Ashes
2nd November 2010, 07:24 PM
Good news all....the D3 performed brilliantly in the Sand in and around Robe!! On the trip were a number of Patrols, Navara's, Prado's, Landcruisers, a D2, a D3, a Kia Sportage and and a AWD Captiva. 12 vehicles in all.
Our choice of tracks had to include passable options for the Kia and Captiva but both did pretty well. Both could have dropped their pressures a bit more to make it easier. The captive was running 27psi
The D3 with 18 psi was brilliant and didn't look like stopping anywhere.
Day 1. - Robe to Beachport on the black top and then back through the dune area to near the Millicent buggy club. Not only did the D3 win the slowest race to the top of the large dune with the "car park" at the bottom but it also was the only one to go up it in reverse. This suprised a few people, me included:eek: Didn't spend a long in here as we would have liked due to lengthy morning tea and lunch stops!
Maxtrax got the Kia up a hill that it didnt have the grunt or traction for.
Day 2. - was a trip to Canunda national park just south of Southbeach. A great area for driving and heaps of dunes there. Plenty of play spots. A late start to the day and a long morning tea, long lunch meant not as much driving as many would have liked! Maxtrax got a bogged Captiva out that I lured into some soft sand:twisted: I'd recommend this area which is accessed near the caravan park.
The 100 series Landcruiser got bogged back on the beach at Beachport on the way home after he went down a beach I wasn't prepared to do. Too narrow and soft. He got about 100m before he was dug in. The D2, went down and got him out.
A evening drive on long beach around to the point started with us having to rescue a brand new bogged Audi A4 (front wheel drive) which was buried to its front bumper about 5 metres from the entrance to Long Beach. When I spoke to the guy he said he had read that you could drive on the beach at Robe so he thought he would (maybe he should have read the whole article, not just the heading). Might have been interesting for him if he had have made the hard sand and drove 10km down the beach and then tried to turn it around in the soft stuff. Might have been there for the night and building a little sand wall to keep the water out. The maxtrax got him out onto the harder sand so he could swing around and get back off the beach. Should have charged him recovery fees and he might have paid it:)
Day 3 (Monday) - the others were all going home so the D3 went for a trip up to the Coorong. Some nice tracks up there but really just a day to see some wildlife and scenery. Stunning part of the world and worth a visit. Emu's, lizards, Pelicans, Snakes (Red Bellied black, a nice big Brown and a big black snake about a metre off a path we were walking on that I couldn't pick). Good little track up to 32 mile crossing gets you onto the beach where you can see the end either left or right. Great spot.
All in all the D3 running 18psi on Scorpion A/T's didn't put a foot wrong. If you haven't used or seen maxtrax in the sand then have a look at some of the video's out there. They are brilliant and I'd recommend them if you are likely to do a bit of solo sand work or just want the easiest and safest recovery option for others travelling with you.
Our choice of tracks had to include passable options for the Kia and Captiva but both did pretty well. Both could have dropped their pressures a bit more to make it easier. The captive was running 27psi
The D3 with 18 psi was brilliant and didn't look like stopping anywhere.
Day 1. - Robe to Beachport on the black top and then back through the dune area to near the Millicent buggy club. Not only did the D3 win the slowest race to the top of the large dune with the "car park" at the bottom but it also was the only one to go up it in reverse. This suprised a few people, me included:eek: Didn't spend a long in here as we would have liked due to lengthy morning tea and lunch stops!
Maxtrax got the Kia up a hill that it didnt have the grunt or traction for.
Day 2. - was a trip to Canunda national park just south of Southbeach. A great area for driving and heaps of dunes there. Plenty of play spots. A late start to the day and a long morning tea, long lunch meant not as much driving as many would have liked! Maxtrax got a bogged Captiva out that I lured into some soft sand:twisted: I'd recommend this area which is accessed near the caravan park.
The 100 series Landcruiser got bogged back on the beach at Beachport on the way home after he went down a beach I wasn't prepared to do. Too narrow and soft. He got about 100m before he was dug in. The D2, went down and got him out.
A evening drive on long beach around to the point started with us having to rescue a brand new bogged Audi A4 (front wheel drive) which was buried to its front bumper about 5 metres from the entrance to Long Beach. When I spoke to the guy he said he had read that you could drive on the beach at Robe so he thought he would (maybe he should have read the whole article, not just the heading). Might have been interesting for him if he had have made the hard sand and drove 10km down the beach and then tried to turn it around in the soft stuff. Might have been there for the night and building a little sand wall to keep the water out. The maxtrax got him out onto the harder sand so he could swing around and get back off the beach. Should have charged him recovery fees and he might have paid it:)
Day 3 (Monday) - the others were all going home so the D3 went for a trip up to the Coorong. Some nice tracks up there but really just a day to see some wildlife and scenery. Stunning part of the world and worth a visit. Emu's, lizards, Pelicans, Snakes (Red Bellied black, a nice big Brown and a big black snake about a metre off a path we were walking on that I couldn't pick). Good little track up to 32 mile crossing gets you onto the beach where you can see the end either left or right. Great spot.
All in all the D3 running 18psi on Scorpion A/T's didn't put a foot wrong. If you haven't used or seen maxtrax in the sand then have a look at some of the video's out there. They are brilliant and I'd recommend them if you are likely to do a bit of solo sand work or just want the easiest and safest recovery option for others travelling with you.