Surf Fishing and Driving on Sand...

[HitchHiker]

My first post to this forum as a new Ram 1500 owner. Purchased a CPO 2012 RAM 1500 CC Laramie, molten red color with Ramboxes, HEMI engine of course.

I'll try and attach a picture here a bit later.

My old neighbor has been surf fishing for years now, and has convinced myself and my family to head down with him early tomorrow. I've obtained the requisite surf fishing license, and most of the legally required equipment per local regulations. I'm set to use the Ramboxes as coolers for the day, with ice and ice packs and various beverages. I don't have a bed cover yet so I'll have to batten down anything in the bed for tomorrow (chairs, coolers, etc.).

I bought a low tire pressure gauge and a set of four of those things that automatically stop letting air out at a certain PSI. Is 20 PSI low enough for driving on sand? The literature seems to indicate the lower the PSI the better, but never having done this before and being a first time RAM driver, what's the lowest PSI that is safe on the RAM 1500 with the 20" chrome wheels? Any advice as to what 4WD mode is best on sand? I've seen reference to using 4WD low or lock mode as opposed to auto, and reference to using manual shift mode to prevent the transmission from hunting gears on sand which can contribute to overheating.

Lastly, one of the two metal pressure rods on one of my Ramboxes broke yesterday. It looks like there are molded plastic elements on the Rambox that hold the two metal hinges in place, and one of the plastic elements snapped off and is no longer there to keep the metal hinge held down. Any advice on how to fix?

Loving the RAM truck so far! Looking forward to our first off road adventure tomorrow!

 

[RubberFrog]

I used to drive on Ft Fisher all the time. I set my tires at 30 and never had a problem. I always used 4 low and stayed easy on the throttle. Rinse your undercarriage thoroughly afterwards. The salt and sand will rust everything quick. It corroded the crap out of my rims.

 

[DannyMK2]

what psi is best depends on the condition of the sand. if the sand is hard packed, higher psi is fine. if the sand is loose, youll want lower psi. the key is not to go too low where youll break the bead. 20 psi is a good starting point. i run around 20psi in my 2500. use 4 low. if your still running oem goodyears, best of luck. bring a tow rope.

 

[AustinB]

I never let any air out until I started driving on the sand, to see if I needed to. (Since the guy you're going with seems to go often, just listen to his suggestions and form your own opinions once youre there.

Also drove 90% of the time in 4hi. 4lo if I had any issue, or pulling someone out.

I spent most of my time in sand at freeman park / fort fisher... some very soft spots, and some spots you could roller skate on.

 

[7777xm]

I honestly wouldn't worry about letting any air out unless you start struggling a little. I've driven plenty of beaches with some really really soft sand and never had an issue. Airing down may be more beneficial if you were trying to tow something or climb loose dirt and sand but just for driving around you should be fine.

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[HitchHiker]

what psi is best depends on the condition of the sand. if the sand is hard packed, higher psi is fine. if the sand is loose, youll want lower psi. the key is not to go too low where youll break the bead. 20 psi is a good starting point. i run around 20psi in my 2500. use 4 low. if your still running oem goodyears, best of luck. bring a tow rope.

Thanks Danny. The tires were replaced by the dealer and are not the OEM Goodyears. I'm not staring at them right now but I know they are new 20" Fuzion tires. Probably not much better than Goodyear best guess? I've got a tow rope as well, just in case. I plan to start at 20psi tomorrow. My buddy has a smaller Ford Explorer SportTrak model, but has seen plenty of heavier 2500/3500 250/350 models get stuck when using full PSI - in his experience the bigger/heavier trucks struggle more than the smaller SUVs and Jeeps do, though he did say it was mostly due to the cocky drivers. :wink:

 

[Ronan]

I honestly wouldn't worry about letting any air out unless you start struggling a little. I've driven plenty of beaches with some really really soft sand and never had an issue. Airing down may be more beneficial if you were trying to tow something or climb loose dirt and sand but just for driving around you should be fine.

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This is wrong , don't be one of those idiots who make ruts all over the beach because they were to lazy to air down. If you already have the fittings to do it , then do it. It takes about three minutes for me with the spauns. I set mine to 18 and have never had an issue. I always use 4lo and I manually shift. No worries.... Take care of our beaches. Good luck casting!!!!

 

[DannyMK2]

This is wrong , don't be one of those idiots who make ruts all over the beach because they were to lazy to air down. If you already have the fittings to do it , then do it. It takes about three minutes for me with the spauns. I set mine to 18 and have never had an issue. I always use 4lo and I manually shift. No worries.... Take care of our beaches. Good luck casting!!!!

beat me to it. cant help but shake my head at the idiots that dont air down. just because you can get away without doing it doesnt mean its ok.

 

[7777xm]

Thanks for calling me an idiot.

It's wrong if you are flooring it and messing around. Airing down makes the same impressions in the sand as not airing down. At least with our wider tires. If you got skinny tires, that's a different story.

Try it yourself, don't air down, look at your tracks, then air down and look. They will be the same.


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[7777xm]

beat me to it. cant help but shake my head at the idiots that dont air down. just because you can get away without doing it doesnt mean its ok.

It's a waste of time in most situations with the 275 or wider tires we have. And just to be putting around, it's fine. It's your little punks goofing off making the ruts.

If it made that much of a difference, they would require airing down.

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[AustinB]

Ruts = obstacles = fun.. its like a gate keeper for noobs.

 

[RubberFrog]

Airing down absolutely depends on the tires. That's why I only aired down to 30 pounds.

By the way, public beaches aren't the places to be tearing up the dunes having fun in the ruts. Stupid stunts like that get them closed for all of us. Most of the folks in the this thread seem to understand that.

 

[sbuko213]

One of the dairy farmers by me built a dirt bike track that we take the trucks on every now and again. Out here it's very fine sugar sand, but I've never had to air down. 4lock is a must though.

 

[DannyMK2]

It's a waste of time in most situations with the 275 or wider tires we have. And just to be putting around, it's fine. It's your little punks goofing off making the ruts.

If it made that much of a difference, they would require airing down.

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if the sand isnt rock hard airing down gives you a wider foot print. looking at it on pavement is a little bit different then sand. if you cant see that i dont know what to tell you. do the tires make a difference for this, sure, but airing down is always recommended, even required on a lot of beaches. every 4x4 beach near me requires that you air down to at least half of the max rated pressure. unfortunately there isnt always somebody patrolling the entrance to check and see people are airing down and have the necessary equipment.

just because you feel its a waste doesnt mean its OK. its that attitude that leads to beaches being closed to vehicles.

 

[7777xm]

if the sand isnt rock hard airing down gives you a wider foot print. looking at it on pavement is a little bit different then sand. if you cant see that i dont know what to tell you. do the tires make a difference for this, sure, but airing down is always recommended, even required on a lot of beaches. every 4x4 beach near me requires that you air down to at least half of the max rated pressure. unfortunately there isnt always somebody patrolling the entrance to check and see people are airing down and have the necessary equipment.

just because you feel its a waste doesnt mean its OK. its that attitude that leads to beaches being closed to vehicles.

Skinny tires make ruts. Ours are pretty wide already. The bigger footprint we gain by airing down is not doing anything on a casual beach driving.



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[Ronan]

Skinny tires make ruts. Ours are pretty wide already. The bigger footprint we gain by airing down is not doing anything on a casual beach driving.



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Again , wrong , the purpose of airing down is to essentially make a flat bottom to the tire as to make it almost like a track(skid steer/tank,etc..) the wheel spins inside the flatter tire. A wider tire helps sure , I ride on 325's and 305's, and still air down . It's the hard pressure round bottom tire is what makes ruts in the sand . Not calling anyone an idiot, except the guys I see doing it.. And yes the beaches here require airing down, it's bad enough the beaches and dunes get eroded every year from the storms. We need to take care of them ourselves. And don't f*cking litter , please!!! That's all....

 

[HitchHiker]

Guys thanks for all of the advice and comments. I will air down to 20 psi tomorrow just to be on the safe side since it is my first time out. It can't hurt right? [emoji1]

I've seen reference to 4LO and 4LOCK depending on the conditions. My buddy stays in 4HI and hasn't had an issue but he's not running a Ram truck either. I'm definitely sticking to manual shift either way. Will have to play it by ear when I get down to the beach tomorrow.

Wifey went out and bought ice, beer and sodas today so we are all set for Rambox cooler action. [emoji6]

I just have to grab some fishing gear on the way home and a couple of 2x6 boards from HD.

Our area requires a jack as well, I've got a small Molly jack at home already, it has wheels though, so I might stop at Harbor Freight and grab a decent stationary jack instead. That should about do it for equipment prep.

Thanks again for all of your feedback today! [emoji1]


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[Iron Outlaw]

The only beach ive seen cars on is Daytona Beach and that sand is so hard you see sedans driving on it. Yall must be talking about a lot softer sand then what I've seen.

 

[HitchHiker]

The only beach ive seen cars on is Daytona Beach and that sand is so hard you see sedans driving on it. Yall must be talking about a lot softer sand then what I've seen.

I've heard the same about Daytona as well. I'm up in Delaware and the sand can get pretty soft up here from what I've heard, especially under drought conditions. Fortunately we're not under such conditions right now. [emoji1]

 

[AustinB]

Our area requires a jack as well, I've got a small Molly jack at home already, it has wheels though, so I might stop at Harbor Freight and grab a decent stationary jack instead. That should about do it for equipment prep.

Dont know if you have a Tractor Supply close by, but they sell a nice bottle jack that doubles as a stand. Something around $50. Thing is very convenient.