Hitt Wash Crossing

[dhackney]

30 July, 2007
Hitt Wash
Santa Maria Mountains
Northwest Arizona, USA

The white Toyota Tacoma pickup slowly moved into the water, dipping its front wheels in gradually and proceeding until the rears were also half submerged. It paused on the river’s shelf with the water in the slack side pool lapping gently against the rock rails running from the front to rear wheel wells. The rails would protect the lower body of the Tacoma from rocks, but they could do nothing to protect it from the raging torrent splashing the hood.

The Tacoma paused, then rolled down off the shelf into the river channel. First the front wheels, then the rears. They were fully committed now. No turning back, no way to reverse back up the step, the only way out was the opposite river bank. All they had to do was traverse the boiling, rolling, exploding flood waters that separated them from dry land.

The truck moved forward gingerly, out from the protection of the near river bank. As soon as they entered the flood current, the rear of the truck was immediately lifted and swung downstream. As I watched from the cab of the Fuso, the Tacoma started moving down the flood waters, caught in the roaring current.

Time slowed dramatically. I had plenty of time to consider friction coefficients, buoyancy factors and rates of acceleration. The acceleration rate was relevant because about six meters downstream a line of large semi-submersed boulders crossed the flood swollen river. In the milliseconds that I processed the information it became clear that the downstream side of the Tacoma was going to slam into those boulders. And just as certainly the relentless current that was piling up water higher than the handles on the upstream door would lift that upstream side and flip the truck on its top, trapping the occupants under the muddy, debris filled water.

Inside the Tacoma were two friends and my wife, Stephanie.

***

For the rest of the story see the PDF document at: http://www.hackneys.com/travel/docs/hitt-wash-crossing.pdf

Doug

[Scott Brady]

And then I drove it across the river two more times to get better photos!:smiley_drive:

[pskhaat]

Looks like one of those crossings to silence the snorkel debate!

(edit: I see it already has :) )

[Ursidae69]

:bowdown: :bowdown:

[Andrew Walcker]

Too COOL!!!:smiley_drive:

[Monkeyboy]

"Scott recreates the crossing"

Are you guys crazy ?!

Nevermind :)

And actually on-topic...somewhat ...

I know the lights on make for better photos, but on my first ever water crossing like that ... years ago ... I broke a headlight lens.

I never hit anything, but have to imagine that it was the thermal shock that did it. Since then, I try to let the lamps cool before such crossings.

HeHeHe ... Land Rover actually replaced that lens under warranty since there was no evidence of impact breeakin it.

[Scott Brady]

HID's fair better in crossings.

I have also broken a lens in the past, on a Hella 4000

[ujoint]

And then I drove it across the river two more times to get better photos!:smiley_drive:

Show off!!!! :)

[Alaska Mike]

I actually went back to stock headlights after I filled my HID housings during one crossing, destroying the bulbs. Those seals only kept out the water for so long, and then...

I try to keep as little electrical stuff on as possible during a water crossing. The alternator has enough trouble with all of the water flowing through it.

[crawler#976]

IMO...

First and foremost, Scott is a professional driver. Kudos to making it safely.

There is no reason to attempt a crossing like that for fun.

None.

The crossing shown (again IMO) is right on the ragged edge. I've watched a larger truck than that (a lifted F250 tall boy) get swept down stream in a similar crossing, and have had to risk MY life to help them reach safety. Watching the people crawl out of the passenger side window while the truck is pivoting against a rock was an experiance I don't need to participate in again.

[Alaska Mike]

I trust Scott's judgement more than my own. If he felt it was OK to recreate the crossing, I'll defer to him. It looks like it was fast-moving, if not particularly deep. With a hard-bottomed spot for fording that had sufficient traction to keep you from being swept too far down the stream, it could be kinda fun. Certainly not something you see in the southwest all that often- not that I recommend playing in flash-floods.

[Scott Brady]

The length of the deep section was short, making it look dramatic, but quite controlled in reality.

Trying the same in a SWB open top Jeep would have yielded much different results :)

[dhackney]

This shot will give you an idea of the depth. The Fuso is designed for water crossings of up to 1 meter. The lower rub rail on the rig is ~1 meter high, depending on where you are measuring along the length of the chassis. In this shot, the lower rub rail is completely immersed. (BTW, all the storage boxes were bone dry after this crossing, even the lower boxes that are submerged in this shot.)
http://www.hackneys.com/photos/2007-07-30-30D-IMG_1529-crop-small.jpg

This video clip will give you an idea of the speed of the current.
http://www.hackneys.com/video/current.wmv

This is Scott's return run back across to where we started. In this clip you can see how the current swings the rear of the truck downstream.
http://www.hackneys.com/video/return-run.wmv

These clips are Scott's run across the wash. One is a sequence of still shots, the other is full motion video. Neither reflect the current's effect on the truck that happened on Anais' initial run across the wash.
http://www.hackneys.com/video/scotts-run-stills.wmv

http://www.hackneys.com/video/scotts-run-video.wmv

[Rockcrawler]

Nicely done... just don't let people around here see that. I hear there were 9 swift water rescues yesterday afternoon alone from people crossing washes that they shouldn't have.

[lowenbrau]

It really comes down to experience and ability. (unfortunately you get one via the other). Personally I think that some of the obstacles at Moab look far more dangerous and yet people run them with out incident all summer long.

I was in Alaska for most of this month going ten days off road at a time and we crossed fast flowing rivers 3-4' deep on a daily basis. They all looked worse than they felt but the deeper ones were well analyzed with alternate strategies if the crossing didn't go as planned. It would have been daunting if it had been the first time I had experienced it.

With the 37" tires I didn't need the snorkel :wings:

[kcowyo]

This is Scott's return run back across to where we started. In this clip you can see how the current swings the rear of the truck downstream.


So there is some benefit to all that weight he's packing around....:cow:


Great stills and videos Doug!

[BigAl]

That would provide some definite pucker factor:arabia: I once got stuck in a swollen river b/c I forgot to lock my hubs in and could not crawl out the far bank:( I had to back downstram on to a gravel bar, get out in knee deep water and lock them in. I always double check now:)

[dhackney]

It really comes down to experience and ability. (unfortunately you get one via the other). ... It would have been daunting if it had been the first time I had experienced it.

If we hadn't had Scott along prodding us to push our envelope, we'd still be sitting next to this Forest Service guy, who told Scott "I'm not crossing that thing!"

http://www.hackneys.com/photos/2007-07-30-30D-IMG_1481-crop-small.jpg

We were out there to learn the limits of ourselves and to learn, to the extent possible, the limits of the rig. Scott was outstanding at spoon feeding us experiences so that little by little we discovered that we could do a lot more than we ever thought we could, and that the truck is capable of much more than we will probably ever ask of it.

http://www.hackneys.com/photos/2007-07-29-30D-IMG_1349-crop-small.jpg

We would never have crossed even the small wash in the shot above, much less the big one in the videos, if Scott hadn't been there scouting them out for us. Now, having crossed a few, we know what we'd need to do if we were alone, how we would scout the crossing, rig for safety, etc., and most importantly, that we can do it and the truck can too.

And yes, there is something to be said for carrying around a good percentage of the weight of Western Civilization. The Fuso was completely oblivious to the current and still handled the other obstacles easily. To say nothing of being able to retreat into the camper for a warm and dry lunch during the downpour. I'm not sure Scott fully appreciated my radio call announcing we were about to start the rainy afternoon matinee action movie complete with popcorn. :chowtime:

We designed and built the Fuso to traverse "bad roads" in 3rd world areas. We know now that it will handle anything up to the point of its fundamental limitations, i.e. 16" wheels and low hanging pumpkins. It will take us down just about any market road we've ever seen on the GS and quite a few of the village roads we've been on. That's all we ask of the design. No jeep trails, but anything a local delivery truck goes down, we know we can get there.

Regarding the washes, if this had been a real world situation, we would have waited out the water. We had enough food and water with us to hang out in the forest for at least 2-3 weeks, and there were plenty of trails to explore on the bikes. The #1 killer of people on sailboats is forcing a passage due to an arbitrary schedule. We didn't have to be anywhere, so we would have waited until the water dropped.

As to the hubs, I painted them so I could avoid just that type of Doh! situation, for which I am known so well...

http://www.hackneys.com/photos/2007-07-30-30D-IMG_1652-small.jpg

[dhackney]

I found a video version of Scott's return run:

http://www.hackneys.com/video/return-run-video.wmv

[articulate]

IMO...

First and foremost, Scott is a professional driver. Kudos to making it safely.

There is no reason to attempt a crossing like that for fun.

None.


Your signature rings hilariously with this statement above:
"Ordinarily he was insane, but he had lucid moments when he was merely stupid." Heinrich Heine

:REOutArchery02:

[kcowyo]

And yes, there is something to be said for carrying around a good percentage of the weight of Western Civilization. The Fuso was completely oblivious to the current and still handled the other obstacles easily.

Actually I was refering to the 3 tons of fun that Brady is packing around, but now that you mention the Fuso, I'm curious how the Bigfoot is holding up during the break-in process.

Are the factory interior and features holding up to the trails so far? I know there was extensive work done to it, but is the factory build quality going to be up to the task? I've read great reviews of the Bigfoot product over the years but I've never seen one heading where you're going and adapted to a Fuso for exploring 3rd world countries.

Just curious as to your impressions so far -

[dhackney]

Are the factory interior and features holding up to the trails so far? I know there was extensive work done to it, but is the factory build quality going to be up to the task?

Full time utilization to date: 60 days
Distance to date: >6,500 miles / 10,461 KM
Rough roads, gravel, dirt, dust, rock, rivers, etc: Lots
Temps: mid 30s F / 1.6 C to >110 F / 43.3 C
Elevation: sea level to >11k feet / 3,353 meters

Bigfoot structural failures / defects: zero (0)
Bigfoot component failures / defects: zero (0)
Bigfoot trim / decorative failures / defects: one (1) - rear step non-skid adhesive failing

We have experienced zero problems with the Bigfoot camper, its factory components, etc. I have inspected it carefully a couple of times and found no signs of structural stress, cracks, etc.

We made no reinforcement or strenthening modifications in the basic structure of the camper or its components. The only reinforcements that I made were in the 1x1" frame supporting the drawers.

Bigfoot camper and components maintenance to date has included:
- yesterday I tightened the Phillips screw that holds the bathroom vent handle on

The major modifications to the camper included:
- removing the stock house battery & compartment to create more storage space under the sink
- removing panel under stink and installation of a matching cabinet door for access to the new storage space
- creating a larger access opening for mounting of the camper interconnect panel in the lower driver's side
- creating access opening for mounting chassis interconnect panel in forward end of bottom
- adding Blue Sea Systems AC/DC distribution panel
- adding a panel to house system remote controls/monitors above forward seat of the dinette
- adding cooling fan in cabinet above the dinette
- adding halogen reading lamps to dinette
- adding electronics interface panel to dinette
- adding TV, DVD & wireless headphone bracket to berth
- adding Hella fans to berth
- adding LED courtesy night lights to cabin
- adding fire extinguisher & flashlight (torch) mounts to galley & berth areas
- adding transfer pump, 1 micron filter and UV sterilization array to galley
- adding stainless steel grill to stock LP genset compartment
- adding four solar panels to roof
- adding various antennas to roof
- adding vent covers to roof
- adding burglar bars over skylights
- adding nerf bar to leading edge of roof
- adding rub rails to sides
- adding tamper resistant screws to all exterior access doors
- adding and modifying plumbing, LP and wiring as required

As an aside, we've had zero failures or maintenance items with the Mitsubishi Fuso chassis.

We've had zero failures with the systems we added to the camper & chassis.

We've had one failure with the custom fabrication. The raw water tank was made conformally with the frame rails, which was a design error. It cracked a tank weld the first time we articulated the frame.

Otherwise, everything worked when we turned it on or energized the system.

Mileage to date is ~10.5 MPG / 4.464 KM/liter / 22.4 l/100KM. That's a mix of freeway, two lane paved, unpaved, unmaintained, flat and mountains, grades up to 16%.

So far, so good. Knock on wood, or my head, whichever is more convenient.

[crawler#976]

What an awesome rig!

The other vid's put things into better perspective - it's a fairly short traverse, but none the less I'll leave that type of crossing to Scott :)

[kcowyo]

We have experienced zero problems with the Bigfoot camper, its factory components, etc. I have inspected it carefully a couple of times and found no signs of structural stress, cracks, etc.

We made no reinforcement or strenthening modifications in the basic structure of the camper or its components.


Great details and results Doug. :clapsmile

What an excellent testament to the Bigfoot line. It seems their positive reputation is for good reason. It certainly will be a boon to their reputation if their camper survives the road you have ahead of you.

The answer to this question may be in the build comments on your site (which I think I'll go peruse again this morning) but I'm curious about your mounting solution to the Fuso. While you're saying no reinforcements to the structure, I just assumed that you had come up with a way to strengthen the factory mounting points or added additional ones.

Did I miss something? Am I getting off-topic?

[Willman]

Great thread Doug and Scott!!!

Love the video's.......

:snorkel: :snorkel: :snorkel:


:lurk:

[dhackney]

I just assumed that you had come up with a way to strengthen the factory mounting points or added additional ones.

Did I miss something?

We made no modifications to the factory mounting system.

The camper sits on a 3 point pivot frame that is solidly mounted to the truck frame in the front and pivots at the rear. The pivot frame isolates the camper from any longitudinal torsional twisting of the frame and enables full aticulation of the chassis, and resulting twist of the truck frame (lots), without loading the camper itself with those forces.

We use the four stock tie down points. I did not reinforce them, although I have often wondered if I should have since their backing plates in the camper itself seem pretty miniscule cosidering the loads we put them under.

However, what we've discovered is that the camper and its contents have a pretty cushy ride. Steph rode across town in Ceder City, UT in the camper and reported "nothing moves, nothing squeaks, nothing rattles." We've discovered that we can leave our soap in the soap dish in the shower regardless of the road or trail and it stays put (even in the shot earlier in the thread where the camper is rolled to the max of our comfort level).

Here's a clue on how the camper and its content ride. We pulled into a campground in Idaho and within 60 seconds the inevitable began: "What is this thing?" etc. The wife of the couple circled the rig. She stuck her head around the side and asked me "Are these yours? Did you leave these here?"

It was the driver and four square head screws that hold our stock LP compartment door shut that I'd taken out and laid on the back bumper when we were at the LP fill station 65 miles back. About 35 miles of that was over a very rough, frost heaved, potholed and cold patched two lane.

http://www.hackneys.com/photos/fuso/2007-07-04-SD550-IMG_7337-crop-small.jpg

So, maybe we don't need to worry so much about the camper mount...

I attribute 90% of this to the 3 point pivot frame 50/50 shocks, the custom rear sway bar, the custom Deaver springs and the Bilstein shocks.

A couple of videos that show some of the chassis/camper movement:

Longitudinal flex:
http://www.hackneys.com/video/hackney-fuso-scrossing.wmv

A little bit of lateral movement of the 3 point pivot frame:
http://www.hackneys.com/video/hackney-fuso-step-crossing.wmv

More on the pivot frame at:
http://www.hackneys.com/mitsu/index-pivot-frame.htm

Here's a thread I built on the camper tie downs & box seals over at ExCamp:
http://www.expeditioncampers.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=404

[dhackney]

I did some measuring today so you would know how deep the crossing was for Scott's Taco.

Our lower rub rails at the rear axle are 37" / 93.98cm high (this rail is submerged in the following shot)

The hinges of the upper storage boxes at the rear axle are 39.5" / 100.33 cm - 1.003m high (the hinges are submerged in the following shot)

The pressure wave formed by the current against the side of the upper storage boxes on the Fuso is ~ 46" / 116.84cm - 1.168m high.

http://www.hackneys.com/photos/fuso/2007-07-30-30D-IMG_1529-crop-small.jpg

BTW, we unloaded, re-organized, labeled, etc. all the storage boxes today and we did find some moisture under the liner pads in the forward lower upstream box (submerged in this shot), so there was a little leakage there. The upper boxes in this photo were all dry.

[p1michaud]

Those pictures and videos are pretty amazing. As others have mentionned, Scott is a very experienced driver and the results speak for themselves. Personally I would probably turn arround at this point in the trail.

Scott,
Out of curriosity, have you made any other modifications to your Tacoma to improve the water crossing abilities other than the Snokel (i.e. sealed electrical connections and such)?

Cheers :beer:,
P

[Scott Brady]

Scott,
Out of curriosity, have you made any other modifications to your Tacoma to improve the water crossing abilities other than the Snokel (i.e. sealed electrical connections and such)?

Cheers :beer:,
P

Other than the snorkel, it is just as Mr. Toyoda designed it. :)

One major factor of the 3.4L for water crossings is the lack of distributor. They are coil on plug motors.

Another reason that I love my truck :jumping:

[Accrete]

Hi Doug and Stephanie. It was great seeing you two in Warrenton on the Oregon coast. The pictures of your rig shown on the web are nice, and it's even better up close in-the-flesh.

Many happy trails to you two. Your website and blog is great.

Cheers,
Thom

[adventureduo]

Looks like fun counter steering in the water. I love it.

[p1michaud]

Other than the snorkel, it is just as Mr. Toyoda designed it. :)

One major factor of the 3.4L for water crossings is the lack of distributor. They are coil on plug motors.

Another reason that I love my truck :jumping:

Great to know. I've had to replace my MAF due to water damage, close call...Now I have a snorkel! :snorkel:

[kerry]

I have no experience with water crossings in a 4x4 but I have 30 years experience in whitewater canoeing. From my canoeing experience I can imagine two rules of water crossings: Never cross perpendicular to the current if at all possible. And always cross with the front of the vehicle pointed upstream and towards the destination bank.
These two rules attempt to use the water pressure in the driver's favor rather than trying to fight it.
Do 4x4'ers use these principles?

[Scott Brady]

Hi Kerry,

I will answer your questions over a few parts.


Never cross perpendicular to the current if at all possible.

Actually, if the current conditions permit it, and depending on where the exit point is, a vehicle should always attempt to cross in the shortest distance possible. This is not as a performance advantage, but to limit habitat and stream/river damage. The more time a vehicle spends in the river, the more it turns up silt, etc. And a 4wd should only cross at designated fording points.


And always cross with the front of the vehicle pointed upstream and towards the destination bank.
These two rules attempt to use the water pressure in the driver's favor rather than trying to fight it.

I can see why that would make sense to someone with boating experience, but in the case of a 4wd, you will want to point the front of the vehicle down stream. This does three important things: 1. The vehicle is not having to overcome the force of the oncoming water. 2. The water in not being forced into the radiator and engine compartment. 3. The water force is on the rear, which will force the front (steering) tires into the bottom, providing traction and steering control.

Hope this helps :)

[lowenbrau]

If I might add...

The greatest risk in crossing rivers is spinning the tires. With the powerful water pressure one revolution of a spinning tire can result in a very deep hole under that tire. This can change the whole dynamics of the crossing and have very undesirable consequences. If it happens to be a down stream tire that drops you can suddenly have a lot of water pressure on the floorpan and increase your possibility of a rollover which is really about the worst thing that can happen. It's never best to cross upstream but rather to let the water help push you along to the other bank.

[Arivalsend]

Doug, your blog posts and the different accounts of your adventures and mishaps are always a treat to read! You have a flair for recreation and I enjoy the heck out of it up here in the cold north. It looks like you guys are taking the time to really put the Fuso through her paces and staying dry for the moment. Clips like that makes me want go out a buy a snorkel:jumping:

Its also good to see Scotts rig in action. Did you have to seal any of the stock parts, ECU or MAF sensors, Scott or do they hold up well without? Cheers guys and keep the adventures coming still three more months till spring up here!