1St Time 4WDriver on Moreton.

[SteveCan]

I have a nice new Patrol and am going to Moreton Friday week. A family member has a house there and we are really looking forward to the beach fishing with some people who know what they are doing.

I have never set up a 4WD for the beach and was wondering what the reccomended tire pressures are for barge loading and beach driving. We wont be bushbashing, just driving to the fishing spots. Can anyone help?

Cheers
Steve.

[MICHAELG]

Gidday Steve

I have just come back from 3 weeks camping over there.
Let your tyres down to approx 20psi. After you empty the car recheck the pressure,and you will have no probs. tracks are a bit churned after all the xmas traffic, but if we get some good rain , it is like driving on the road. If you want good livies for bait, head to North Point, the lagoon has some slimies in it.
Have a good trip

[MICHAELG]

ps Steve

you dont have to let them until your on the barge. Fills in time on the trip over

[Heath]

Would 20 psi be the norm for all beach driving?

I'm also a first time 4x4 owner ( Jackaroo ) & am planning on going to North Straddie on the weekend ( weather permitting )

Also,is it advisable to use low range all time when on the sand or just when in the soft or rough terrain??

[Ron_Collins]

Hi Steve

I agree with the two earlier posts. We always go for 18psi to cover most situations on the beach for a week, but 20psi is almost the same.

This probably sounds obvious, but surprisingly many people don't carry tyre gauges, and they end up guessing. They usually end up with four different tyre pressures, too, which is not a good thing.

The good news for you is that it's been raining on Moreton for the best part of a week, so the beaches and tracks should, as already pointed out, be as hard and easy to drive on as roads.

There's an excellent yarn in the February edition of Bush N Beach Fishing by Barry Lyon on setting up a 4WD for more than just the bitumen. Barry lives on Cape York and currently is a Park Ranger. He's also been a wilderness guide and has had heaps of 4WD experience in the bush and on the beaches.

Feb edition should be in the newsagents by about Thursday of this week. That may also help. Ron Collins, Ed.

[Ron_Collins]

Hi Heath

Seems we were posting at the same time!

I'll presume you've got a petrol V6 Jackaroo. I had a manual one for four years - before the current bottom of the range slippery seat Cruiser, which I had to go to to be legal when towing the likes of a fully loaded CruiseCraft 685 on the road and on the beach at Fraser - and it served me very well.

Unless it's been raining fairly consistently, like it has been on Moreton and Straddie for the best part of a week, I go for 18psi. If I were heading over there today (it's currently pouring on Straddie) I'd probably leave the tyre pressure the same as it is for the streets.

I was taught back in the dark ages to always have the vehicle hubs in 4WD when driving on to and on the beach. These days many 4WDs have constant 4WD, so it's not as much of an issue. The botom line is that you have to be prepared instantly for something adverse to happen, and it's too late to be locking in hubs and the like when your vehicle has already bottomed out on soft or slurry-like sand.

You'll find that you won't have to use low range all that often. Again it depends on the condition of the sand at the time, but more often than not getting on and off the beach (or barge at the likes of Fraser), crossing a sand blow, driving on soft sand if you've misjudged the tide and find you've been forced to travel well up the beach near the frontal dune, when the wet sand is sloppy and when the dry sand is soft and powdery are some instances when it pays to be in or thinking very seriously about low range. (This also varies a bit if you're towing a boat or box trailer, which I'll presume you won't be just yet.)

Automatic 'Roos, and most other automatic 4WDs for that matter, do a lot of the thinking for you in the "modern" era. So that's another factor that can vary what I've said.

In addition to tyre gauge/s, two other basic but essential items you should have on board are a shovel and a snatch strap. If you do enough beach work, you will get bogged and need to be snatched out, and others will also get bogged and need to be snatched out.

Hope that's helped a bit. Ron.

[Jack_Lives_Here]

Steve,

Yeh 18psi is pretty much the norm in the soft stuff, but after this rain 20psi should be OK. Big plus is an accurate tyre gauge and later down the track one of the portable air compressors, ARB and the likes have them.
Standard recovery gear like snatch strap and shovel.

Remember standard recovery price is a 6 pack to a carton, depending how deep in it you are.

Steve - Had a drive in the Navara 3l TD on the weekend. This is the truck for me. Same motor as the Patrol but not intercooled. Plenty of stick.

Have a good trip.

[Heath]

Thanks Ron,

Yeah, I have the V6 Petrol Jackaroo Auto. Needed it to tow the bigger boat ( Forthought )

I had no intention of going off road with it, just use it as a tow vehicle, BUT the first chance I got I went!!! It was only firetrails in NSW, but it was enough to say " THIS IS FUN ", now I can't wait to get it on the beach.

While I'm at it, you wouldn't have a contact for Wazza Morgan would you? I'd be interested in using some of the trails down Tweed etc...

Thanks

[Big_Kev]

Steve one thing that I think is important , is that whenever you pull up to fish is that you will pull up the beach in the soft stuff, for the traffic will be using the hard stuff . Always point the nose towards the water just in case you do get it stuck it will be easier to tow out and is only a six pack rescue .
have fun Kev .

[Ron_Collins]

Hi Kev

You've hit a very important point right on the head.

In addition to the ease of driving off aspect that you pointed out, it also is a clear indication to coming and going traffic that your vehicle is parked. Going back 20 years or so everyone adhered to that and it was a piece of cake when driving in mist etc to know well in advance that a vehicle was parked and the occupants fishing or otherwise occupied.

These days, with everyone and their dog owning a 4WD, the "rule" has gone out of the window and many people simply pull up on the "road" part of the beach to collect pipis, check out a gutter and so on. This often creates very dangerous situations, with kids and adults alike just appearing in front of traffic.

I feel quite strongly about this one and wish "beach parking" was a regulation. Ron Collins.

[SteveCan]

Hi Guys,

I have had a few dramas getting on the net lately - or I would certainly have been more involved in this discussion if I could! Thanks to everyone and Ron for the excellent advice. We are off tomorrow night for the Kombie Trader and will put the advice into practice.

the Patrol came with a tyre guage, which is handy, so I will spend some of my time on the way over getting that right, and as my uncle has over 20 years experience on the Island I am sure he will educate me in both the etiquitte of beach driving and Beach Fishing - Moreton Style!

Looking forward to a great weekend!

Cheers
Steve.

[Jack_Lives_Here]

Looks likea good weekend for it. I'll be out off Tangalooma Sat morning.

[rick k]

And just remember that tyres at 18 psi don't like holding up a fully laden (who said overloaded?) 4wd at high speed. the heat they generate flexing to create that nice big footprint will lead to problems. Then again, I think the speed limit is 80kph, which may, or may not, be too much for partially deflated tyres with a big load.

You might also try to avoid sharp turns. Apart from digging in, apparently one can roll a tyre off the rim.

Finally, if its your first time over there, slow right down for any creek crossing the beach, or even a dry spot where one has. Imagine driving off a 20cm gutter at 80kph, and then, 2 metres later, driving back up again.

These are usually much less deep down near the waves, as the waves flatten them out.

Oh yeah, and don't assume that everyone you meet is under the legal limit and knows how long it takes their new or newly rented, toy to climb out of a set of ruts if you meet them head on on an inland track