Beach Driving

Is your TV 4x4? If so, put it in 4LOW. If it's 2WD, don't even attempt it unless you know someone with a wrecker. Keep your momentum up, but your speed down. I'd get out and check the sand first. If it is deep and soft, I'd stay off of it. Airing down the tires is a good start, but it really helps to have wide tires for floatation over the sand as well.

So much depends on the type of sand it is that it's hard to speculate. I've been in sand that was so dry and soft that I had to go full-time 4x4 and lock both axles to get through it, and I've also been in sand that was wet and packed that I would have been fine with a FWD car. Agree, however, that at a bare minimum your rig should be a 4x4.

If your vehicle is not 4 wheel drive, your only hope is flotation in your tires, ie, wider tires, lower air pressure, etc. In California, the only beach where it’s legal to drive on the beach is Pismo Beach, and thousands do. You can even camp on the beach too at Pismo, though I stay in the campground right off the beach as the party crowd stays on the beach. Don’t know about other beaches, but there is usually a hard packed area on the sand leading to the beach that forms sort of a “path” that is hard enough to drive any vehicle on, ie, 4 door sedan, etc. The sand close to the water is hard packed too so any vehicle can drive along the water. If you get in the soft sand away from these hard packed areas you WILL get stuck unless you have a 4 x 4 and run low pressure in your tires. There’s usually somebody around that can pull you out if you get stuck.

Thanks. Yes, I forgot to mention I do have 4WD Low. Thanks.

Lower tire pressure - make sure you have a way to put air back in once you're on the road. You may need to get to 12 or 15 PSI.

Lower tire pressure BEFORE you get stuck.

Don't get too close to the water - eg don't want to get stuck and have tide come on over vehicle/trailer.


Bring plenty of wood blocks and shovel(s).

Do you have a winch on the TV?

You should have a recovery strap and a place to attach on the front and rear of the vehicle.

I would say get out on those beaches a few time without the trailer. You don't want your first beach driving experience to be with a large trailer behind you.


Go with a group if you can - so you can help each other if one gets stuck.

Make sure you have the phone number (and pricing) of someone who can help you out if you get stuck.

If you get stuck - don't spin your wheels and dig in further. It's much harder to dig/pull out someone who's dug in so deep that they're sitting on the axles and frame vs the wheels....


I don't know how ST trailer tires respond to running with low pressure, but you'll probably need to lower the TT tire pressure quite a bit as well.

Also, make sure you have some means to monitor transmission temps. The transmission will think it's pulling big hills the whole time....

Rich, grew on LI and beach camped many years before moving to Louisville. Pic below is Montauk (Teddy Roosevelt):



Here's a checklist for you:

1. Air down to 15psi, BOTH truck and trailer. If 15 isn't getting it done, go to 12psi. In NO case go below 10psi because you risk popping the bead on the tire. I use automatic tire deflators that screw on to the valve stems and stop automatically at 15 psi (or where you set them at).

This may be obvious, but be sure to have a tire gauge so you get to the right pressure when airing down. Don't just go by the looks of the tire, it tells you very little at those low pressures. Also helps to have more than one tire gauge, DW or one of the kids can help you airing up, there are multiple compressor hoses at the dump stations.

2. 4LO as noted when towing the trailer. 4HI Ok when just the truck.

3. BE sure to carry a shovel. Not a folding camp shovel, a real full size garden digging shovel. If you need it, it won't just be one or two shovel fulls, trust me...

4. Carry a tow strap, mine is 3" wide by 30' long (this one). DO NOT use chains, if a chain breaks it's coming right through the window and can kill you.

5. Carry an air compressor. They have them at the beach and 99% of the time they work, but I was out at Montauk in the fall once and saw the "out of order" sign. Also there is not a compressor at every place you can drive on the beach. (I have this one).

6. Carry extra valve caps. You don't want sand in your valve stems.

7. Carry flat boards for under the trailer tongue jack and the stabilizer jacks. I use 1' square pieces of 1/2" plywood for the stabilizers and a 1x2' piece of 3/4" ply for under the tongue with some blocks on top of it. Also have something you can put under the truck jack IF you need to change a tire on the beach.

8. Jumper cables, extra qt of oil, whatever you may need for the X. Extra keys. A tow off the beach starts at $500 just to get you out of the sand, so whatever it takes to not breakdown...

9. Soft sand is easy to drive on...GO SLOW...take your time, don't worry about stopping, with the tires aired down you can start/stop anytime you want.

10. When you leave the beach allow extra extra time for the dump station, you not only have to dump but air up 8 tires from 15 to 80 (or 65) and that takes longer than you think. Everybody ahead is doing the same, so if there is a line its a looong wait.

11. Suggest that you take a day and drive out to either Shinnecock or Montauk and purchase your beach sticker, then air down and drive around with just the truck. That will give you some practice airing down and driving in the sand before you hook up the trailer.

12. On the trailer, make sure you have the chocks that go between the tires (like these) because there is NO good way to chock a tire against sand. Get one for each side, your day will be ruined if the trailer rolls into the water...

13. Speaking of water, beach CGs have potable water now (didn't used to), so have a couple water carriers in case you need to re-stock, and also a blue tote to drain the gray water. Lots of showers happen to rinse off salt, sand and lotion. An outside shower worth its weight in gold for a quick rinse to keep sand out of the trailer.

14. Sand is everywhere...I still sweep it out of the TT and haven't been to the beach in 3 years. Anything wet gets battered in sand like a KFC drumstick.

15. Be careful with what you lay in the sane when setting up and packing up. A gust of wind can cover that wrench you just set down a minute ago to where it will take you 20 mins to find it.

One last point, there are no picnic tables or fire rings. Be sure to bring a table and chairs if you want to eat outdoors. Also bring a fire pail or pit. Everyone has a fire but the ranger will bust you if it is not in a container.

And lots of red solo cups for adult beverages....

Finally, DRIVE SLOW, 10 mph tops. There are lot of little kids on the beaches that don't always look before they run out from the trailer. Nobody's in a hurry everybody is there to have a good time. Don't be one of those d-bags that has to show off his 35" tires by speeding along the beach.

All of I can think of offhand, PM if you need more info.

Everything said above plus....

Back into the spot where you want to stay or make a wide circle to get to the spot but situate the trailer so you are headed towards the harder sand.

Before you leave in front of each tire dig down about 3inches and for at least a couple of feet in front of the tires. This will give you a runway to get out of the spot.

On LI they make you back in toward the dune so that you are facing the ocean, there really isn't any hard sand....I've never had trouble getting out of a spot at 15psi and with 4LO.

These guys have is down pretty good! :B

These people, not so good. :B

ALMOST forgot: DO NOT grease anything!!!Sand will get in the grease and wear out whatever you were trying to protect. I use this dry lube, it is powdered teflon in a solvent. Spray it on, the solvent evaporates and leaves the teflon. You can buy it at Home Depot.

Use it on the stab jacks, hitch, etc. Don't use it in place of grease on your hitch ball, instead be sure to have something you can cover the hitch ball with when you disconnect.

I also got one of these plug savers that mounts on the tongue, it's like dummy recepticle. Unplug from the truck and put the plug in this thing and it keeps the sand out of it. (click pic for link)