Absolutely correct, and so counterintuitive. You would think airing down the trailer tires would cause more drag, but it's actually the opposite. They dig into the sand more when they're fully inflated. Airing them down puts down more surface area and thus less pressure. Weird, but it works! 😀
Yes, you're right! We don't actually use the vehicle battery at all anymore for tire inflation. I hook up to the inverter in our trailer that's got two lithium batteries and 400W of solar. That will pretty much power it indefinitely. 😁 No, the truck not starting was another issue... Stay tuned for that story.
If you get stuck in the sand, carry a 5 gallon plastic bucket. Fill it up with beach water, and pour it on the sand where you are going to drive, and also around your tires. This will make the sand super hard, and you will be able to drive right out. When I park on the beach, I pour water on my tires through out the day to make sure the sand turns hard, that way, when I get ready to go, the sand is hard and you can drive right out. Also, put a pan with a couple if inches of water in front of your steps, so you can rinse your feet, to avoid getting sand inside your camper.
Enjoy your videos and found your channel when you were wandering around Baja. You mentioned in this video you aired down your tires to 30 psi? I would suggest airing down to at least 15. This gives your tires a lot more surface area on the sand and will be less likely to dig into the sand. Think tank tracks, or in your case being from Canada, snow machine tracks. Would also highly recommend purchasing some traction boards if you're going to be driving on sand. .
Thanks! Yeah, honestly we just came into the situation way too overconfident. We've camped on so many beaches and that truck has pulled the trailer through the sand like it was nothing -- no airing down necessary. The sand at South Padre is much different than any other beach we've been on. Extremely soft and sticky and it packs down well when damp, so you think it'll be fine, but then it just seems to suck you in like a sinkhole! I'm always scared to air down _too_ far for fear or damaging the rims or tires, but you're right that I probably could have aired them down more.
I learned to drive on the sand at Pismo Beach in California. What I learned was to let enough air out to see a bulge in the sidewall. I live in San Diego now and spend quite a bit of time in the desert and now go by pressure. Do your own research but i don't think you will get into trouble until you get below 12 psi (being conservative here). It's the internet and you're going to get tons of answers on where this threshold is. You definitely want to be below 20 psi on the beach in my opinion. @@HomeARoam
Yes, this was unintuitive to us at first too! But it turns out that when the trailer tires are fully inflated, all of the weight is put on a smaller surface area, and basically becomes an anchor, digging into the sand. Airing down the trailer tires distributes the weight across a larger surface, is lighter on the sand and can sort of "float" on it. Weird, but it works!
We would gladly get stuck in the sand again if it meant hanging out with you two on the beach for a few days 😆 What a story that would make! "We called our tow, they'll be here in 3 days"
I noticed you have blinds with strings. Our last RV had the same ones. Our cat destroyed many of them by chewing through the strings. They became useless at that point.
@HomeARoam we travel with 3 cats and one rat terrier. Rocky, the male, is the only one that was obsessed with them cords. Pain in the arse! If you ever make it up to southern colorado let us know. I can help you out with some boondocking spots.
I live here in the "valley" people get stuck all the time, if your not used to driving in the sand it can be tricky. If your pulling a trailer stay close to where the waves just reaches the sand it will be compacted there. There is always someone around willing to help out! Oh!... and air down you will be fine. Enjoy.
Thanks! Yes, I think we could have gone lower. If we find ourselves in a similar situation, I think I'll feel more confident to go lower without risking tire or rim damage.
Former Vancouverite here, now living in Texas. I've 4X4'd just about everywhere in the southern half of B.C. just never made it farther north than MacKenzie. Funnily enough, although I've lived in Texas for over twenty years I've never been to SPI. You've encouraged me to take a trip down there and enjoy the ocean again. Travelling in B.C. we'd always say "Well, we're beyond Hope now!" when starting up the Coquihalla,
That's so nice to hear that our video inspired you to go explore. We love hearing that kind of thing. Hope you enjoy SPI! If you ever go down that way in December, be sure to get fresh grapefruits from the valley. They're so delicious 😋.
Yes, we've actually done that a few times on sand. In this case, it was the front to back leveling that was the issue when hooked up to the truck since the truck had dug down so deep. Thankfully our side to side level was ok, even when we were stuck!
I grew up on the Texas coast. In high school I would drive my old 4x4. To go surfing. I would pull people out when they got stuck so I would have money for lunch and a little gas.
It may not be much consolation, but after digging us out of a snow bank, our cousins said, “No worries, it happens to everyone. Usually when they’re eighteen, but no worries.
I would think airing down the trailer tires would be anchoring it down more... Those tires are just for rolling keep them round to roll easier... Your truck tires that are doing the pulling need the traction😉👍.. iv always tent camped on that beach, its beautiful on full moons.. too scared to pull my camper trailer out there! Good job! Looked like u 2 had a good time!
Thanks! Interestingly, from what I understand, airing down the trailer tires helps too. When they're at regular pressure, all of the weight is resting on a smaller surface area, so it has to "push" the sand in front of it. Whereas when you air down, the weight is spread out over more of the tire so it doesn't dig and push as much. At least that's what other TH-cam videos told me. Either way, the combination of airing everything down definitely helped, but it's also time-consuming and a bit of a pain. 😁 I definitely recommend caution driving _anything_ out on that sand. It's a special kind of sticky and soft.
Unfortunate circumstance when arriving to your destination, but waiting overnight certainly paid off for you guy's. Thanks again for sharing and safe travels!
The excitement in your voice Mel when Jay got the trailer rolling again was priceless !! Fun times. You could air down enough to get your tires looking low on ai( about 20 psi) for traction in sand, just becarefull not to under inflate to the point of taring the bead off the rim. but definitely more than you did. Good luck as usual . Cheers
Shockingly few people stopped at all! There was only one person that asked if we had tow straps (which we didn't unfortunately). They wanted to help, but they didn't have tow straps either. On the beaches in Baja, anytime someone got stuck, there was always a mass of folks that came out of nowhere to help. But here on SPI, if we hadn't been able to self-rescue the next morning, we would've had to phone a tow truck.
Airing down the trailer tires is just as important as the truck tires. Start at 20 psi all around and go to 15 psi if that doesn’t work.
Absolutely correct, and so counterintuitive. You would think airing down the trailer tires would cause more drag, but it's actually the opposite. They dig into the sand more when they're fully inflated. Airing them down puts down more surface area and thus less pressure. Weird, but it works! 😀
Past experience taught me to keep the vehicle running while using a tire inflator; it’ll quickly deplete a battery
Yes, you're right! We don't actually use the vehicle battery at all anymore for tire inflation. I hook up to the inverter in our trailer that's got two lithium batteries and 400W of solar. That will pretty much power it indefinitely. 😁 No, the truck not starting was another issue... Stay tuned for that story.
If you get stuck in the sand, carry a 5 gallon plastic bucket. Fill it up with beach water, and pour it on the sand where you are going to drive, and also around your tires. This will make the sand super hard, and you will be able to drive right out. When I park on the beach, I pour water on my tires through out the day to make sure the sand turns hard, that way, when I get ready to go, the sand is hard and you can drive right out. Also, put a pan with a couple if inches of water in front of your steps, so you can rinse your feet, to avoid getting sand inside your camper.
Great ideas 💡 thanks for the tips!
Enjoy your videos and found your channel when you were wandering around Baja. You mentioned in this video you aired down your tires to 30 psi? I would suggest airing down to at least 15. This gives your tires a lot more surface area on the sand and will be less likely to dig into the sand. Think tank tracks, or in your case being from Canada, snow machine tracks. Would also highly recommend purchasing some traction boards if you're going to be driving on sand. .
Thanks! Yeah, honestly we just came into the situation way too overconfident. We've camped on so many beaches and that truck has pulled the trailer through the sand like it was nothing -- no airing down necessary. The sand at South Padre is much different than any other beach we've been on. Extremely soft and sticky and it packs down well when damp, so you think it'll be fine, but then it just seems to suck you in like a sinkhole! I'm always scared to air down _too_ far for fear or damaging the rims or tires, but you're right that I probably could have aired them down more.
I learned to drive on the sand at Pismo Beach in California. What I learned was to let enough air out to see a bulge in the sidewall. I live in San Diego now and spend quite a bit of time in the desert and now go by pressure. Do your own research but i don't think you will get into trouble until you get below 12 psi (being conservative here). It's the internet and you're going to get tons of answers on where this threshold is. You definitely want to be below 20 psi on the beach in my opinion. @@HomeARoam
The sweet spot is 15/20psi
Lesson learned. Thanks for sharing!
These situations are what make a marriage stronger!
Two heads were better than one in these circumstances for sure!
Absolutely fabulous place to camp or just hang out.
Spent all day out there today and did not get stuck because we drive a 4 Wheel Dr. JEEP😂😂
Well done! 👍
Wouldn’t airing down trailer tires make it harder to pull? I would leave the trailer alone. Only torque tires would make sense 🤔
Yes, this was unintuitive to us at first too! But it turns out that when the trailer tires are fully inflated, all of the weight is put on a smaller surface area, and basically becomes an anchor, digging into the sand. Airing down the trailer tires distributes the weight across a larger surface, is lighter on the sand and can sort of "float" on it. Weird, but it works!
I’m from RGV I’m like 1 one hour away from south padre island🏖️
Nice to be able to escape to the beach whenever you want!
I told you two that I’ll gladly drive down to help you if you get stuck!!! I could be there in 3 days! 😬😬😬
We would gladly get stuck in the sand again if it meant hanging out with you two on the beach for a few days 😆 What a story that would make! "We called our tow, they'll be here in 3 days"
I noticed you have blinds with strings. Our last RV had the same ones. Our cat destroyed many of them by chewing through the strings. They became useless at that point.
Oh no! Thankfully Benny hasn't noticed (or cared to notice) the strings.
@HomeARoam we travel with 3 cats and one rat terrier. Rocky, the male, is the only one that was obsessed with them cords. Pain in the arse! If you ever make it up to southern colorado let us know. I can help you out with some boondocking spots.
that would be great, thanks for the offer! Colorado is on our list to visit one day for sure.
I live here in the "valley" people get stuck all the time, if your not used to driving in the sand it can be tricky. If your pulling a trailer stay close to where the waves just reaches the sand it will be compacted there. There is always someone around willing to help out! Oh!... and air down you will be fine. Enjoy.
All very good tips. Thanks for sharing 🙏
need to go about 10-12 PSI total.... before
Thanks for the tip 😺 We'll keep that in mind for next time...cause you know there's going to be a next time 😜
Exactly why I’m looking at 12 volt compressors for future beach camping. And I need to get a jump pack. Safe travels
It's a pain to air up and down, but it does work for sure.
Try 15psi
Thanks! Yes, I think we could have gone lower. If we find ourselves in a similar situation, I think I'll feel more confident to go lower without risking tire or rim damage.
Air down to 12-15 psi in all tires and dint air up until you are back on a hard surface. That should help greatly in the future.
Thanks for the tip! We didn't realize we could air down that much.
Former Vancouverite here, now living in Texas. I've 4X4'd just about everywhere in the southern half of B.C. just never made it farther north than MacKenzie. Funnily enough, although I've lived in Texas for over twenty years I've never been to SPI. You've encouraged me to take a trip down there and enjoy the ocean again. Travelling in B.C. we'd always say "Well, we're beyond Hope now!" when starting up the Coquihalla,
That's so nice to hear that our video inspired you to go explore. We love hearing that kind of thing. Hope you enjoy SPI! If you ever go down that way in December, be sure to get fresh grapefruits from the valley. They're so delicious 😋.
It’s a great feeling when things work out for yourself !!! Yeaaaaa !! What a adventure??? As always BS & BK & BC !!!!
It was a great feeling to see the truck and trailer drive out of the deep sand and onto the harder packed 'road' sand.
Great video guys, But remember, you're on sand and you can dig out one side to make it lower to make it level.
Yes, we've actually done that a few times on sand. In this case, it was the front to back leveling that was the issue when hooked up to the truck since the truck had dug down so deep. Thankfully our side to side level was ok, even when we were stuck!
I grew up on the Texas coast. In high school I would drive my old 4x4. To go surfing. I would pull people out when they got stuck so I would have money for lunch and a little gas.
Bet you made good money doing that. We saw lots of people get stuck!
It may not be much consolation, but after digging us out of a snow bank, our cousins said, “No worries, it happens to everyone. Usually when they’re eighteen, but no worries.
😆 oh no! Hopefully not a snowbank created by a plow?! Those icing hard packed ones are the worst for shoveling!
Great troubleshooting and video!
Thanks! We've learned so much about getting unstuck here.
An exciting start to South Padre Island camping. What a fabulous spot though.
The sand is so soft to walk on 🤩
Another great video! Way to get through being stuck on the beach! It looks beautiful down there! 🚌🏖️☀️
It was definitely a pretty spot. The sounds of the waves are so soothing
I would think airing down the trailer tires would be anchoring it down more... Those tires are just for rolling keep them round to roll easier... Your truck tires that are doing the pulling need the traction😉👍.. iv always tent camped on that beach, its beautiful on full moons.. too scared to pull my camper trailer out there! Good job! Looked like u 2 had a good time!
Thanks! Interestingly, from what I understand, airing down the trailer tires helps too. When they're at regular pressure, all of the weight is resting on a smaller surface area, so it has to "push" the sand in front of it. Whereas when you air down, the weight is spread out over more of the tire so it doesn't dig and push as much. At least that's what other TH-cam videos told me. Either way, the combination of airing everything down definitely helped, but it's also time-consuming and a bit of a pain. 😁 I definitely recommend caution driving _anything_ out on that sand. It's a special kind of sticky and soft.
Unfortunate circumstance when arriving to your destination, but waiting overnight certainly paid off for you guy's.
Thanks again for sharing and safe travels!
The old saying of "sleeping on it" paid off in the end with new ideas for sure.
What truck do you have and with what engine? Looks like a half ton with the 5.3?
Hi good question. We have a half-time with a 6.2 V8. It's the 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 with tow package.
Awesome adventure. My wife and I hope to travel down there next year from Chilliwack. Thanks for sharing your videos they’re inspiring.
Great! There is lots to see in Texas, we're just scratching the surface. SPI is definitely the warmest spot in the state of TX, too.
@@HomeARoam it is and always cool to run out to the east cut
The excitement in your voice Mel when Jay got the trailer rolling again was priceless !! Fun times. You could air down enough to get your tires looking low on ai( about 20 psi) for traction in sand, just becarefull not to under inflate to the point of taring the bead off the rim. but definitely more than you did. Good luck as usual . Cheers
Good tips, thanks for sharing. We've learned so much from this experience!
Sounds like the truck battery is on its last legs. 😂
Well, we're not going to give away what happens in the next video, but... you might be onto something there. 😁😁😁
Your in the RGV how many people came up to you and you refused help to make your little video just asking
Shockingly few people stopped at all! There was only one person that asked if we had tow straps (which we didn't unfortunately). They wanted to help, but they didn't have tow straps either. On the beaches in Baja, anytime someone got stuck, there was always a mass of folks that came out of nowhere to help. But here on SPI, if we hadn't been able to self-rescue the next morning, we would've had to phone a tow truck.
😂👍👍
We can laugh about it now
What an amazingly boring destination...your first mistake was buying a GMC..
Boring? I dunno, we had quite a bit of excitement on this trip and really enjoyed it!
I live an hour away & can you believe it haven't been there since 2010 lmao...i think it's ugly, especially after visiting Varadero beach😅
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.