Five Off-Roading Mistakes To Avoid That Could Cause You To Get Stuck
Getting stuck while off-roading and requiring recovery can be inconvenient and ruin an otherwise exciting outing. Fortunately, you can minimize the chances that you'll experience any holdups while off-roading if you avoid the following five mistakes:
1. Having excessively high tire pressure
When it comes to off-roading, it can be a good idea to keep your tire pressure at the lower end of the recommended spectrum.
Lower tire pressures allow tires to have a better grip on the rocky surfaces that are typically encountered during off-road adventures. Lower tire pressures also allow off-roaders to handle sandy or snowy terrains better than tires kept at higher air pressures.
Not only do lower tire pressures improve the grip of off-roading vehicles, but they can also minimize the chances that tires are punctured during off-roading or experience heat-related failures when the vehicle is moving at high speeds.
2. Not paying enough attention to the terrain
A lot of off-roaders get in trouble because they push it too much when traversing dangerous terrain. No matter how you drive, there is some terrain out there that you're just not going to be able to get over without getting stuck or damaging your vehicle.
If you're uncertain about the safety of certain terrain, you should always stop and walk ahead a bit to check it out. By doing this, you'll know if there are large obstacles or deep ditches that will set you up for disaster.
3. Neglecting to check stream depths before crossing
Another thing that it can be hard to judge while you're off-roading is the danger of going through streams, creeks, or other types of flowing water.
To make sure that you can ford any bodies of water that you attempt to cross, you should be aware of what the maximum fording depth is for your vehicle. You should also scout ahead and check out the depth of streams that you're going to pass. This is especially true if you're off-roading in areas that have experienced abnormally heavy precipitation lately.
4. Going out unprepared
You should pack some recovery gear to maximize the chances that you'll be able to extract yourself from any predicament you get in.
Pack recovery gear including tow straps, tow hooks, and rugged floor mats that could be slipped under tires to improve grip in a pinch. This recovery gear can be very useful if you're off-roading with multiple vehicles so that someone else can tow you out of a tight spot if necessary.
5. Having no recovery plan
If you're off-roading alone, you should have a recovery plan in case you get stuck. Have contact details available for an off-road recovery service like R & R Towing so that you have help to rely on if you get stuck.
