Traction Ramps / Sand Ladders
- Thread starter getlost4x4
- Start date
Box Rocket
Well-known member
No doubt. Anything is better than nothing. Just voicing a personal opinion. I am not good at keep that to myself, but I'll try to.Even in the clay mud here, my go treads remained on the ground. To each their own
Ducky's Dad
Explorer
Obviously, I wasn't there, but one of the advantages of sand ladders and mats is that they distribute the load of the vehicle over a larger area and thus reduce the likelihood of quickly sinking into that muck. I have a pair of aluminum ladders approximately 5'x1.5', and I just this morning bit the bullet and ordered two pair of MaxTrax to augment those. Being terminally stuck is just a miserable feeling. My truck weighs about 8500#, so I need all the help I can get.
1stDeuce
Explorer
So... I have been meaning to ask, and I bet the readers of this thread have enough experience to answer...
My question is this: In sand, (not snow) are there really times when getting unstuck isn't as simple as just airing down? I ask because I have yet to encounter sand that I can't get through or out of by just airing down appropriately. Seems like everytime I see someone using sand ladders, it's also pretty obvious that they're not aired down anywhere near what I would consider appropriate. (Look at this thread... Every picture of using sand ladders looks like rock hard tires.)
Last year in Moab, we dropped into a sandy wash with the truck looking for a place to stay off the beaten path. We found a really soft spot that stopped both trucks immediately. My buddy "used a lot of flooring" and was immediately crossed up and stuck. After we unhooked his little camper trailer and aired him down some, he pretty much drove out, then re-hooked to the trailer and dragged it out with little fuss. I kept my foot off the throttle better, and just aired down from 70psi to about 35 and drove right out of my ruts. Mind you this was perhaps 6-8" of dry blow sand. My truck with the camper weighs about 9000lbs, and at the time was on 235/80R17's. I'm sure I could have aired down even more if the conditions warranted it.
I realize that airing back up is sometimes the concern, so are sand ladders mostly to keep you from having to air down, or is there really sand out there that will swallow a rig so well that even really low pressure doesn't cut it?
Not saying you guys should all just air down, I just want to know if ladders are an alternative, or really are needed in some sand conditions where airing down won't cut it.
(I have OBA, so airing down is the first think I do when I venture off pavement anyway.)
Chris
If I'd have had sand laddars, I think they would have worked with some digging to get them far enough under for the tires to bite, but really, what's the point if airing down works? I did have to take it easy back to town, but that's not a big deal to me, and my Jeep has OBA, so I air it down appropriately always.
My question is this: In sand, (not snow) are there really times when getting unstuck isn't as simple as just airing down? I ask because I have yet to encounter sand that I can't get through or out of by just airing down appropriately. Seems like everytime I see someone using sand ladders, it's also pretty obvious that they're not aired down anywhere near what I would consider appropriate. (Look at this thread... Every picture of using sand ladders looks like rock hard tires.)
Last year in Moab, we dropped into a sandy wash with the truck looking for a place to stay off the beaten path. We found a really soft spot that stopped both trucks immediately. My buddy "used a lot of flooring" and was immediately crossed up and stuck. After we unhooked his little camper trailer and aired him down some, he pretty much drove out, then re-hooked to the trailer and dragged it out with little fuss. I kept my foot off the throttle better, and just aired down from 70psi to about 35 and drove right out of my ruts. Mind you this was perhaps 6-8" of dry blow sand. My truck with the camper weighs about 9000lbs, and at the time was on 235/80R17's. I'm sure I could have aired down even more if the conditions warranted it.
I realize that airing back up is sometimes the concern, so are sand ladders mostly to keep you from having to air down, or is there really sand out there that will swallow a rig so well that even really low pressure doesn't cut it?
Not saying you guys should all just air down, I just want to know if ladders are an alternative, or really are needed in some sand conditions where airing down won't cut it.
(I have OBA, so airing down is the first think I do when I venture off pavement anyway.)
Chris
If I'd have had sand laddars, I think they would have worked with some digging to get them far enough under for the tires to bite, but really, what's the point if airing down works? I did have to take it easy back to town, but that's not a big deal to me, and my Jeep has OBA, so I air it down appropriately always.
Box Rocket
Well-known member
It's definitely still possible to be stuck in sand even at very low psi. Particularly with mud tires and wheel spin you can just dig your self in deeper and deeper. I've been stuck is soft, dry sand while aired down to 5 psi. Didn't have sand ladders at the time and got tugged out by a buddy with a strap. I've certain sand ladders would have worked as well.
Box Rocket
Well-known member
and 70psi to 35 psi!?!?? really? I can't remember a time I've ever had 35 psi in the tires except when they were brand new and the tire shop inflated them to that. I usually top out at 28psi for the road.
Ducky's Dad
Explorer
Yes. I have 35x12.50 Toyo AT-IIs, limited slip in the rear, lockers on both axles, 12K winch, OBA, internal beadlocks, and I still carry ladders, and soon will have a pair of MaxTrax. No trees or even bushes where we normally go and summer temps are brutal, so the ladders are good insurance when there is not another vehicle to use as an anchor. If space and money were no object, I'd carry a 14K PullPal.
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Box Rocket
Well-known member
I understand the need for higher psi on a heavy truck, it was really just more surprise that 35psi was considered "airing down". I would think even with a heavy truck/camper that would still be a "rock hard" tire as described. And we weren't talking about running them "at speed" but aired down in soft terrain which would be at very low speeds typically.
Box Rocket
Well-known member
Cool
1stDeuce
Explorer
Yeah, 30psi in 235/80's under my 9000lb truck looked about like the 255/85's on my jeep do at at perhaps 10-12psi. And worked about as well too! It's all relative. I've had the truck down to 15psi once on those tires, without the camper, and that was comparable to the Jeep at about 4.5psi, which is as low as I've run it. No quick turns! I got over the beadlock thing pretty fast when I had to pull some tires off a set of Hutchinson 2pc beadlock wheels. I've never had an issue with losing a bead, even at 4.5psi.
Thanks for the input fellas. So evidently there ARE times when airing down doesn't cut it, and it's shovel/winch/sand ladder time! I'd rather ladder than shovel or winch (Which may require shovel anyway to make an anchor.!)
Hopefully I'll be in the Jeep and not the truck if I ever find that sand!!
Thanks for the input fellas. So evidently there ARE times when airing down doesn't cut it, and it's shovel/winch/sand ladder time! I'd rather ladder than shovel or winch (Which may require shovel anyway to make an anchor.!)
Hopefully I'll be in the Jeep and not the truck if I ever find that sand!!
digitaldelay
Explorer
Fonty
New member
I've never used the plastic sand ramps, but I've used the WWII PAP plates quite a bit, even after airing down. For soft sand I usually air down to 12-15psi in front and 15-20psi in the rear. I prefer to not air down all the way for driving and leave some air to let out if I get stuck. Sometimes airing down still leaves the truck buried and slipping the ramps under the rear tires allows me to pop right out. Also, I've used the ramps quite a bit for road repair and on really narrow tracks with drops to keep the dirt from crumbling as I drive near the edge.
