Maximum allowable lean angle prior to rolling over

[daveb]

Originally Posted by ert01

No device will ever be better calibrated or more accurate than an experienced ass.

Just my .02 though

If I went by what I feel is an unsafe limit (as in actually not knowing what angle I'm really am at) I doubt I would ever get close 20 degrees. Yeah anything can go wrong and is why I stay in a zone I hope to keep from damaging my van IF something goes wrong. At 11,500lbs I also won't cross over a 6 ton bridge but might try an 8 ton provided it's safer to cross it rather than go back. At least it's good to know the bridges rating even though there could be unseen issues with it. Anybody who tries to push the envelope on their vehicle puts it at risk but you can blow a tire on the freeway @65 and do the same. Sorry I can't feel the difference between a 20 or 25 degree angle so I rely on some instrumentation.

[MadScience]

Originally Posted by bolty

... it read 35 degrees and he broke the beads on both downhill tires

I presume they were aired down for the sand. How common is this in a side lean?

Seems like a great way to add a couple degrees of additional lean, suddenly and unexpectedly.

[jage]

Originally Posted by daveb

I have an audible inclinometer set to 28* and its sounded a couple times.

Somehow my audible inclinometer got reset to about 7º and no matter what I've done since I can't get it to stop sounding alarmed even in the most tame situations.

[twogone]

Originally Posted by jage

Somehow my audible inclinometer got reset to about 7º and no matter what I've done since I can't get it to stop sounding alarmed even in the most tame situations.

She'd go to about 12* if you let her have couple of beers

[daveb]

Originally Posted by twogone

She'd go to about 12* if you let her have couple of beers

Don't you mean -12*

[Ridge]

It's always different, you can usually feel it and get out of the situation before going over. If you're going too fast, or not paying attention to what your tires are going to climb or drop off, a meter won't make a damn bit of difference!

Right before this pic was taken, I had to put it in reverse and back out a little because the right front started coming off the ground...which is why my passenger got out and started taking pics! (That is way more unsettling in a van than in a Jeep!) The reason why I had to back up is because I couldn't turn any more to the left to point the front end down. As the right front wanted to climb higher, the left rear was not able to support any more of the load. Once I backed up a few inches (it usually doesn't take much), the front came down. I turned the wheel full passenger and backed up some more, then turned driver and slowly pulled away as my butt unpuckered.



However, in this pic, even though the right front is off the ground, we were in no danger of tipping over on this obstacle. This is because the left rear was getting ready to climb which puts the right front back on the ground.


It's always different. Know where your tires are and what they're going to do next...and go as slow as possible. There is an exception to the "go as slow as possible" part, but that's for the advanced class! Lol

[rob_gendreau]

Geez, so many variables here that a theoretical tipping point is basically meaningless.

For example, note even the effect of turning your wheels uphill when at a precarious angle. Or adding a big of speed to that. Or suspension loading/unloading (you bump a rock with lower front wheel, it increases your angle, eg). Or all your cargo shifting downhill. Or traction, as noted previously. Or a downhill tire sinks in.

I had occasion to talk with someone who worked on the Ford van rollover litigation and after that I got the "inclination" to not incline much, so to speak.

[joey2cool]

Yet another reason to heed road caution and speed signs as maximum, with an added dose of good judgement for worse than nominal conditions. Not to mention the benefits of less wear-n-tear on your ride.

[BajaSportsmobile]

I used to "bicycle" around on two wheels in a '69 VW Van when I was a kid...

Common sense was not very common back then - but fun was!

We bent the door hinges on my '67 Bronco "Hiking out" on them to keep from rolling.

I use the "Puck-O-Meter" to determine too much angle.

[arctictraveller]

So while attending the North West Overland rally this weekend, this topic came up, and the instructor said your spotter should be watching your tire bulge. As the down hill tires get loaded up with more and more weight the sidewalls will bulge more and the uphill tires will become more straight sided. He felt that once the unloaded tires were pretty straight sided, you probably needed to do something different as you were aproaching the tipping point. I didn't get to test this theory though..............