Off-road MYTHS part 1

[ericbphoto]

I'm loving the commentary. Keep it up.

Are we your private entertainment?

 

[RonD]

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

You should watch the video. He does touch on some of your points.

Watched it at break.

I kinda see his point on tractor tires but there are more things going on than just the bigger footprint. My 2wd 5000lb main tractor will wax both my big bad 4wd trucks offroad. When I stick a truck I kick the truck in neutral and dead pull it out uphill with the tractor.

I could figure it up but I don't know if two 13.6x28 tires on a @$$ heavy tractor have much more footprint/PSI than four aired down 31x10.50-15's carrying the whole weight of a vehicle of the same overall weight.



After I yanked the truck out I was feeling sporty so I bladed out the drift. I had to hit the left brake to turn so I was going thru the drift that stuck an F-150, while dragging the drift with me as I went with one drive wheel. Tractor did not blink at it.

 

[racsan]

put loaded ag tires on your 4x4

 

[RonD]

That would be fun at 70MPH, on a corner

 

[Bgunner]

Sometimes it is smoother off road. Also, here in SC we still have a lot of unpaved roads. I have experienced times when the ride smoothed out when the pavement ended. Im not so sure i really like roads.

When I lived in Georgia many of the roads, once outside of Valdosta, were dirt unless it was a main road and I noticed the same thing in some areas. Now this could have just been town finances where dirt is often cheaper to maintain than blacktop.

This is why I posted the video for discussion. Care to expand or explain?

1. Airing tires down off road is to increase the traction/ contact patch on a vehicle which off road over rough terrain will help but only needed over rough patches/section of trails. Airing down a tire kills its handling and also costs more in fuel to make it rotate which brings me to my next point.

2. Airing down a trailers tire has a major adverse effect of costing more in gas and the ability of the vehicle to be able to pull it especially when under stress going over rough terrain. It takes more enegry to pull something with soft tires. We use a trailer of road in spring for sap recovery and having under inflated tires will cause bent rims and make it harder for the machine to pull it through the muck and mire when the warmer times come. On this I can not get behind the lowering trailer pressures. Motored vehicles, yes for traction issues it helps but for a trailer they seem in my experience to be more stable with normal tire pressures.


There have been times Our local off road trail, used to be a dirt road 50 years ago or so and never maintained since due to it only went to a farm across the side of the mountain from one town to the next with nothing else on it , has needed a trailer/ car carrier to retrieve a broken vehicle and never have I heard of or seen someone lower trailer tire pressures to get the truck back out. This time has now passeed as the north end is so rocky I wouldn't put a trailer on it. Now our trails big enough for a truck have no rock crawling or major hill climbs only mud and lots of it so a car carrier can make it in with minor damage being done to it from larger rocks. ( this particular road has now had one end mined by the old Pfizers now Specialty Minerals inc so the only way for me to get to it from my town is by small machine 4 wheeler, Dirt bike, maybe a SXS will fit but the south end of the road is now part of there pitt.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

put loaded ag tires on your 4x4

Going by all measures ag tires should be the worst possible tire for snow.

 

[.38spl]

Even loaded down with camping gear for five people, a full kitchen, and 5 kayaks, this trailer does not have enough weight on it to fully take advantage of the springs. I have to air down, or even my wimpy little 2.9 Bronco will turn that trailer into a kite.