Thread: Towing on sand: opinions please

Mario all I can say is that's very strange.

Are you sure the rods were set as explained and therefore your height was what you thought?
It's just that I've never seen anything close to what you've described and not heard it from other D4 owners I know who've been to Fraser this year.

But the advice re low pressures such as 12psi was really for soft beach sand etc not the inland tracks for which I would be up at 20psi.
Go down low pressure only for difficult bits and then back up for track work.

Regardless, a few difficulties in a couple of places on Fraser is such a small subset of where you'd travel/visit so would not be anywhere near enough to put me off the vehicle and go to a modify 200 series etc.

Cheers,
Scott

Thanks for that Scott. I agree, weird. Yes I am sure re the rods. Before fitting them I measured my 3 heights then repeated with the rods in each of the 3 possible positions.
Honestly I understand that the key problem was that we were (attempting) to tow a camper in very difficult conditions. All others towing that I spoke to were intermittently getting bogged with the bizarre exception of a Ford Ranger (lifted) that managed to tow a 5.8 m Cuddy cabin Stessl aluminium boat on a tandem trailer all the way into Waddy apparently without getting bogged once.
Probably the most disappointing experience for us was a trip we did from Waddy to Platypus Bay without the camper. No problem with the journey there or back except when we went to leave the beach at Platypus up through some very soft sand where we could not get a good run up and despite 3-4 attempts with various settings. In the end some helpful guys with a lifted Hilux went through in front of us then snatched us up the short rise. As I am sure you are aware, these relatively light weight utes (all raised etc) really revel in the sand.
Also you are right in saying a daily grind on Fraser in apparently difficult conditions should not put us off the Disco. We have still had a great adventure in a most beautiful location. Absolutely no regrets. Just a train of thought...
Your ideas on 20 psi for inland tracks, is that what you would use towing the camper or the solo D4?
I also wonder how much difference the MY11 makes. It means I have Terrain Response version 1 and I don’t have a rear diff lock. I know when I did an off-road drive course with Gordon, there was an MY11 with diff locks and an MY14 without diff locks but with the new TR software and the 8 speed gearbox. When doing some sand work Gordon set up a deliberately tricky section to demonstrate the differences between the 3 cars. The MY11 with lockers and the newer D4 without lockers but with the newer TR were both able to get up without hassle whereas mine could only succeed with a significant increase in momentum. All 3 were driving according to identical and very strict instructions from GG.
Hmmm.

I am with Scott - something is not right.

I have been up on Fraser a few times in my old 1979 Subaru station wagon - it only had 13" rims and had no trouble driving all over Fraser - it had far less ground clearance and much smaller tyres than your D4.

While I have not had my RRS on Fraser it is more than a match for other brand wagons on the sand.

Ditch the rods, and get LLAMS and lower your tyre pressures. Dont be afraid to go full height to get over obstacles - I regularly go offroad plus 55mm to get over stuff but I always try not to use full steering lock and power to save the CVs but straight ahead on loose stuff without a lot of power is fine.

Garry

also important is to make sure the trailer wheel track is very similar to the D4's otherwise your dragging an anchor

...and if you really want to, update the TR using an IID tool. My MY10 has the same TR as a MY16.5 :-)

Originally Posted by veebs

...and if you really want to, update the TR using an IID tool. My MY10 has the same TR as a MY16.5 :-)

When I get home, expect a PM re this - I do recall your discussion with Tombie!

Does sound a bit strange. I can't comment on the D4, but our standard height Defender has towed our Guardian camper, which is heavier than an Ultimate, on Straddy several times without getting bogged. I use high range second or maybe drop to first to get momentum. Stay in the wheel tracks others have compacted to follow. Tyres at 20, or if really soft dropped to 16. TR but no diff lock. Different vehicle, different tyre sizes. Interesting