A near miss

[Al Housman]

There is plenty of information from experienced offroaders not just on this forum but also on others,urging caution when venturing out in your 4X4.I just thought I'd share a scarey and sobering experience I had recently on a mountain near here.

I'd taken four lads to the top to ride downhill (it's what they do,makes them happy and gives me another excuse to play offroad). I decided to take a short cut coming down,leaving the stone track to cut off a dog leg so I would rejoin the track lower down the mountain.I've done it often enough before but that day I stupidly forgot to take into account the three days heavy rain we'd had. As soon as I got on the grass (well grazed by sheep and as it turned out slippy as hell) the Doka was off.The BFG ATs had absolutely no grip and I careered straight down the hillside aquaplaning on the mud.Using the brakes and/or gears was useless. I took off over a small hill,luckily in a straight line.

I was heading towards the lower track at 90 degrees and knew I'd probably jump it at that speed and would then continue down the slope beyond to smash into the farmhouse at the bottom so I tried steering to the right in order to end up going down the stone track when I did hit it.At least,I thought, I could use my brakes to pull up before some stone buildings. The Doka had other ideas and turned left so now I was sliding sideways at speed towards the track.I could only think that we would roll as soon as we hit the track but miraculously the tyres gripped and the vehicle stopped without flipping over. was this thanks to the low centre of gravity?

The boys had been waiting about 50yards away and were convinced (as was I) that both the VW and driver were gonners.As it was I just turned the key and drove up to them, shaking but intact. The bowel-emptying moment only hit me some hours later.A local shepherd who came by on his Quadbike gave me a good rollicking which was fair enough,but I was feeling pretty embarassed anyway.

I guess what I'm hoping is that this serves as a timely reminder with even wetter weather on the way to check the terrain before venturing off road.I work in the country and am offroad as much as I am on and have been for at least ten years in various vehicles.A poor decision could easily have been my last. As soon as I left the track that day I knew it was a mistake and I was virtually powerless to control my vehicle once it was moving. I'm lucky to have escaped unscathed and much wiser- and more importantly my syncro survived to play another day.

[sandwedge]

OMG thats sobering.
I have a friend who had a similar experience in a tractor towing a heavy trailer up hill in a field, tractor started slipping backwards down the slope and built up too much speed for him to be able to stop it. Unfortunately he wasn't able to stop it jack knifing and tipping over, luckily he was unhurt.

[Wolfsburg Willy]

Thanks Al. Glad that you and Doka survived. Sharing stuff like this, however embarrassing, may just save someone else's hide. Also had a similar experience some years ago on a tractor like Sandwedge's mate. The only way that I could stop the thing was to lower the front loader so that the bale spikes dug in. Wrecked the spikes but stopped eventually. Walked away wobbly and changed y-fronts!

Willy

[HarryMann]

Sobering Al, indeed... shaking just reading it
2 ton of sliding van, outcome could I suppose have been different if not a Doka, but they all seem pretty good in staying upright, have had a fright myself but not quite like that - but she was over at some wicked angle for a second or two (the blades of grass came into awfully close focus looking down out of the side window)

I have to say, this sort of thing is why we try to get everyone new at our Syncronaut site events to do some induction - especially when we have steep wet grass or muddy hills available - that's why many of us believe that 'site' events are so important - as preparation, training and experience for Green Lanes and general off-road driving but under (relatively) controlled conditions.

I also have to say that occasionally we've found a bit of resistance to set-piece induction training - and have to coerce or insist as appropriate with the odd individual - they are after all under our charge and driving near others, sometimes on very dangerous slopes.

The skills we often focus on are:

Cross-slope dangers
'Failed' steep ascent procedure
Steep slippery descent - retaining directional control

I'm not sure about others, but always like to demonstrate how a whiff of throttle can instantly return steering effectivenss when all is sliding hopelessly - unfortunately it's very 'counter-intuitive', as they say 3,000 miles West of here.

Speed control is quite often less important than directional control - but accept that what's at the bottom can profoundly affect perceptions
- but also, am always amazed how quickly a Syncro can be slowed down when the slope levels off or the surface improves, even a bit.
====

Glad yours stopped as quickly as it did...

[PC52]

Al, that is a "pooh" your pants job!
Last time I got caught on that, it slid and trying to drive out of it made it worse. On that one Russel did a controlled winch out of that situation otherwise it would've definately been a roll over job.
TBH no matter what you are in with whatever tyres on wet grass if it's gonna go ....
That's why practice is always a good idea as Clive pointed out.