How deep(in water) can a stock LC100 go with snorkles

[Mark W]

Very good points. What about tying off to a safety line while wading? Also, if the current is too strong, maybe a crossing should not be attempted at that spot. I have heard of trucks getting swept away or overturned by the current. I remember reading one account where a guy got stuck in the middle of the river and had to open all his doors to allow the water to flow through, otherwise the current would have knocked his truck over.

Generally a safety line is better waiting downstream to be thrown to you instead of trying to hang onto it while crossing. Tying off to a line can be a very bad thing. It can get tangled and can also actuallky act to pull you down. A line should be held, not tied. If you are a whoite water resuce expert with the right gear this is not an absolute, but for what we are tlking abiut here... I consider it to be so.

As to "if the current is too strong, maybe a crossing should not be attempted at that spot"... ABSOLUTELY.

You have to know what you are doing. You don't want to be pushing the envelope casually. When in doubt... stay dry.

I'm not at all convinced that the stories of opening doors to let the current through are true. Or if it did happen, the folks involved misunderstood the situation. Water passing through the rig will have pretty much the same amount of drag as water passing over and around it.

Either way, it's a situation to be avoided. Knowledge, understanding, experience, planning and CAUTION willusually prevent these things.



Mark...

 

[Dandon]

I've been into deep water many times in both Cruisers. I've had both at a steady wiper-height depth and even deeper with holes in rivers dipping the side of the truck and waves climbing up and over the top of the front window. You can't see until you exit the hole in the river. It's spooky!

I've been hood height in the 100 for 4-5 minutes out of the 15 minute drive up stream to the pools at Chiva Falls. I keep moving and the inside even stays dry. The engine runs superbly. I've been deeper in the Gila after snow falls though for shorter periods. ~1-minute crossings.

I'm going to send copies of this post to my diesel-fanatic gasoline-hating pals
Of course they don't drive a 100, which does make a difference.

 

[ShottsUZJ100]

I'm going to send copies of this post to my diesel-fanatic gasoline-hating pals
Of course they don't drive a 100, which does make a difference.

I am quote amazed these trucks can do this. Seriously! On two 15-minute creek trips I must have been in the water 3' tire high for 3-4 minutes, ARB bumper high for 1-2 minutes, and hood top/wiper high for 2-3 minutes. Not even a wet floor in the 100. A little wetness in the 80.

 

[Colicious]

I am quote amazed these trucks can do this. Seriously! On two 15-minute creek trips I must have been in the water 3' tire high for 3-4 minutes, ARB bumper high for 1-2 minutes, and hood top/wiper high for 2-3 minutes. Not even a wet floor in the 100. A little wetness in the 80.

wow thats crazy. id be worried about unseen ditches in the water. theres a river at my friends camp that i would like to run down once i get my cruiser built up, but it seems to have some very large ditches that sometimes run along the sides and sometimes cross the middle.

are there certain techniques used on sandy rivers? this river has very little gravel, rocks, and other debris in it

 

[SWUtah]

What's a flood damaged LC worth? Why would someone take that kind of unknowable risk with their ride? I can see rock crawling when you have someone to spot you but why would you drive into a river not knowing for sure where the depth is and if you could lose your rig and your life. Seems kind of foolish.

 

[hoser]

Saw this video posted on the 100scool list.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw2tgyFfilg

 

[dclee]

Saw this video posted on the 100scool list.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw2tgyFfilg

Heehee, looks like he floated and came off the bottom, robbing him of forward progress! The Cruiser is too waterproof!!!

Leaking cabin: $20 dry cleaning bill
Wet carpet: $200 clean and detail job
Sealed, dry cabin causing you to float down the river: priceless

 

[ZJ2UZJ100]

Do you need to vent the exhaust too?

I have seen lots of snorkels, and heard about venting the diffs, Tcase and Tranny. And blocking off some flow through the radiator to prevent the fan(s) from grabbing the water and propelling themselves into the radiator fins.

But I often wondered if were necessary to vent the exhaust. When you need to slow for that split second to try to get your wheel up onto that ledge to get out of the river, does water back up through the exhaust and kill your engine from the back pressure?

 

[Mark W]

I have seen lots of snorkels, and heard about venting the diffs, Tcase and Tranny. And blocking off some flow through the radiator to prevent the fan(s) from grabbing the water and propelling themselves into the radiator fins.

But I often wondered if were necessary to vent the exhaust. When you need to slow for that split second to try to get your wheel up onto that ledge to get out of the river, does water back up through the exhaust and kill your engine from the back pressure?

No. So long as the engine is running thge exhaust pressure is much higher than the water pressure. The only time that an extended exhaust would come into ply would be if you stalled the engine while the water was above the head. Then water could come up the exhaust (therewill always be at least on exhaust valve that os open). And almost always a cylinder with both exhaust and intake valves open. That's the one that will fill with water if the level is above the ports and the engine is not running. It won't be instantaneous, but it won't take long.


Mark...

 

[Mark W]

What's a flood damaged LC worth? Why would someone take that kind of unknowable risk with their ride? I can see rock crawling when you have someone to spot you but why would you drive into a river not knowing for sure where the depth is and if you could lose your rig and your life. Seems kind of foolish.

The idea is to make sure that it is NOT an unknowable risk. Just like everything else, knowledge and skill and experience and basic intelligence makes all the difference.

And the why? To follow trails that take you places that you want to be. Pretty simple. Sometimes to get to places that other people don't or can't go. Around here if you follow a trail far enough you will usually find that you reach a river that you can't cross. Or at least most people will reach a river that they can't cross.
If you know what you are doing and have a rig that is up to it, you can reach the other side of a lot of those crossings and often have hundreds and hundreds of square miles to yourself. Places with no other way to reach...

Nothing foolish about it. Compare that to risking your rig and your safety crawling up a ravine with an access road running along the top of it. In my book it's easy to see which has better reason behind it.

Mark...

 

[tech_dog]

No. So long as the engine is running thge exhaust pressure is much higher than the water pressure. The only time that an extended exhaust would come into ply would be if you stalled the engine while the water was above the head. Then water could come up the exhaust (therewill always be at least on exhaust valve that os open). And almost always a cylinder with both exhaust and intake valves open. That's the one that will fill with water if the level is above the ports and the engine is not running. It won't be instantaneous, but it won't take long.


Mark...

In boating, water can actually crawl upstream in a film that forms on the inside walls of the exaust system. I can't remember the name of the effect that causes it, but it was one of the big issues to overcome before introducing a marine catalytic converter.

 

[Mark W]

Wow, that's some wierd stuff. Sounds just contra-intuative enough to make sense.

Any idea how much water we are talking abuot here and how long it takes?


Mark...

 

[tech_dog]

I'm not sure on those details.

They talk in this month's Boating Magazine article on the recently invented cats for boating.

 

[ShottsUZJ100]

The times we've been in these deep situations we were aware of the risks...which were on the light side. We don't just go snorkeling throgh flash flood monsoon rain washes.

Gila River...rocky bed, you can obtain depths via internet. You stay in the middle and you're OK. We know because we drive it dry too.
On one trip my buddy in his 100 got a little to close to the edge (where the sand is) and sunk to his rockers. We had to strap and dig him out.

Tanque Verde Wash...same thing...we drive when dry and know the terrain. If you want to get back to the sacred pools you need to "snorkel" there. The pools are amazing.

Here's some video of some deep stuff. Done this too in the 100 though no video...we were alone.

http://shottscruisers.smugmug.com/photos/51061665-O.mpg

 

[r3run33]

for you guys that know you tube there is an fj40 that goes totally under except for the snorkel and comes out driving; now those probably have no other elec stuff but with a properly equiped truck as long as the snorkl is above water it works i will try to find the video

 

[r3run33]

ok i found it this is a great video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzGh43-leO4


hope the link works i am not that computer savy

 

[e9999]

for you guys that know you tube there is an fj40 that goes totally under except for the snorkel and comes out driving; now those probably have no other elec stuff but with a properly equiped truck as long as the snorkl is above water it works i will try to find the video

had better be a Diesel for that kinda play...