Driving on the beach

[Brian Hale]

Hey guys, gotta question for you beach drivers. I'll be ordering a new truck in the next year or so and it'll be a Dodge 3500. Can i drive this on the beach? A friend told LOML that you can't do it with a dual rear wheel truck.

Ideally we'd like to run out on the beach at the Outer Banks NC, hopefully with the truck camper still in the bed.


Any advise welcome!

Brian :)

[Don Baer]

And the answer is....

It depends

weight of the truck.
hardness of the sand
Type of tires.

I drive my silverado on sand all the time and it a rear wheel drive. The added weight of the camper could actualy help since the unloaded truck has a tendency to spin the tires. :mad: Even fine Arizona sand just don't high center it... DAMHIKT

[Brian Hale]

Thanks Don. I've seen the folks let the air out of the tires and I've also seen truck campers out there but can't recall seeing a dullie in the sand...

Brian

[Don Baer]

Thanks Don. I've seen the folks let the air out of the tires and I've also seen truck campers out there but can't recall seeing a dullie in the sand...

Brian

Shoot if its a dullie your even in better shape, more tire surface area less chances of getting stuck. I wouldn't let any air out of the tires unless it's real soft sand and real deep. I save that as a way to get unstuck. Just drive slow and don't spin the tires.

[Frank Chaffee]

Brian,
The locals will know best. They will also know the best route for your rig to travel based on your loading when you get there. Don is right in that the added weight of your camper will increase dually tire psi to ground and prevent you from digging too deep or floating on top of loose sand. You can trust locals better than any equation analysis available.

I drove a heavily laden pick up pulling a heavy 21 ft. trailer to a low tide only accessible campsite in CA, and the park rangers looked at my rig and told me I could make it in 4WD. Since they were the ones who would have had to rescue my sorry you know what if I had gotten stuck, I trusted their judgment and all did go well.

Have fun!
Frank

[Brett Baldwin]

I can tell you from a direct experience that a non 4x4 dually 3500 will not make it through fine loose sand well. I pulled a boat up to Lake Powell and got out on the sand at the south end. I did OK on the compacted stuff where everyone else had been but on a turn around I got into some loose stuff and that was all she wrote. A helpful 4x4 got me going and as soon as I was moving again things were OK. If it had been a 4x4 then I would have been fine but the single-side drive just spun once momentum was gone.

[Perry Holbrook]

I've been driving on the beaches of the Outer Banks annually for about 20 years now. First of all don't even consider it without 4 wheel drive and always drop your tire pressure to 20 psi. Most people can then drive most of the beach as long as you use common sense. Go slow and steady and be careful not to spin the tires.

There are plenty of pick ups with campers out at "the Point" all the time, but I've never really paid attention to the dual tire set ups.

The main thing is ground clearance. The ruts can easily be 8 to 10 inches deep, sometimes deeper. The sand can be very soft in spots. If you bottom out, either from spinning your tires or lower ground clearance, you'll be looking for a tow AND digging out.

You might want to post on the board at www.reddrumtackle.com (http://www.reddrumtackle.com) for the dually question.

Good luck and enjoy the fishing. Perry

[Bryan Somers]

Listen to Perry!!!!!

I have driven the beaches a little further south at Emerald Isle with no trouble but I hear the sand is softer in the Hatteras area. You can get yourself in trouble in a hurry. Try this link

http://www.pierandsurf.com

There was an artical posted somewhere called "Beach Driving 101" but I cant find the link

Good luck and most of all Good Feeshin:D

[Brian Hale]

Great info guys!

Yes, the truck will be a 4WD dually, no doubt. My '96 2500 is 2WD and it's real bad in the snow. With the extra weight of the diesel up front, all it does, if i can get it moving, is pivot about the front tires. :eek: Never again. The new one will also be a diesel.

Bryon, good link! I'll be spending some time there!

Perry, when you say The Point, are you referring to the area near Oregon Inlet? I've been driving over that bridge for ~12 years now as we normally camp at Frisco Woods Campground south of the Hatteras Light and i've always wanted to ride out there.

LOML likes to swim but i'm no into that much so having the camper with us provides me with some alternate entainment (beer) and a sturdy place to tie up the dog when she needs a break.

Brian :)

[Perry Holbrook]

The access ramp for Oregon Inlet is across the road from the marina there. We just refer to that as OI. It's usually not too bad soft but all it takes is one good blow and things change in a hurry.

"The Point" is a couple of miles south of the old Cape Hatteras lighthouse site. It's where the beach makes a 120 degree bend, that produces a sand bar that sticks out into the water and can best be described as pointed. You get access to that area in Buxton.

The toughest sand is usually at the Hatteras point down by the ferry. This past October, it was very soft. The easiest beach to drive on is the south beach area in the Frisco area. Access to that ramp is down past the landing strip.

I've been thinking about this and I think the commercial net fishermen use dual tired trucks on the beach when the are working their nets.

BTW, I am sure you know the water in that area is not the safest to swim in. Lots of rip tides, plenty of sharks and deep unexpected holes.

The Outer Banks is a wonderful area, one of my favorite places on earth.

Perry

[Michael Stafford]

I have had a cottage in Kill Devil Hills for more than 25 years. I used to do a lot of surf fishing and had 4WD vehicles. I don't surf fish much anymore as I like the pickins' from a boat better. Sometimes the beach can be as crowded with vehicles as a LA freeway. As Perry said the beach sand is different in different locations and different times of the year. The times I was stuck the worst was when I failed to pay attention to how I crossed other vehicle's ruts. It is easy to get stuck if you aren't careful.

Recommended equipment: tow strap, folding camp shovels, some way to call for help. There are a few places where you have to watch the tide because as the tide comes up it can trap you on the wrong side of the beach and you will be stuck there until it recedes.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

the rickaduo rear has twice the standard surface area to float you. The chances of the truck sinking ( in the rear) are less.

In the other hand the truck is a heavy truck no matter the rear end config. the front may sink.

Look into Dick Cepek or some other large tire maker for something you can run on road and sand.

If you aren't going to use the rear end for it's intended purpose ( stability for towing and heavy hauling) consider super wide rims and tires in the back. It looks really cool.

[Bryan Somers]

Brian. Heres another link for you.

http://www.fishmojo.com

I mainly lurk on these boards but I go by Washer. Theres alot of guys on both boards that fish the Outter Banks.

[Norman Hitt]

Brian, another thing you might want to consider, is to order your truck with a Detroit Locker (rear end), and lock it when you are on the sand. That will keep both Rear tires, (sets on a dually) pulling, instead of one side breaking loose and spinning and digging you into a hole. Popular Mechanics rigged out a dually with a "Service Bed" as a camping/hunting vehicle a few years back and they highly recommended the Detroit locker and said it was about 50% or maybe 60% (IIRC) as effective for added traction as using 4 wheel drive, so the combination of the two could be a real plus.