Deep tread tyres (1 Viewer)

[TheTwoOfUs]

We recently had the misfortune to get bogged down on a site. Despite spending a small fortune on mats, rope ladder type grip tracks etc we ended up being towed off. The problem is that if you use mats, bread trays and the like, as soon as you get off them you sink in again (or at least we did, the ground was so soft). The rope ladder worked OK but being only about 4ft. long you had to continually keep re-setting it, which when you are about 30 yards from the tarmac, becomes a laboriuos job.
So the question is, are there any deep tread tyres available which will give improved off road grip which are suitable for front wheel drive Fiat based motorhomes and which are still good at road holding in normal driving conditions?

 

[Jaws]

This might sound facetious but it isnt..
Given the cost of such things, and given that deep tread does not necc. equate to extrication if the field is particularly nasty, would you not be better to get a 12v winch and long rope ?
Some of the new lightweight ones are truly amazing .. In fact proly come in at less than the extra weight of m and s tyres

 

[pappajohn]

i used to do a bit of off roading with a suzuki SJ410 (apart from landrovers they are the best) and with all the will in the world if i got on wet mud with no solid under-pinning it would stop going forward, even in 4wd, and i would need to winch out.

if there is no grit, gravel, rocks or roots etc under the mud the best tyres in the world wont grip.

Fiats are notorious for lack of front end grip.

slow going, but 6 or 8 'breadtrays' will get you out...lay 3 or 4 each side and drive onto the 2nd or 3rd pair then move the first pair (or 2 pairs) to the front....repeat until free.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[RogerIvy]

Get some snow chains. Wouldn't be without them.

Rog

 

[pappajohn]

Get some snow chains. Wouldn't be without them.

Rog

even snow chains wont work if these no solid substrate....just revolving shovels on your tyres digging deeper and deeper.

 

[keith]

Is it not worth thinking about how you drive onto a pitch when you set up?

I will always try to park as close to a solid piece of ground with the front wheels as is possible. I also think it's better to drive off rather than reverse. Asking myself what the weather has been like or maybe what happens if it rains also.

Also as John said, have 4, or at least more then two, bread crates to help build a track to get off.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[RogerIvy]

even snow chains wont work if these no solid substrate....just revolving shovels on your tyres digging deeper and deeper.

If you're in a remote place or just need to cross a field chains are better than nothing. If, as he said in the first post, he could make some progress with trays and ladders the chances are pretty good that chains would have done the trick. We have used our chains a number of times and only once did they fail (see below). Once you are moving they help you to keep moving in relatively soft stuff.

However.... you are right about the substrate.
Especially given the weight that we roll (we weight nothing like a little 4x4).
Having done plenty of 4x4 offroading I do agree that if there is really no base/substrate at all you're in trouble. We once got a Unimog badly stuck in really deep stuff - took two days to get it out and just about dug down to Australia (we were in Zimbabwe). I've spent a night or two sleeping next to my land rover too.
About two years ago we pulled off the tar in France and suddenly hit really soft stuff (in our Fiat motorhome) - we were less than six inches from the tar. It was about 1am and we tried all sorts of things. And yes, we were digging deeper with our revolving shovels In the end a lady drove past us and decided to wake her farmer friend up - the kind that has a huge tractor He didn't utter a word - I hooked a big rope and he hardly gave me time to get in. In that situation chains were useless

Rog

 

[rainbow chasers]

Tip;

When using mats/crates etc to gain traction attach them to a peice of small gauge string/rope. tie this to the rear tow hitch/bar of your motorhome and feed up to the driving wheels.

When you drive off, the front wheels will gain traction from the mats - the rear wheels will pass over as the rope/string is gathered up - and them the mats drag along behind.

When you get to solid ground - go and get your mats - no point stopping of soft ground, you will just get stuck again - you require momentum (and keep it there!)

 

[Landy lover]

Some very good points and advice here - couple of things I would add - look to getting a duplicate set of mats / crates so you can move forward from one set to another - may only be a few feet at a time but better that than waiting for a tow. Big chunky tyres are not the answer they are expensive - quick to wear out and noisy on the road and many do no have good road manners and will only have limited ability to pull you out - will depend on how your weight is distributed. One of things most people fail to appreciate is when they are stuck - have seen so many people keep spinning the wheels in hopes that they will miraculously get a grip that by the time they accept they are stuck they are not just lacking traction they are buried. The idea of a winch is good but you need an easy point to hook onto the front and the rear some time when you get stuck it is easier to go back than forward. Bear in mind when you are stuck in it is sometimes impossible to get under to a good hook up point - and then you have to find some where to hook on to pull out and nature is a damn nuisance at times never puts a tree where it is needed you will also need to consider where the battery is and how you will hook up the power to it - you will also have to carry a tree strop to put around the tree to stop damage to the tree or your cable. If you decide to go the route of chains bear in mind there are snow chains and mud and snow chains which have a coarser cross section. Lots to think about none cheap - - we weigh over 6 tonne on the road with a Land Rover - we use a road biased off road tyre - carry mud and snow chains and 4 track boards and have a winch on the front and the vehicle has high low range plus diff locks and full traction control and I would never say I could not get stuck with that lot.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[TheTwoOfUs]

Thanks guys. It looks like I'll have to invest in some bread trays. We drove onto the pitch on Friday afternoon with no problem. It rained Friday night and by Saturday morning we had sunk about 3". There obviously was no sub-strata at all and so we ended up with a perfectly formed hollow around each wheel and absolutely no grip. The warden said that they had problems all year and had towed many off the site.

 

[pappajohn]

Thanks guys. It looks like I'll have to invest in some bread trays. We drove onto the pitch on Friday afternoon with no problem. It rained Friday night and by Saturday morning we had sunk about 3". There obviously was no sub-strata at all and so we ended up with a perfectly formed hollow around each wheel and absolutely no grip. The warden said that they had problems all year and had towed many off the site.

in situations like this drive the van onto the trays when you arrive...it'll spead the weight and stop you sinking so far.

 

[rainbow chasers]

Another trick for soft ground, is to use your levelling ramps - you don't need to tilt yourself up too much if not needed, but these can give you precious momentum!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Bailey58]

We took some old bread trays with us when we moved from London 25 years ago (is Wonderloaf still around?). Having got bogged down last week at Kelling Heath I brushed the cobwebs off, cut them down and now have four tracks stowed behind the drivers seat. Quite disappointed I haven't had to use them this week in Delamere Forest. :Sad:

 

[rangi]

in situations like this drive the van onto the trays when you arrive...it'll spead the weight and stop you sinking so far.

Good sound advice!

 

[bernardfeay]

don't do it

I've been stuck in mud several times and been oh so grateful for tractor pulls to help us get free. I also have a front wheel drive Fiat motorhome and my water tank is behind the back wheels which works against the bit of traction that exists on the front wheels.

I am so paranoid about the prospect of being stuck that I don't go near mud under any circumstances. I keep a stock of beer available to load up the front end and I am ready to dump our water storage to give me a better chance. But, bottom line, just don't go near that mud.

By the way, what are these trays that people speak of?

And, always carry a tow rope.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[pappajohn]

By the way, what are these trays that people speak of?

they are the trays that bread is delivered to shops/supermarkets in.

cut off the sides/ends and you have a flat crosshatched surface to put under slipping wheels or spread the load on soft ground.

while, technically, it is theft (they belong to the bakery unless you get them legitimately) once you cut the sides/ends off (which usually has the bakery name on) there should be no trace of the original owner.

 

[TheTwoOfUs]

Can you recommend any particular make i.e. Warburtons, Wonderloaf, Fletchers etc ?

 

[keith]

Can you recommend any particular make i.e. Warburtons, Wonderloaf, Fletchers etc ?

I have noticed a lack of bread tray being left outside the big stores recently. I wonder why?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}