Problems driving on sand...need help

[azinny]

Hi there- i've been having trouble driving my '67 EB on the sand. 4wd works. hubs locked. i have 33x12.5x15 terra comp m/t. i air down until the tires belly out. my gauge registers 0 psi though clearly not the case. it struggles to make it through the deep sand while lookimg like one of the meanest machines on the beach. could it be that the m/t's should be swapped out to a/t's? any thoughts?

 

[NicksTrix]

are you a one wheel wonder?

 

[broncnaz]

Probably just dont have the power what axle gears do you have? I would suggest 4.10's for 33in tires. Sand sucks the power and even more so with wide tires that are aired down. Might try leaving them pumped up more.

 

[Apogee]

10-12 psi if you don't have beadlocks seems to work well and keep the tires on the wheels, even if you're getting a bit frisky. More aggressive mud-terrain type tires seem to bury themselves faster than all-terrain types if/when forward progress stops, but if you're aired down properly, either can work quite well. What do you mean when you say that "...it struggles to make it through the deep sand"? Is it burying itself or just down on power/gearing?

Also, what kind of sand are we talking here? There's a big difference between coarse, wet beach sand and super-fine, dry desert silt.

 

[jw0747]

x2 tires down to 0 psi is way too low. your EB is struggling to get itself through sand with flat tires. tires down to about 10-12 psi is better but mud tires will tend to dig in so you have to retain forward motion at all times.

 

[Hank_]

I will air down to 6-8psi and have never had a tire loose a bead. I am not jumping sand dunes or doing donuts but even with aggressive driving the tires are always fine. If your gearing is off you may want to try cruising around in low range in second gear rather than 1st gear in high range. This should add some more power to help you through the dunes. I have always used mud terrain tires and although they will dig I don't believe it is your problem now.

Henry

 

[bax]

are you a one wheel wonder?

I have to agree here. Having open diffs and doing sand will give you problems.

 

[rjrobin2002]

Hi there- i've been having trouble driving my '67 EB on the sand. 4wd works. hubs locked. i have 33x12.5x15 terra comp m/t. i air down until the tires belly out. my gauge registers 0 psi though clearly not the case. it struggles to make it through the deep sand while lookimg like one of the meanest machines on the beach. could it be that the m/t's should be swapped out to a/t's? any thoughts?

Are you driving it like you stole it? That is how I handle sand. I dont worry about air pressure, just tire speed. You need a hot motor and good gearing.

 

[crab]

I have to agree here. Having open diffs and doing sand will give you problems.

I have to somewhat dissagree. I have run several early bronco's on all conditions of sand with open diffs and rarely use four wheel drive. However I'm a third generation beach bum with open beaches and Sandlake off road park as my back yard which is 99% of my success. I'd say leaning the sand and how to handle your power/wheel speed is most of your problem, not your tires or the way your bronco is set up.
Good Luck......

 

[Zillacon]

Sand takes a lot of motor power away. You need a screaming motor and mash the gas.

 

[crab]

Sand takes a lot of motor power away. You need a screaming motor and mash the gas.

%) old toyota four bangers are some of the best sand rigs out there. A "screaming motor" is fun, but not necessary unless you are climbing monster dunes which doesn't sound like the case. You need forward momentum first before you mash the gas or you will be digging yourself out all day. Keep your power under control and don't let the wheels spin with out of control with out some forward momentum and stop as soon as you stop moving forward. The more forward momentum, the more you "mash the gas". Also, try to come to a stop on a slight down hill. Ease into it.

 

[ransil]

I always run around 20 psi , so I can do some street driving too, low range might help you out.

 

[garberz]

Hi there- i've been having trouble driving my '67 EB on the sand. 4wd works. hubs locked. i have 33x12.5x15 terra comp m/t. i air down until the tires belly out. my gauge registers 0 psi though clearly not the case. it struggles to make it through the deep sand while lookimg like one of the meanest machines on the beach. could it be that the m/t's should be swapped out to a/t's? any thoughts?

You just need more horsepower.

 

[malonejy]

Low range is my friend in the dunes!

 

[garberz]

With my stock 302 and 35" tires, I can't use high range. In the dunes, I'm pretty much a spectator. Another 100Hp would help in my situation, maybe I'll be able to use high range then.

 

[Bronco Biff]

I've run in the sand for years with 33-12.50's. Even with a '79 150 300-6, open 2.73 rear gears in the rear and 3.50 front (sand gave it enough slip). Low range helps a lot, but the key is airing down. 20lbs would make the heavy truck with a tall fiberglass cap loaded with passangers and gear float enough across even on the softest stuff. Cost to a stop when possible and start off easy to not bury down.

 

[Rustytruck]

For me stock motor, 12 degrees advance in distributer, 4.11 gearing and detroit rear and trutrac front and 33 mud terrians its 12-15 psi and low range only. I carry alot of weight in added steel and extended gas. Sand needs power and a heavy pig truck is no dune buggy running 2 horse power per pound. if your lucky your running 1 hp per 20 lbs if your running flat out.
put your truck on a diet and add a little nitrious.
Low range is your best friend.
It doesn't matter where you can run as long as your having fun doing it.

 

[red hot71]

A couple other thing to think about 1)When you stop always be pointing down hill,it takes a lot less to get moving when you're using gravity in your favor.2) I you want to do this more then 4-5 times a year invest in a set of tires for the sand,or find a set of worn down all terrians or street treads and if you have a retreader in town have him buff all the tread off so you have a bald set of sand tires aired down, its not the tread its the rubber foot print contacting the sand that gets you moving.

 

[azinny]

10-12 psi if you don't have beadlocks seems to work well and keep the tires on the wheels, even if you're getting a bit frisky. More aggressive mud-terrain type tires seem to bury themselves faster than all-terrain types if/when forward progress stops, but if you're aired down properly, either can work quite well. What do you mean when you say that "...it struggles to make it through the deep sand"? Is it burying itself or just down on power/gearing?

Also, what kind of sand are we talking here? There's a big difference between coarse, wet beach sand and super-fine, dry desert silt.

we're talking beach sand. my problems occur when getting off the previously laid tracks or when leaving the beach after being parked. it feels very sluggish. if there's a decent incline i lose fwd momentum and then the m/t's start digging to china.

 

[azinny]

thanks for all the feedback guys. really appreciate it!