I’ve done my share of water crossings, usually just brief river/creek crossings nothing of the distance shown in the above videos. But I’ve had water over the hood of our 80(a bit scary considering I didn’t have a snorkel) it crested the hood for only a few seconds. I’ve ‘drowned’ my FJ55 in a deep hole, (water running in the driver’s window and out the passengers, hood under water about a foot) failure to walk the river first, just being in a hurry, stopped us for a few hours, waiting to dry everything out. Wife was not pleased.
Depth, I can deal with…it’s the current that scares me. These rivers and creeks, you can walk across in the summer and fall, but it’s the spring run-off that brings them up, and the current can push the vehicle around.
My usual plan of action is to try and keep the current from broad-siding the vehicle. I try to enter at an angle, facing downstream preferably; this keeps the current on my side, instead of working against me and forcing water higher/deeper over the top of the hood. This isn’t always possible due to the conditions of the river bank etc. I’ve begged off a few times due to the current, and had to head back from whence I came…I’m usually solo and have learned a few lessons, albeit the hard way (see above)
I was wondering what some of you have to say on the subject of the strength of the river current, have you seen a vehicle pushed over? I’ve been lifted and floated downstream further than I wanted, but managed to get to shallower water and drive back up the bank to the “exit” but that’s not a good feeling. Is there a rule of thumb or gut check you have for an attempt on a crossing with a strong current?
Dan
You are on to something that moves us in another direction here.
Deep water can swamp your rig and get you wet. Ruin your day. Fast water can kill you.
The water crossings that we deal with around here almost always have current to factor in. We find ourselves dealing with flooded trails and woods because of beaver ponds on occasion. But most often we are crossing fast slowing streams and river in high or at least moderately high country.
I have been pushed sideways in the flow many many times. it is something that you anticipate and plan for as you enter the water. I have only been floated a couple times And not for far before getting a grip Never been rolled by this and never been with anyone who has. I have seen the aftermath of more severe floating in fast current. A few times. The tires catch on a shallow spot while most of the weight is still floating and the rig will easily roll. But these instances are the sort of thing were anyone with common sense would ask them "what the hell were you thinking?"
In terms of dealing with current that you are not simply crazy to be in:
While it may seem that it is easier to angle downstream instead of straight across, the ferry angle this creates actually works against you... the splashing is a lot less significant bu it can actually take more power to move toward the other bank.
It also keeps you out in the river longer and means that you have to corss more unseen terrain..
By preference I try to keep the nose pointed at the opposite bank unless the actual terrain/channel/current dictates otherwise.
Turning upstream is usually a bad idea if there is another option. Sometimes there is not.
Depending on the complexity of the crossing.... deeper and shallower channels, debris in the river, sand/gravel bars, entry and exit points.... all sorts of stuff like that.... sometimes we may follow a pretty crooked path to get across. There are many times that we run straight upstream after making it to a shallow gravel bar before turning across again to drop into a deeper channel that has to be crossed. This situation is generally encountered when there are more than one channels with shallower areas between them. usually the deepest part of the channels will be at deeper spots, so you manuver in the shallow areas to try and hit the easiest spots to ford the channels
When current is pushing me sideways I generally will either countersteer slightly upstream to keep the rig pointed at the opposite bank to continue heading for the point that I was aiming for IF the traction is sufficient that the tail end stays on line. If the tail end is getting pushed, then you need to let the front end go with it. Much more important to keep the nose pointed at the other side you are heading for than it is to not wind up downstream a little bit.
This is not a real concern if you have factored the possibility into your plan for crossing.
Several years ago I had one of my guys drive my then 14 year old daughter's truck across a narrow but fast flowing river for her when the levels came up during the day. He donned a drysuit before the attempt because it was fairly daunting for a stockish mini-truck. About halfway across the current kicked the tail end around a full 90 degrees as he was full on the throttle bouncing, clawing and almost floating. He had to go full lock on the steering, aiming the front end down stream to get straightened out, but the rear tires had enough purchase that he was able to get it straightened out before he got to the opposite bank.
Something that many folks who have not made crossings like this will not think about is the egress point. Once your front tires grab and start up, if the tail is light and being pushed sideways, you will need to countersteer to get the front end moving downstream with the tail as you pop out. Otherwise you can quickly get turned sideways to the point that you can not make the climb up a steep bank/shore. Even to the point that the rig can roll as it gets pushed sideways.
All of the worries about the tail floating or being pushed are a lot bigger deal in a wagon or a pick with a real bead than they are in a '40 or even '70 series, or a flatbed truck.
There is a lot more to think about when crossing moving water. Sitting here throwing it out like this I am sure I will forget to mention more than I remember.
Mark...
, where do you buy those?
