save me some heartache.

As mentioned here or in the newbie blog... Spyderman helped me realise that KEEP GOING is usually the rule of the day when in wet mud.

Any other gems of wisdom would be great for both me ('cos I don't mind admitting I'm a bit dim with these things) and those who might be embarassed to askl for obvious advice. So come on... gove it your best. What's the worst position you've been in, and how did you drive out of it?

Never Go Alone

Ryder said:

Someone told me, for instance, that if sliding sideways I should steer into... rather than out of.. the incline. This would help me remain upright

Click to expand...

Well....I never knew that...but then again I'm a noob too.

I 2nd this emotion...tis a good idea!!!

raz's advice is best..

if sliding sideways I should steer into... rather than out of.. the incline.

this bit i am kinda confused wiv a little you was told to try steer up the hill if you start slideing?

if you start sliding you want to avoid broodsideing the car as that will cause you to roll...

so it would depend on how you slide ? on how you would recover..

but i would prefere to get my nose pointing downhill if it started sliding rather than end up reversing down.

spudy said:

raz's advice is best..

if sliding sideways I should steer into... rather than out of.. the incline.

this bit i am kinda confused wiv a little you was told to try steer up the hill if you start slideing?

Click to expand...

I would guess that if you start sliding you will start to slide downhill...and so you should try to avoid steering into it cos you would then broadside to the hill...which may cause you to roll...if it's a steep hill.

I think I'd prefer to be facing uphill in that situation....cos I have 5 forward gears with a low box as well...so hope I could recover OK.

All speculation of course cos I ain't been in that sitooation yet.

I imagine... being as I am pretty good at physics, that steering into the decline would reduce the tendancy for the vehicle to roll. If you can face out of the slide then your chances for diving out are better, but your chances of rolling are inreased... any physics professors available for comment?

Ryder said:

I imagine... being as I am pretty good at physics, that steering into the decline would reduce the tendancy for the vehicle to roll. If you can face out of the slide then your chances for diving out are better, but your chances of rolling are inreased... any physics professors available for comment?

Click to expand...

Ummm...is that DIVING out or DRIVING out??

The only time I've ever leaned downhill is when I skiied and I don't want to go skiing in my Landy.

Ther's already a fred on this, but just to put me two'pennorth in. If you get stuck on a greenlane the chances are that you shunt have bin there in the fost place. An if you driving down a rutted track chances are that you ant a hope in hell of getting out of the ruts, so if the ruts miss a tree you'll miss the tree as well, Tek yer hands off the wheel and find out.

TIRFOR!!! I've seen the light, it's the way forward!!!

Mornin Trewy!

Mornin Odie.

Well the rain din't wash much of the mud off! ave ter git the pressure washer out.

Most of the surface mud came off on the A30, but i washed the underside with the jetwasher yesterday and hadn't realised what a bargain we had - i thought a tenner was good till i realised that i came away with £20 worth of topsoil!

Had to make it look reasonable, i'm in for MOT this afternoon - always reckon they look for more if it looks like it's been through the myre.

Been drivin round Losty this mornin and it's mostly 1 1/2 to 2 ft under water, great fun - saw lots of the alternator light though...is that normal when under water?

Yup - the alt belt is pretty low down and can slip when submerged.

MOT man can refuse to test if there's too much mud, so good idea to remove it. Good luck - hope it passes!

same mate, good luck! i know how much we all hate that time of year!

Thanks, fingers crossed - i feel like i'm waiting to go into an exam - but this time the answers ain't written in tiny writing on me wrist behind me massive calculator-watch-with-a-melody-alarm!!!

as for trying to point down the slope regarding the steer into and away, its all well and good if yer trying to get round a bend on an angle, its a strait up failed hill climb thattle get yer, spesh in wet mud, the first sign of your attempt failing just brake clutch reverse and let go and just keep it strait, even if yer try and hold it on the brakes for some reason it never wants to go strait back down.
only experience its gonna teach you all but worse case scenario, i had a rather steep hill once and once the slide came it was a case of full power and try to spin it back round, also if yer aint in diff lock youll find it wont wanna steer for you at all if on wet stuff. best example is this.................
oooo and take some undwear to change into!!!!! hehe .........
YouTube - 4x4 up hill climb LUCKY NEAR DEATH enjoy!

fook me - THATS greenlaning! - maybe toyboatas, but still pretty good.

NOT the way to do it.

The Mad Hat Man said:

NOT the way to do it.

Click to expand...

its obvious, innit?

the driver has two brains, he uses one for breathing and the other dint work

I gotta tell ya Grunt... that seems a little narrow. I mean its all very well to say that if the lane's bad don't drive it, but sometimes there is a short secion of lane that has a slight problem or is rutted and the only common sense thing to do is drive through it. Also... everyone makes mistakes.

(As the hedgehog said climbing off the hairbrush)