Driving Class C on the Beach

VA-Apraisr wrote:
I purchased a 2" wide aluminum spacer that goes between my dually wheels so when I air down to 25psi the tires don't "rub" together going down the beach.

Could you point me the right direction for that 2" spacer you mentioned?


Gary Haupt

Well Sirs..having spent an hour looking at the vids from Hills Towing on Washington's beach's that bukhrn posted above?....nope, I ain't a gonna.


Gary Haupt

rjxj wrote:
Tow

$$$$$

Boy, we're having fun Now. :S

I purchased a 2" wide aluminum spacer that goes between my dually wheels so when I air down to 25psi the tires don't "rub" together going down the beach. I keep a small air compressor in the side compartment and simply turn on the generator to air back up once back on the pavement. The 28' length of motorhome also puts distance from front wheels to back wheels which also tends to keep it going down the sand much easier. At 10,000lbs+, the motorhome isn't that much heavier than most 4x4 trucks driving out there, so, really does handle beach conditions quite well. Meatloaf dinners, warm dry place when its rainy and blowing, nice awning for hot summer days and cold a/c if you have to have it.......sweet life! I've caught fish while laying on the couch and watching the rod from the window; lazy yes but soooo good to enjoy a Class C 4x4!!! :)

VA-Apraisr wrote:
You guys are MISSING OUT on some of the nicest sunsets, great summer days, and fun fishing by leaving a MH at the parking lot! Convert to 4x4 and its a blast. Going on 12 years now on my 2003 FourWinds 5000 with Quigley 4x4 conversion and 68K miles later never had an issue or been stuck. Fishing NC beaches and its a lot of soft sand but never a problem.

That's an oustanding endorsement for at least two things on a Class C motorhome:

1) A 4X4 conversion can open up new worlds for Class C off-pavement camping.

2) A Class C with duallies in the rear does indeed have great flotation on soft surfaces without having to air down for off-pavement camping.

Enjoy!! ;)

Dusty R wrote:
There's a camp ground on the beach on Padre Island TX. Have camped there.

The beach on Padre Island south of Malaquite Beach in the Padre Island National Seashore is considered part of the Texas hiway system - at least the first 5 miles are. You can get on it with any street legal vehicle and as long as you don't venture to far into the softer sand by the dunes you're usually OK. There is some heavy truck traffic from some oil well service equipment on this section of the highway. It's fairly typical to see a lot of RVs, tenters and fisherman parked along this stretch of the beach. Beyond the 5 mile marker you'd probably want 4wd and if you're sporty you can go about 50 miles down to an old shipwreck.

You guys are MISSING OUT on some of the nicest sunsets, great summer days, and fun fishing by leaving a MH at the parking lot! Convert to 4x4 and its a blast. Going on 12 years now on my 2003 FourWinds 5000 with Quigley 4x4 conversion and 68K miles later never had an issue or been stuck. Fishing NC beaches and its a lot of soft sand but never a problem.

Get yourself a collapsible shovel. You get stuck when your tires spin down in dry, loose sand digging themselves a hole. The front of the hole becomes like a tire stop that could be 6 - 8 inches high. Using the shovel you dig out the sand in front of the tires until you have a slight ramp so that you can drive forward where there will be little or no resistance instead of trying to climb up and out of the hole. And if you have enough water available, soak the sand in front of the tire to make it more firm. Also, if you spend any length of time on the beach make sure to frequently hose off that corrosive salt from the undercarriage.

Secret to soft sand is airing down to 15 psi in all tires.

We've been on the beach many times on Long Beach in Washington.

1st event: 2wd Datsun pickup - we pulled onto the beach via an access road, drove out onto the solid (darker) sand. Saw a spot on the lighter colored sand, and pulled onto it, just off the darker sand. Thought - let's see if this works - very gently let out the clutch with very little gas, and the rear wheels sunk a bit, no forward motion. Yep, stuck. Fortunately, other beach-goers saw our predicament, and ran over to help. A little nudge, and we were back on solid sand.

2nd event: 4wd Chev pickup - yep, back out on the sand. No problems in either light or dark sand. Spotted a chevy van pointed out toward the ocean nearly at surf's edge, stuck. Tide was coming in. It was a business van, with two employees... in trouble. They had a chain, I stated I'd help pull it out, but no guarantees if I damaged their van, or even if I could pull it out. Tried pulling from the rear, mine would just dig in. Yank... same thing, even with him giving a little gas in reverse.
A guy in a baja'd VW beetle was watching from a bit of a distance away. After watching this mess for 15-20 minutes, he walked over and offered a suggestion:
Pull up tangent to the front of the van (in the surf? you crazy?), hook the chain to the bumper bracket. Have the van driver turn wheels to the stops towards us, and have him give a little gas in drive. I gave it a little tug (with the surf lapping at my wheels!). That van popped out of its gullies in a heartbeat, and we headed for high ground. What a tip!

We've been on the beach many times since, but always with 4wd & limited slip rear diff.

I'd consider driving the MH on the beach only in the tracks of other MHs, but have never had the occasion to do so. We've been in sandy areas near the beach with ours, but always on hard sand.

Enjoy!