I mistakenly believed I could just automatically conquer any terrain in my hummer, so I decided to not be a pansy, and took my hummer to the trails along the high power lines near my house... lots of 45 degree slopes, and loose rock, mud, ruts, streams, etc... had a blast until i got a little over my head... I started to descend a very steep dirt path and got my right wheel in an erosion rut. my truck nosed over, and the back left wheel was at full excursion, with like 3 feet from the tire to the fender (or so it looked) and I should also mention that the wheel was a foot off the ground. I couldn't back up, and i got very scared! I finally climbed out and started formulating a plan.... there were a bunch of 4 wheeler guys whizzing around, so we got 5 guys to hang off the side standing on the side step, and decided the best course of action was to continue forward to raise up out of the rut.. we did it, and the guys all jumped off, and I leveled off....

I learned a huge lesson.... though off roading is usually percieved as a sport for dumbass rednecks, you do have to have a bit of technique... I do not... that was my first time off road ever.

I'm going to take an offroad class from the local dealer, and hopefully next time I'll be a bit less eager to start something I can't finish...

so my question is this... when you hit too steep of a trail, and you feel like it's gonna be too steep (maybe i'm just not used to driving a vehicle up such a steep incline, and it just feels too steep) espescially going upwards, what do you do when you can't continue forward? how do you back down? or do you? can you roll the truck over backwards? I see pictures of people launching their hummers over the top of far steper hills, but I just feel unsafe.

I was an idiot for getting in over my head, but not enough of an idiot to do it again, so i guess, that makes me only half an idiot.

 

HOLY CRAP!!!! That was a CLOSE ONE!!!

Another reason to RIDE THE PAVEMENT!!!!

 

Sounds scary, glad everything is ok.

Never turn on an incline is a good rule. Rolling a truck sideways on an incline is very easy. However keeping staight onan obsticle (forward or reverse) even if you don't clear it is the safest approach.Although it may seem like it's going to happen, it's pretty rare for a vehicle to go end over as a result of steep grade (rare, but does happen...) as you will almost always slide back (or forward).

An off-road classis a great idea for anyone;as it address lots of situations you can get youself into, and teach you which situations not to get into in the first place. I know I learned ALOT of new ways to play with the rig (and not break it)in the dirt from a Hummer event I attended.

Good luck, Have Fun!

 

Steve,

I guess the real issue here is that it was not only your first time four-wheeling, but first time four-wheeling in a pretty hairy place... I have been off roading for 20 (since I was 16) plus years and can tell you a few things I like to do before I do *serious* off-roading:

[ul][*]Know your vehicle[*]Know its limitations[*]Carry the right equipment - shovel - flares - cell - cb - plywood - tow rope - etc[*]Know the terrain - i have been running the same stretches of beach for several years - know where to go when to go[*]I may be a pansy, but if the sand looks too soft, too inclined, too loose or whatever, I pass[*]Most important ingredient - a 30 pack of beer, not for you, but if you get stuck, it is always nice to pay people back - the 5 guys who helped you probably would have loved the beer! [/ul]
Again - don't want to sound like a pansy, but have had too many close calls and rolls with CJ5s and jeeps throughout the years...

Oh yeah - to answer your question - unless I know what is on top of the hill, if it plateaus, if I can't get through or whatever, determines whether or not I back down or keep going... this probably doesn't help at all but my $.02 anyway.

 

you got lots of good advice here (well, except for Bob's ), so i'll keep it short. don't go out by yourself. you had some folks to help, and whether or not they actually helped or you could have recovered by yourself, they were there when you felt you needed them. one thing our guide told us in Moab, in a situation similar to yours, is that if the back end is rising up and you think you're going over, let off the brake and let the truck go. i'm sure the situation we were in was different than yours, there was no rut holding our front tires, but the idea seemed to make sense. it's hard to roll one of these things front to back, but it can happen. good move not trying to go sideways though, much easier to roll that way. seems like you've learned a good bit from your first time off road, and other than the shark fin in your seat, your lesson was painless. enjoy the off road class and ask as many questions as you need to, the only dumb question is the one you never ask.

and as for Bob's comment, some day he'll get the bug and roll the princess down a dirt road - then he'll be hooked . . . . . . . .

 

i'm not trying to hi-jack the thread, i thought my question was in correlation to the OP.as i am also a noob to off roading..my girlfriend got stuck in her h3 this weekend at collins lake while going off trail to look for a camp site... her front tires sank in the mud about a foot away from the water, and couldn't get out, i had no tow rope to get her out, and the park rangers were being ****** saying, "$200i can tow it out but you'll have to wait til morning, HUMMERS can't go anywhere just cuz they say Hummer on it" which is true, but gimme a break it's an honest mistake... So after 2hrs ofhanddigging and throwing rocks under the tires to try and get traction, clothes & both hummers filled with mud, they finally decided to help us.. i did notice when she was trying to reverse the front tires didn't spin? was that a sensor tripping? once again sorry, for jacking your thread, figured were both on the same page... [sm=icon_cheers.gif] any tips would help, as snow season's coming up and i don't wanna find my self in a similar rut. or is the h2 less prone to that situation vs. the h3??

 

the H2 would have probably sunk in further, and if you're down to the skid plate and that thing gets suction, it's not going anywhere by itself. are you sure neither of the front wheels were spinning? if that's the case, you should get the H3 checked out. most park rangers won't help because of liability issues, that's certainly the case here in CA. i'd recommend an off road class, lots of the 4x4 shops can provide some good ones. each scenario is going to be different, mud is different than snow, snow is different than rocks, it helps to know what you're coming up against and have an idea of how to handle it. still, you've now got some experience under your belt, and it turned out ok in the long run. if you're not getting stuck, you're not trying hard enough . . . . .

 

You did the right thing.... stop and think.... that is the most important thing. I didn't see it mentioned by anyone else... but it's always a good idea to let the engine brake for you....

Low-Lock 1st gear is my best friend going downhill.

Take a class... if nothing else you have an excuse to go out wheeling and perhaps you might learn one thing that keeps you safe down the road.

Glad you had fun.... glad you got home safe.... and glad you learned a lesson.... that's what life is all about.

 

Can someone please agree with my Beer comment?

 

[sm=icon_guiness.gif]i strongly agree with you... i'd gladly share, that is if i don't das boot it first !!! all this beer talk is making me thirsty!!



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