Bogged In My Own Lawn!

[cdrtravis]

This is very embarrassing, but I have to share. Came back from the servo this evening and the Disco ended up well and truly bogged just metres away from where I park it under the house. The Darwin monsoons have made the ground swampy, but I never had any problems with the '97 V8i Discovery. The major difference I think is that the old Disco had proper off-road tyres on it, whereas the new Disco has the factory tyres, and the treads are clogged with mud.

No amount of fiddling with the Terrain Response, low range and DSC could help us, so we ended up calling Land Rover Assistance. We explained the situation, and they sent a fella who was only good for replacing batteries and refueling your vehicle! Fortunately, he recommended a four-wheel drive recovery company, who were happy to come out on a wet Sunday evening and earn many dollars.

The first attempt at winching the Disco out resulted in the recovery vehicle (a Landcruiser ute) being pulled toward the Disco, rather than the other way around. Plan B was to secure the back of the recovery vehicle to a tree and try again. At this point, the winch controller failed, so the bloke has driven back into town (we live in Darwin's rural area) to bring back another truck.

This all happened at 7pm and it is now 10.45pm. The rain keeps coming, and I'm feeling just a tad miserable.

I suppose I'm a little to blame here for underestimating the terrain.

Will let you know how it goes, and already have pictures of the unfortunate Disco, which I will upload later.

The slightly worrying thing is that when I had given up trying to drive the Disco out, I put the transmission lever back into Park, and unpleasant mechanical sounds were heard. Not sure what that means, but I guess I'll find out when the vehicle is back on terra firma.

[cdrtravis]

It's out!

Finally got hauled out about 11.40, and I've been busy hosing all the mud and grass out from the the wheels and brakes, as well as generally underneath. The unpleasant mechanical noise heard earlier has gone and everything seems to be in order.

The recovery bloke came back with a 7 tonne tilt-tray vehicle, and even that was being pulled about as it attempted to winch the Disco out of the mud.

A great way to spend a Sunday evening, and a big thanks to the bloke who came to help us. I'll be buying him a slab as a thanks on top of his fee.

Now I've got to fix the the huge ruts in the lawn...

[Utemad]

Don't forget that a D3 weighs considerably more than a D1. That would work against you when you are trying not to break through the surface.

My Dad bogged his F250 on his property. Used his crane truck to lift it out one end at a time. Got the crane truck bogged in the process though but he didn't need it so just left it there and came back when it was dry :)

Bring on the pics :cool:

[Jamo]

The D3 is heavier but not that much - My HSE has a tare of around 2430kg.

The problem for the TR is if all 4 wheels are spinning evenly, then it may not know it's stuck!

Plus, as mentioned in another thread, if there's no traction on any wheel, there's no traction!

That's why I bought some maxtrax.

[Utemad]

The D3 is heavier but not that much - My HSE has a tare of around 2430kg.

If that is factory weight then that is about 450kg more than the Disco1 factory weight. That is a fair bit of extra weight in my mind.

[JDNSW]

I think a suitable postscript to this thread is that ever since cars were invented, people have been discovering, to their cost, that lawns are really not suitable for use as driveways - especially in wet weather!

(Applies from both the point of view of the driver and that of the owner of the lawn - and when it is the same person................)

John

[Jamo]

If that is factory weight then that is about 450kg more than the Disco1 factory weight. That is a fair bit of extra weight in my mind.


Fair enough, but mines got 'all the fruit'; an SE should weigh less.

I think the tyres and conditions were more to blame (having been in a similar situation myself:eek:)

[cartm58]

Quite frankly l don't care about D1 or D3 weight differences l won't the pcitures uploaded pronto.

Quite frankly you won't care about the lawn bogging incident either in the future except when your at a Land Rover owner function or sitting around a camp fire saying "thats nothing once l bogged myself on my front lawn, broke the first recovery truck and nearly dragged the second recovery truck into the lawn bog with me."

Personally nothing is going to beat in my opinion those pics of the tracked excavator bogged in the peat in the falklands we had posted here at AULRO some months back

[stevo68]

PICS PICS PICS :D,

Regards

Stevo

[ak]

The D3 is heavier but not that much - My HSE has a tare of around 2430kg.

The problem for the TR is if all 4 wheels are spinning evenly, then it may not know it's stuck!

Plus, as mentioned in another thread, if there's no traction on any wheel, there's no traction!

That's why I bought some maxtrax.


I thought those D3's were un-bogg-able, guys. That's what D3 owners keep telling me.

[ak]

Just jokes guys, and where are the pics.

[easo]

:rulez:pics it the law:rulez:

[garryc]

The D3 is heavier but not that much - My HSE has a tare of around 2430kg.

The problem for the TR is if all 4 wheels are spinning evenly, then it may not know it's stuck!

Plus, as mentioned in another thread, if there's no traction on any wheel, there's no traction!

That's why I bought some maxtrax.

I think you'll find the HSE has a tare of around 2750kg. I put my S on the weighbridge and it was about 2500kg as stated in the handbook for the S. Also the standard Wranglers on the D3 are rubbish tyres even on road :mad:

[Jamo]

Hello Garry

The tare weight in Aust/Jap/USA is a dry weight, ie sans POL, and is a basic comparo between vehicles. I only used it for comparison purposes as most folks only know this figure and the GVM.

The weight in the handbook is a European spec weight which includes all POL, a 75Kg driver and some weight in the back.

[cdrtravis]

Here are some pics. I didn't take any of the recovery as the rain was coming down heavy and I didn't want to get the camera wet. Not only that, but I was soaked through to the skin and covered in mud from running about digging around wheels and attaching cables.

[Utemad]

Yep I certainly agree (after seeing the pics) that you need more aggressive tyres if you are going to wash your car on the lawn again :D

[Rangier Rover]

That was going down! Even tractor tyres would not gain purchase in that swamp! Not with out run up anyway. I hope there was no damage.
Cheers RR.

[gruntfuttock]

Yep, that is well bogged. Now all you have to do is to fill in the big holes in the lawn, left by the car:D.

Just a thought,
Why not put in a few drains and a submersible pump and channel the outlet into the neighbors yard. (The one you don't get on with):angel::angel:

[cdrtravis]

That was going down! Even tractor tyres would not gain purchase in that swamp! Not with out run up anyway. I hope there was no damage.
Cheers RR.

It's certainly the worst it's ever been!

There doesn't appear to be any damage to the Disco. The underneath looks okay and mechanically, all seems to be in order. I have driven it to work and back, and it has been fine. The only worry I have is that when we were trying to drive the vehicle out, we had TR set to mud ruts and in low-range, but when we gave up and the wife shifted back into park, there was an unpleasant mechanical sound, as if something was straining. Odd mechanical noises were also heard when applying drive, but I don't know if that was to do with the electronics that govern traction. I couldn't hear the sounds from outside, but the wife the could hear them in the cabin. Once the vehicle was free, all the noises stopped.

As the underside at the back wheels was resting on the ground, could any drive components have been getting fouled, or are they tucked well out of the way?

[cdrtravis]

That's why I bought some maxtrax.

Just been to the website. They look like a VERY good idea!!! Might even have saved my bacon (or more accurately, $200 for the recovery) on Sunday.

[Xtreme]

Looks like what we call 'Custard Mud'

[cdrtravis]

Yeah, the block is mainly sand, so the poor old Disco ended up stuck in slurry, and I don't mean slang for a promiscuous lady!

[ak]

Yep mud tyres might have got you out at first but once the diffs are on the ground like what happened to you even the best mud tyres would be use-less. About the only thing to get out of a bog like that on its on steam would be a track machine.

Although you would have heeps of fun for a few hours with the max tracks.

[Bigbjorn]

A company called Don Ogle Earthmoving got a Fiat-Allis 41B dozer bogged at the then new Brisbane Airport site in about 1986. A fully dressed 41B weighs 76 tonnes. Didn't they have fun getting that out of the fill after the tide had been in and out a couple of times washing fill into all the nooks and crannies around the tracks and walking gear. Took a couple of cranes and a couple of big excavators digging and lifting and a Euclid R85 dump truck pulling before it came unstuck. My then employers, the Fiat-Allis distributors, quoted on the repairs and then the insurance companies assessors started red pencilling out items they thought need not be done. Our Service Manager and Qld General Manager told the assessors that that is what is needed to put it right, and that is what will be done if the work is done here. Also that if they wanted to shortcut the job then load the tractor up and take it away, and we would keep the owner fully informed of their decision. We did the job on our terms.

[garryc]

Hello Garry

The tare weight in Aust/Jap/USA is a dry weight, ie sans POL, and is a basic comparo between vehicles. I only used it for comparison purposes as most folks only know this figure and the GVM.

The weight in the handbook is a European spec weight which includes all POL, a 75Kg driver and some weight in the back.
Hmmm! Mine was what the handbook said(2494kg) when I subtracted my weight and the half tank of fuel. The HSE in the book is 2718kg. I'm sure all top range models are heavier because of the extra knobs and whistles. The thing all must be aware of is the Gross Vehicle Mass as you mentioned. A recent 4wd mag.(I will see if I can find it) talks about the basic and loaded weights and not to exceed the GVM for insurance purposes(you know what insurance companies are like :( ) If I add up the weight of the bullbar, rearbar, extra wheel, long range tank and fuel, 60 litres of water, fridge, food, beer, tools etc I come out at very close to my GVM. I saw an add in a 4wd mag. for some well known tyres and the quote was that they could handle a certain GVM which was higher than the vehicle specs :o Bit of a boo boo don't you think :eek: