Van Life Safety How to Get Out of Being Stuck in a Van
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- čas přidán 20. 08. 2024
- Have you gotten stuck before? I think we all have! In this video, Brian, Keri and Eric show us how to PREVENT getting stuck and how to get UNSTUCK!
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First make sure your steering wheel and front tires are straight when trying to get unstuck. Things that help are Max Tracs, a big bumper jack or a hydraulic jack. Carry some 12 inch long pieces of 4 x 4 and 2 x 4 wood to put under the jack for stability, sometimes the wood is also needed for where jack will make contact with the vehicle. A shovel, Army Surplus has a perfect military size. Try to fill the hole with available limbs, dirt, etc. A strap, some tow chain, some shackles you can attach to the straps or chains. A come a long, an air compressor. There is a product that looks like an auger, you use a T shape handle to twist it in the ground and use it as a tie off to anchor to, attach your come a long and strap to it. It looks like an auger that you see on a gas powered or tractor powered post hole digger. A good pair of leather gloves. A 4 way lug wrench, you get a lot better leverage and it is easier to loosen the lug nuts with. Sometimes you can use your body weight if necessary to loosen the lug nuts. Plenty of water. Carry a bar of soap in a zip lock baggie and some paper towels. Make sure your spare tire is in good condition before leaving out on any trip.
This was very helpful, thank you!!! As a single woman traveling alone, I need to know what to do in cases like this! More videos, PLEASE! 😀❤👍
Car mats come in handy when stuck.
If your heavy front wheel drive SUV can't go forward up an incline, try reversing up it. It's saved me a couple times in the last year. I keep forgetting that gravity helps so much on the downhill. 😁
I've been very lucky, so far. 🤞
Another excellent video, Brian!
I have a couple of tips to add: If you air down and don't have a compressor, be careful of driving at high speeds on those tires. Besides the obvious things like loss of stability in turns, possibility of damaging rim/tire on bumps, possibility of tire bead separating from wheel, there is also the possibility of overheating the tire and destroying it.
It's surprising how hot they can get when driving with low pressure at high speeds. I check the tire temp by hand periodically. I place my palm on the sidewall and if it is hot like holding a hot cup of coffee (uncomfortably-hot, but bearable), then that's okay, but if it's too hot to hold my palm on it for more than a second or two, I allow it to cool down before driving more and make my way to a compressor to refill.
Because of so many factors with different vehicles, tires, sizes, weights etc, it's hard to say what a safe speed is, but for light duty trucks/cars I use this 'formula" of sorts: MPH = PSI * 2. So if you air the tires down to 20psi, it's probably okay up to about 40mph (15PSI = 30mph, 10PSI = 20MPH, and so on)
After getting myself stuck in the sand at a beach on the Texas Gulf Coast, I can definately verify that it is not a good idea to keep spinning your wheels when trying to get out! This is a great video that I wish I had seen before having my 'misadventure'! I'd probably still be stuck on that beach or be floating out to sea during high tide if a good samaritan in a 4 wheel drive pickup with a winch and tow strap hadn't showed up just in the nick of time!
Yes, it's hard to stop yourself from keeping on trying to free yourself, but if you CAN, immediately just STOP TRYING, & take these steps.
Good video.!!!...for a mildly stucked vehicle (Belly was not resting On the sand) In a real situation, If the driver of the vehicle failed to observe and study the Sand conditions at the beginning & during the transition of the Trail, that in itself is a redflag. (every time that I find myself assisting a driver Stucked In Sand, first thing I do is give them one minute of Prevention information, then I Pull them Out). 1)Understanding that the vehicle gets Stucked Not because the tires doug into the sand but because the Underbelly of the vehicle came to a rest on top of the Sand. (That In itself is crucial knowledge.) Regardless the type of vehicle you drive, Use a 12inch small ruler or what ever suits your case, while the vehicle is sitting On pavement, measure the distance of the floorboard to the pavement surface. If the "belly" of your vehicle has 10 inches Or less of clearence (?) NEVER GO INTO Sandy Trails, you will always get Stucked. Get to know the Limitations of your vehicle, that alone will keep Out of Sand Traps & Mud Traps.
I appreciate your sharing of this information. Lots of people have no idea about this stuff and it can save your life. I certainly need to hear this!
Excellent Video Brian, Keri, Eric and CRVL Crew! Thanks for the wonderful demonstration and the list of things you should carry with you at all times. I took notes and watched twice to make certain I didn't forget anything. It's best to be prepared for when things like this happen.
😀❤👍🏻
Excellent demonstration. I hope you also demonstrate how to properly apply and use a tow strap and other tools you mentioned, in future videos.
👍
I keep a separate playlist for "RV-stuck"
Good morning from Godley Texas, great advice 😎
You three are so good together. Great wit, personality, chemistry. I’d love to see the three of you work together on more videos! Great job, I learned so much and enjoyed watching! Thnx!
I had a couple that decided to park on the drainage flat of a drainage lake and sunk the tires 1/3 of the way up and got stuck in the mud. They asked if I would please help get them out. I had an 85 Toyota pickup. Other people heard what was going on and offered their 4x4's because a 4 cylinder truck would not be able to do it. I did have to barrow more chain to keep out of the mud area. (Don't get your self stuck getting someone out). I told them to put the car in gear and slowly move the car forward as I pulled. The crowd gathered to bring in the 4/4s because they were certain my 100 hp trunk could not do it. I started moving forward and they slowly accelerated and thy drove right out. You do not need the biggest vehicle to get unstuck. I have seen Semis stuck in the mud where a large wrecker could not get them out. Then a small wrecker with a driver who knew what he was doing get it right out.
Bring a highlight jack and sand boards, shovel
I can pack the belts..but who’s gonna change them? 😂. Zip ties and duck tape yes! Then carry an air compressor to add air after airing down? Thanks for the advice.
This advice would have helped me a LOT in 1986 on the North Padre Island National Seashore! 🤣
Definitely air down before hitting sand and if you dont, air down if you are stuck. Dig in front and behind each tire and if you have a Jeep or other 4x4 with 4L and the offroad “cruise control”, you can put it into crawl mode, get the foot off the gas and let the vehicle do the work while working wheel left and right. Be careful with below 10 PSI as you have risk of going off the beads.
That satellite radio is essential for people going off the beaten path. Ashame the 74 year old man who was hiking with his dog didn't have one. They woukd have been able to find him. Also, the family and their dog who died of dehydration a few years ago hiking.
I carry carpet samples that by putting them under the rear RV dual tires I have got unstuck in sand. I have never aired down my RV or jeep 4x4. I normally am alone.
Keri, you rock !
This is a fantastic resource! I didn't know about "airing down" and that satellite phone is a MUST!
Thanks to you all. Love the old school crv. I had 2 would love to find another. Being stuck and the know how to get out is a plus.
As far as an air compressor, I bought one from Harbor Freight 100 PSI metal air compressor for $30. The main problem there is, it takes a LONG time to air up a set of tires. About ten minutes from empty for one tire with the 235/75R15s on my E-150. You're only supposed to run it for ten minutes and rest for ten minutes, so it could take over an hour to air up your set of tires to full pressure.
This was tested by Project Farm, and I figured it would work for my purpose of airing a single tire with a slow leak on a constant basis. My oiled air compressor is quick, but it takes forever to pull out from the basement and it's EXTREMELY loud! This other one I can run at night and not worry about waking anyone.
So, a high volume compressor is better, but more expensive. Cordless ones that fit in your pocket are only going to work for your bike, or top off a tire.
Great idea about airing down the tires, never thought about that 🙂
Eric is the man !! Great info
Good advice. Amazing that so many off roaders don't know most of this.
Not being from a desert state, but wanting to visit someday... This information is very helpful in helping me consider the kind of situations that I need to be prepared for. Thank you so much!!
BOING the car out. Eric is such a great teacher!
We got stuck in the sand down in the Baja in the early 70s in a Volkswagon Beatle. How did we get stuck? It was the 70s, you don't wanna know. Anyway, after a while a local came walking over the sand dunes with a couple of roofing shingles. He aired down the tires, put the shingles under the tires and voila! It was off to the liquor store for a bottle of Mescal. The local got the worm.
Mexicans be gettin it done! 💪🏾
Great teaching video.
Great demonstration . Love it when you guys show how it's done
You'd be amazed how much your towel can do if it's put under your tire. It can get you out of ice snow or sand
Great demonstration!
Very helpful information. 👌
What about gearing up! In Wisconsin winter weather we would gear up. Your tire spin faster in 1st gear so gear up and your tires don't spin as fast in 2nd gear. Most if not all have D for drive, 1 for 1st, 2 for 2nd if your not in a stick shift. So try 2nd it help me many a times on ice spinning.
Great video and info. 😁👍🏼
Well done - thanks all.
Great, useful, advice. I have seen people that have got stuck continuously spin their tires digging themselves deeper. I never understood why they kept doing that.
They don't know any better and are panicking, so not engaging higher brain function to stop and think. It's the "fight or flight" response getting triggered.
@@kdc1153 maybe at first yes but after I told them to stop spinning their tires because they are making it worse, the just kept doing it. If it was on their property I wouldn't have cared but they had come onto my property and were destroying it.
What about traction boards? I just bought a pair for $80. I ordered them after getting stuck exactly like you did in the video. I got unstuck deflating the rear tires to 15 pso and digging with my hands.
I will test the traction boards next week.
I got stuck 10 feet from the highway on a dirt road. I was tired and wasn't thinking, I had been on the same road a few days earlier. It only takes a second to get stuck. I did stop immediately when the digging started.
Thank You! That knowledge may be priceless to me one day :)
Awesome advice , thank you for sharing !
How about a come along?
I carried one of those in my van for 3 years and never used it. A tow strap and a friendly person with a heavy vehicle have been much easier. When your van is 9k lbs, it’s hard to find a tree or rock to tether to that can support the weight.
What about traction boards? Especially if alone
If ya can't afford a set of traction boards - see if you can scrounge up a few asphalt shingles to get you by - not as good, but can help while your saving up for a real set.
You mean like Maxx Trax? I’ve torn those up with my van. I actually use leveling blocks because you can build them into whatever shape you need, but they are also much cheaper to replace when your 9k lbs van chews them up and spits them back out.
Thank you so much, that was so helpful.
Thanx so much! Everyone should know this info.
Thanks for the video 👍 VERY helpful advice. Going to the beach soon so hopefully this will help in case I find myself in sticky sandy or even muddy situation.
I use tiger paws.
High volume bicycle pump. Most electric ones can only get you to 30PSI. The bicycle pump is lighter and can get you to a much higher PSI. And if you have a leak that out paces your electric pump, you might be able to get ahead of that curve with the bicycle pump to get somewhere other than where you are. Also if you need to use a spare, odds are the spare's air pressure is LOW.
Great stuff! Thanks for the sharing!
So, for me, I just wouldn't put myself in that situation, Lol but great video!!
Very helpful!!
very good information to know
Great instructional video. Thanks!!!
one little point. your fronttyres where not straight. makes it really more easy to get out.
Very informative video. Where can I find the shovel that Eric uses?
Good stuff.
awesome lesson!!!
What about the things to put under the tires when stuck? I cant remember the name of them.
Interesting helpful video although it would have been nice to get additional context. For somewho spends most of her time on the east coast it wasn't really clear that this is a desert thing. I suppose it could be a beach thing but beaches are so congested and well signed about airing down it would be rare getting stuck and not having someone around to help. Also letting people know where is Bob and why he didn't introduce you guys would have been nice.
that was awesome!
How about Maxtrax or a piece of carpet, did you forget this?
Bravo
Fantastic....!!!
Kool..good info
What if you get stuck in something like a step van? Still air down to 15 psi? Or a different strategy?
Same strategy. Air down all four tires. Gently rock back and forth.
It is very similar to getting out of snow
Please don't hook a tow strap to a bumper. 😬
Would having floor mats in front of your tires work also??
Confused re kinetic tow strap. He said get it 3X or more the "strength" of your car. Please explain. Does that term mean "weight" of your car ?
I meant weight.
Was the CRV 4WHD?
I've kept some links of people using various types of "chains" (like snow chains).
Some of those look pretty good.
A wheel lock too, but that's pricey.
But with chains And a wheel lock, it looks like you might have a "poor man's" 4x4.
Any thoughts?
Min 4:00
Any suggestions on how much air to let out? 5 lbs. on a 30 lbs tire?
... Later in the video they talk about airing down a lot, from, say, 30 down to 15, or even 8.
The dynamics in deflating the Tires varies a Lot on the Type of tires you run On your vehicle. The Basics is, that when you deflate your Tire, the pressure excersised by the Tire into the sand becomes less and the Tire becomes more flexible on the Sidewalls, therefore transferring Less grip.
Those who played Snowrunner (2020), know how to unstuck ;)
So I'm wondering for Van life I have been living van life for years and I always had AAA for roadside assistance. So I got the best plan I used up my 1 tire change 1 battery jump 2 tows only 20 miles. So they said your membership is still good till 6 of 2023 but you cannot have any roadside assistance cuz you used it up. I told him okay I would like to upgrade so I could have roadside assistance and they said you cannot do that to your membership expires.
So do you guys recommend any good roadside service for 1-ton van or do you guys just know how to fix your vehicles yourself?
I am desperate to find this answer because also you have the problem that it's a one ton it can't fit in the Bay of a service station so many different problems.
At least if I could get a towed somewhere I could get it towed somewhere where I can park and walk till I figure it out.
So does anyone recommend another roadside service other than AAA that is good for 1-ton vans?
Can this be used for getting stuck in the SNOW? or just sand?
Does this work with mud?
When is the Starlink video?
My goodness how fast was the wind blowing???
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
A good way to keep from getting stuck is not take your vehicle to places where vehicles shouldn't be,and that goes double for"4wheel drive"vehicles! A wise old man once told me,"If you have to have a 4wheel drive to get to where you're going,you've got no business being there!!
"Airing down".. it seem is a back to front statement.......obviously an American way of speaking
If your alone a 🪞 would be handy so you see if your tires are spinning.