Ford in the sand dunes

[Pimpon]

Bonjour à tous, en tant que passionné de dunes de sable et du désert, je voulais avoir quelques retours pour voir si nos Ford sont capables dans ce domaine. Avec ma Toyota HDJ 80, la reine du désert, je peux confirmer, mais la Ford...

 

[Twoxentrix]

That looks like fun Vincent. Performance in the sand is a personal judgment based on many variables; Tire size, weight of the Van, how soft the sand bed is, & driver experience.
I personally am leery of beach sand since my Van is so heavy, so I walk a good part first to get an idea of what I'm up against (certainly not fool-proof though). Even with 35's aired down to 17psi (worried about breaking the bead when that low since I'm almost taxing 12K lbs) I've invited trouble a couple times.
At the very least I'd approach the prospect with realistic suspicions; enter the playground equipped with recovery gear AND another vehicle when you try it out for the first time...no better way to explore the Van's boundaries!
Looking forward to seeing some pictures of your van in action

 

[larrie-SMB]

Here is the computer translation from the French.
“Hello everyone, as a sand dune and desert enthusiast, I wanted to have some feedback to see if our Fords are capable in this field. With my Toyota HDJ 80, the desert queen, I can confirm, but the Ford...”

 

[larrie-SMB]

The sand in the photo looks really soft. Where was it taken? Going with a buddy the first couple of times out on the sand is a good idea. There is no better way to figure out the rigs abilities than to drive it.

 

[Pimpon]

[COLOR=var(--YLNNHc)]trip to Algeria in 2023 7000km with very beautiful dessert landscapes[/COLOR]

 

[Pimpon]

voyage en Algérie en 2023 7000km avec de très beaux paysages de desserts

 

[geoffff]

I can traverse soft beach sand just fine, even with coarse sand particle beaches, but only when very much aired down -- down to 1/4 normal tire pressure -- such as under 20 PSI.

I sometimes switch to 4-low to avoid overheating the transmission if the van isn't "floating" on the sand well.

 

[Pimpon]

[COLOR=var(--YLNNHc)]Did you have any photos or video links of the Fords in the sand[/COLOR]

 

[geoffff]

Are you looking for scenic photos, or just photos to show what is possible?

Here are some images of my old van in soft sand...



















(I am not "stuck" in any of these photos.)

 

[geoffff]

 

[larrie-SMB]

We have had ours on a number of beaches in Baja. There was a mix of hard and soft sand.

https://www.sportsmobileforum.com/media/img-5968.178371/full

 

[NoData]

Be careful going up and down steep sand dunes- thats how I knocked my Fiamma awning off No problems otherwise at Silver Lake

 

[rallypanam]

Well, beach sand is very different than dune sand.. and we also don't have much 'fesh fesh' in the Americas like in the Sahara.

But Pimpon, the biggest issue is your Toyota 80 series is probably about half the weight of a built out Ford 4x4 with poptop, and this is a big difference in dunes!

 

[Twoxentrix]

Yep, Center of gravity is also dramatically different than that of your Toyota so approach angle also comes into play - taking any dune at an angle would result in the lower side tires burdening more weight which could cause them to dig in deeper...adding to the cab angle & instability of the van.

geoffff - Those are some great pic's!​

EDIT: Just found the picture that I initially wanted to share with you Vincent >> pirated from this Thread:

SMB in Soft Sand-Help

Last spring I was exploring the Oregon coast and was planning to camp in the sand dunes (Bull Run Sand Camping) https://goo.gl/maps/EaMm5vUZbCn83Ax96 I drove up to the access point and the sand looked pretty deep and soft. It was the middle of the week in March so there was nobody out there to...

www.sportsmobileforum.com

 

[Glenn P.]

My van runs about 10K lbs with 285/75/R16 BFG AT tires. I've run on dunes, desert sand and beaches and been good when aired down to about 20psi. Only times I get stuck is when I'm hauling a utility trailer with a full size ATV on it AND I don't air down because I'm lazy and I get though half the time without airing down. I've spent 5 min extracting myself with the MaxTrax and another 30 min probing the soft desert sand to find them all!

 

[bolty]

Yep, Center of gravity is also dramatically different than that of your Toyota so approach angle also comes into play - taking any dune at an angle would result in the lower side tires burdening more weight which could cause them to dig in deeper...adding to the cab angle & instability of the van.

geoffff - Those are some great pic's!​

EDIT: Just found the picture that I initially wanted to share with you Vincent >> pirated from this Thread:

SMB in Soft Sand-Help

Last spring I was exploring the Oregon coast and was planning to camp in the sand dunes (Bull Run Sand Camping) https://goo.gl/maps/EaMm5vUZbCn83Ax96 I drove up to the access point and the sand looked pretty deep and soft. It was the middle of the week in March so there was nobody out there to...

www.sportsmobileforum.com

View attachment 1068822

That's my van on the left. It is actually a pretty steep bowl. I couldn't go forward but I was able to just back down. The guy above me tried to go around, got stuck right above me and slid downhill until he was inches from my van. He broke both beads on the downhill side. Fun times! (My van is for sale now...)

 

[gwbuild]

I take my van to the dunes all the time with no problems. I weigh around 8k lbs and run my tires at 15 psi.

 

[SierraHawk]

There is a good amount of information in the entries above. Our 2004 E350 4X4 van has over 350,000 miles on it. It is equipped with a 5.4 L engine, 4:10 gears and 285 75 16 BFG tires. I have driven it through "blow sand" (very fine particles) that is more than 12" deep to wet beach sand. Though it is a good idea to air down when you are unsure of the terrain. I have never been stranded but I have driven 4X4 vehicles for 60 years. I seldom air down but do carry self-rescue equipment (12000# Warn winch, jacks, a real shovel, tree saver, boards, etc.).

The one piece of equipment that is seldom used is the spare tire but it is an excellent self-rescue tool. If you are out of options, take the spare tire off and roll it about 70 feet in front of the van. Dig a hole at least 24" deep, attach the winch cable to the tire and drop the tire into the hole. Dig a 20' trench that will allow the cable to lay below ground level for about 20 feet and then backfill the hole with the sand you piled next to the hole. Before putting tension on the cable, make sure that there are at least 10 wraps around the winch drum.

Air down to a level you are comfortable with. Low gear might cause your tires to dig in deeper so start with the transfer case in high 4X4. If the van does not move forward in high 4X4, drop it into low 4X4 but do not continue to accelerate if you feel the tires are digging in deeper. Use the winch to put more tension on the cable and move forward incrementally (about 6 inches at a time).

The winch control wire is long enough to reach into the driver's window. Slowly/gently increase the engine speed while gently tightening the winch cable using the control switch. You do not want to pull the tire out of the hole you dug so try to coordinate the 4X4 forward movement with the winch advances. Once you get 10 feet from the tire the winch cable should pull the tire out of the hole.

 

[geoffff]

Sounds like an excellent workout! I am confident I will have to do that myself, someday. (Now that my van actually has a winch.)

 

[N147JK]

The one piece of equipment that is seldom used is the spare tire but it is an excellent self-rescue tool. If you are out of options, take the spare tire off and roll it about 70 feet in front of the van. Dig a hole at least 24" deep, attach the winch cable to the tire and drop the tire into the hole. Dig a 20' trench that will allow the cable to lay below ground level for about 20 feet and then backfill the hole with the sand you piled next to the hole. Before putting tension on the cable, make sure that there are at least 10 wraps around the winch drum.

This is called kedging. Used to move sailing vessels ages ago when there was no wind, or after running aground.