Driving in the sand

TC on or off?

If off....go to 30 psi and see if you get enough flotation. It is always easier to let more out than put it back in. Do you have a way air up when done? If not consider you have drive somewhere to do it and going down the road with 10 psi in is dangerous and hard on the tires.

It would help if you can say what kind of beach. Some beaches have hard sand. Some are very soft.

Some bulge to the sidewall is what you want.

Truck camper will be on. The sand will be soft. Yes I do have a compressor to air up with.

dave I guess there's a feel to this kind of resolve. Any of us could give you a number (probably different numbers), but your goal is: not too low so as to flex the sidewall excessively, especially with any speed, or so low as to lose the bead (wheel to tire) air seal.

The starting goial is of course to air down from a flat hard road surface to allow the tire to flex and form around the softer, possible uneven surface (as the sand beneath the tire shifts it becomes the uneven so to speak).

If you have a compressor, experiment until you can answer this question for others. Drop it by 10 psi several times and see what works. Don't go so far as to need a tire repair shop in addition to your compressor.

The correct answer is based on extreme subjectivity (tire size and load rating, weight of truck and camper, moisture of sand, looseness of sand, your driving skill level and experience, etc.)

Remember that lowering the tire inflation with lots of weight on them makes the tire's sidewalls flex increasingly faster which creates heat and tire structure fatigue, lesser and lesser side to side stability, handing, and control(rocking action etc), and decreases the tire structure life dramatically which increases with the lowering of PSI. With the very heavy TC on the truck (the Lance 980) as we know so well as we have a Lance Legend 990 on our truck, you still couldn't drive on the soft beach sand even here on the flat Great Lakes shore beaches where we live and we see so many being cable towed that are buried to the frame every year even without any load on them at all. Just dare to drive off the pavement and then you get to use your cell phone to call a tow truck! Cars, vans, suv's, trucks, Jeeps, etc, doesn't matter! They are NOT soft sand dune/beach buggies! Lots of money will be spent to equip/change even an unloaded vehicle to be able to drive on soft sand.

Usually the rear tire beads have also broken free from spinning the wheels too from trying to move the truck with even a light 8' TC on them and the tires are ruined and won't seal again. Soft sand is so different from hard sand and only a fool would try to drive a heavy rig on it.

Look up (google) the extremely popular huge Silver Lake Sand Dunes in Michigan and it's self-explanatory in the pics of what it takes to drive on them even in the flat areas. Only 52 miles north of where we live and we were there yesterday (Sunday 7-24-2016) watching them and even many stripped vehicles had a hard time moving well or climbing grades with having huge wide soft flotation tires. Climbing the dunes separates the real men from the boys and their toys as vehicle weight means everything and dictates!

These are the minimum requirements to obtain a beach permit in Cape Code;)

Vehicles:
4-Wheel/All Wheel Drive Vehicles or Self-Contained recreational vehicles must have: a valid state registration, inspection sticker, insurance, tires meeting standards outlined in this brochure and all required accessory equipment.

RENTAL VEHICLES ARE PROHIBITED.

Vehicles will be inspected for required accessory equipment:

Shovel: Heavy-duty shovel equal to a military folding shovel
Towing Device: Any of the following which are at least 14 feet long:
Tow Strap: 1.5"; Rope: 3/4"; Chain 5/16"; Cable 1/4"
Jack: Standard size (e.g., vehicle manufacturer's jack)
Jack Support Board: Wood: 10" x 12" x 1.5" or Plywood: 10" x 12" x 3/4"
Tire Pressure Gauge: Must register to 5 p.s.i. or lower
SCV's and pick-up truck campers must also have a fire extinguisher and permanently mounted holding tanks for gray and black water.
Spare Tire: Must meet tire standards outlined below. Important Spare Tire Information
Tires: All 5 tires, including the spare tire, must meet or exceed the standards outlined below. NOTE: Many newer vehicles are being produced with temporary (smaller) spare tires; be sure to carefully, physically check your spare tire size for compliance before applying for an Oversand permit.

These standards are minimum acceptable tire standards.
19 inches wheel 265\50R19 with matching spare
16 inches wheel 235\65R16 with matching spare

Dual-Wheel Standards for R/V's and
Pick-Up Campers (including spares):

Self-Contained & Pick-Up Campers

LT245\70R16 Front with matching spare
4 rear wheels section width have to be 8 inches minimum with matching spare

Tire Pressure:
You are required to decrease tire pressure before entering the beach ORV. Tire pressure is critical for successful oversand driving. 11 p.s.i. is recommended. Friction may cause pressure to increase while you drive making it necessary to stop and reduce pressure again. Your beginning tire pressure should not exceed 15 p.s.i. An air compressor for inflating tires is located in the parking area between the north and south access areas at Race Point.

travelnutz wrote:
Remember that lowering the tire inflation with lots of weight on them makes the tire's sidewalls flex increasingly faster which creates heat and tire structure fatigue, lesser and lesser side to side stability, handing, and control(rocking action etc), and decreases the tire structure life dramatically which increases with the lowering of PSI. With the very heavy TC on the truck (the Lance 980) as we know so well as we have a Lance Legend 990 on our truck, you still couldn't drive on the soft beach sand even here on the flat Great Lakes shore beaches where we live and we see so many being cable towed that are buried to the frame every year even without any load on them at all. Just dare to drive off the pavement and then you get to use your cell phone to call a tow truck! Cars, vans, suv's, trucks, Jeeps, etc, doesn't matter! They are NOT soft sand dune/beach buggies! Lots of money will be spent to equip/change even an unloaded vehicle to be able to drive on soft sand.

Usually the rear tire beads have also broken free from spinning the wheels too from trying to move the truck with even a light 8' TC on them and the tires are ruined and won't seal again. Soft sand is so different from hard sand and only a fool would try to drive a heavy rig on it.

Look up (google) the extremely popular huge Silver Lake Sand Dunes in Michigan and it's self-explanatory in the pics of what it takes to drive on them even in the flat areas. Only 52 miles north of where we live and we were there yesterday (Sunday 7-24-2016) watching them and even many stripped vehicles had a hard time moving well or climbing grades with having huge wide soft flotation tires. Climbing the dunes separates the real men from the boys and their toys as vehicle weight means everything and dictates!

Travel

you sure are apocalyptic! I will not be driving in sand dunes. This area is basically flat. There are also towing services right there. I once got stuck pulling my 5th wheel in the sand and lowered the air pressure and drove right out. I was just curious for those that had done the same with their TC. I know there is chance I will get stuck but let the adventure begin!

30 psi rear and 25 psi front, I do it all the time with the TC on. Drive smart and you will be fine.

Fastbrit wrote:
These are the minimum requirements to obtain a beach permit in Cape Code;)

Vehicles:
4-Wheel/All Wheel Drive Vehicles or Self-Contained recreational vehicles must have: a valid state registration, inspection sticker, insurance, tires meeting standards outlined in this brochure and all required accessory equipment.

RENTAL VEHICLES ARE PROHIBITED.

Vehicles will be inspected for required accessory equipment:

Shovel: Heavy-duty shovel equal to a military folding shovel
Towing Device: Any of the following which are at least 14 feet long:
Tow Strap: 1.5"; Rope: 3/4"; Chain 5/16"; Cable 1/4"
Jack: Standard size (e.g., vehicle manufacturer's jack)
Jack Support Board: Wood: 10" x 12" x 1.5" or Plywood: 10" x 12" x 3/4"
Tire Pressure Gauge: Must register to 5 p.s.i. or lower
SCV's and pick-up truck campers must also have a fire extinguisher and permanently mounted holding tanks for gray and black water.
Spare Tire: Must meet tire standards outlined below. Important Spare Tire Information
Tires: All 5 tires, including the spare tire, must meet or exceed the standards outlined below. NOTE: Many newer vehicles are being produced with temporary (smaller) spare tires; be sure to carefully, physically check your spare tire size for compliance before applying for an Oversand permit.

These standards are minimum acceptable tire standards.
19 inches wheel 265\50R19 with matching spare
16 inches wheel 235\65R16 with matching spare

Dual-Wheel Standards for R/V's and
Pick-Up Campers (including spares):

Self-Contained & Pick-Up Campers

LT245\70R16 Front with matching spare
4 rear wheels section width have to be 8 inches minimum with matching spare

Tire Pressure:
You are required to decrease tire pressure before entering the beach ORV. Tire pressure is critical for successful oversand driving. 11 p.s.i. is recommended. Friction may cause pressure to increase while you drive making it necessary to stop and reduce pressure again. Your beginning tire pressure should not exceed 15 p.s.i. An air compressor for inflating tires is located in the parking area between the north and south access areas at Race Point.

Thank you! great info. I actually meet all of those specs :) Eleven pounds. Wow that is low! I think I will try a little more than that at first.