It was stuck and in 2 wheel drive . Walked 10k until EPIRP let Police know of their where abouts . The police went to vehicle . Put it in 4WD and drove out!!
-- Edited by Aus-Kiwi on Thursday 9th of June 2016 05:28:14 PM
-- Edited by Aus-Kiwi on Thursday 9th of June 2016 05:31:17 PM
We were on Fraser Island and saw 6 or 7 young folk ( backpackers) trying to push a sand bogged Toyota Landcruiser out. The driver was madly spinning the wheels which were digging it in deeper. But the front wheels were sitting on top of the sand not moving. We had just pulled two other rental cars out of soft sand and were tempted to just drive on. My son walked over and spoke to the driver. He looked surprised and then under instruction, put it into 4wd and drove out. On the same day we watched a young German girl drive a rental vehicle straight into the sea. We ended the day driving a rented AWD off the beach on Noosa North Shore. The young French lady was crying because she thought that they would be stranded there.
I believe that there should be no independent 4wd vehicles to these kids. Have heard that they now do tag alongs but 4wd driving is not like road driving. Have given up on Fraser Island. Its frustrating to watch and this incident above is another example of the potential risks.
Aus- kiwi I think it was a " No Grey Matter ". not a Grey Nomad
Woody
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When the power of Love becomes greater than the love of power the World will see peace ! 24ft Trailblazer 5th wheeler n 05 Patrol ute and Black Series Dominator camper trailer ( for the rough stuff)
It is not just young, impressionable, silly backpacker tourists that are naive when it comes to driving a 4WD.
Back a few years ago, I was helping out some Rural Fire Service volunteer mates in the Blue Mountains on a training exercise.
Part of the training exercise was the inclusion of the Sydney Fire Service - paid full time firefighters - sharing fire fighting techniques.
One of the Sydney city fire-fighters got the Toyota Landcruiser fire vehicle stuck going up a hill - would not proceed and rolled back into a tree ... which was lucky as it rolled back despite the bloke having the foot brake and handbrake fully on.
He radioed in to seek assistance to be rescued. The RFS volunteers drove up to help.
They nearly fell about laughing ... the city bloke had not put it in 4WD AND it was still in 2 high.
RFS put the Tojo in 4WD/low range and it simply drove up in 2nd gear without a problem.
The city bloke had no idea that 4WD needed to be engaged - or what low-range was for. He had never driven one before.
So - ignorance is international ... and simply a product of not having experienced certain things rather than being stupid.
Cheers - John
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2006 Discovery 3 TDV6 SE Auto - 2008 23ft Golden Eagle Hunter Some people feel the rain - the others just get wet - Bob Dylan
I can recall some 50+ years ago we were camped at Indian Head on Fraser Is. and couldn't get our rented 4WD over the sand hill (Waddy Point?) that would lead us to Rainbow Bay.
Another group that stopped to share a cleansing ale suggested that we lower the tyre pressures, which we did and then sailed over with little effort.
-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 9th of June 2016 10:57:21 PM
How good is it when we can lay s**t on people that have probably never driven a 4wd previously. How safe are we in our snug knowledge that, last week, we drove our 1st 4wd and now we are experts.
It must be wonderful living life with the knowledge that we were born knowing everything.
He who lives in glass houses, etc ..................
I reckon Phantom is right and whilst I do not agree with a lot of what he says I think in this case he is 100% correct. Reminds me of the crowd you get when you are inexperienced at backing your van in.
Ah I posting this to laugh about how we often stuff up ! But it also shows how some of us take things for grunted what we have learnt over the years . Ok having grown up in country . Where tractors, all types of hydraulic, machinery is used . Compared to a city dweller who THINKS he's covered all the basses .. Lol sit at a boat ramp in your local town ., sad but it's everywhere !! One thing tho . Atleast they are HAVING a go !!
I reckon Phantom is right and whilst I do not agree with a lot of what he says I think in this case he is 100% correct. Reminds me of the crowd you get when you are inexperienced at backing your van in.
Good Luck.
I don't know Hako, I just can't come to grips with backing a trailer, never mind a caravan but knowing my limitations, I take the precaution of taking my caravan mover everywhere I go. When I had my boat I had a tow bar receiver fitted under the front bumper so I could launch my boat quickly so as not to hold the guys after me up.
That said, it still doesn't solve the problem of rentals to tourists.
Phantom. My gripe is that these inexperienced drivers should not be allowed to take a 4wd that they have never driven before and after paying a hire fee, take it to what is at times a hazard of sand driving. We hear of these kids being killed because they roll the vehicle on the soft sand or come over a sand ridge and hit another car or God forbid a walker. Two of the cars we pulled out were on sand tracks behind the heads and so no one could get through. And we had to stop other drivers from coming over the rise at top speed as they thought that this was the only way to get over a sand rise.
The guy who got stuck in the creek because he did not know how to engage 4wd, and should have done a 4wd course before he got behind the wheel of a 3 3 ton piece of metal was lucky he actually found help and did not perish in the bush as has happened to many others. And I have driven these things for 40 years in all types of terrain so please dont make assumptions about mine or anyones else expertise on here.
cheers
phil
Philw, My gripe is not with the unfortunate drivers of the stuck vehicle. They cannot be blamed for a mistake.
My gripe is with sensationalist newspaper stories and the bottom feeders who try to capitalise on other people's mistakes.
If you read some of these comments on this and other threads you will find a number of posters who like to give the impression that they know it all and then use that superior knowledge to denigrate others who have had the misfortune to make a mistake.
This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them,He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
Philw, My gripe is not with the unfortunate drivers of the stuck vehicle. They cannot be blamed for a mistake.
My gripe is with sensationalist newspaper stories and the bottom feeders who try to capitalise on other people's mistakes.
If you read some of these comments on this and other threads you will find a number of posters who like to give the impression that they know it all and then use that superior knowledge to denigrate others who have had the misfortune to make a mistake.
This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them,He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
The Phantom
Wish I could say I have never made mistakes!!! More than I like to remember!!!!
This wasn't up the road from Perth or Sydney etc it was out back .. They walked 10k .. At least they had the emergency beacon .. ( possibly supplied ?) We forget how big this country is let alone Europeans !! Some of the vehicles they live in is diabolical .. If I never hear a van slidding door close again !! It won't worry me .. Sheesh !! Has to be 50 times in one night . But that's another story !!
Philw, My gripe is not with the unfortunate drivers of the stuck vehicle. They cannot be blamed for a mistake.
My gripe is with sensationalist newspaper stories and the bottom feeders who try to capitalise on other people's mistakes.
If you read some of these comments on this and other threads you will find a number of posters who like to give the impression that they know it all and then use that superior knowledge to denigrate others who have had the misfortune to make a mistake.
This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them,He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
The Phantom
Wish I could say I have never made mistakes!!! More than I like to remember!!!!
Aussie Paul.
Me too Aussie Paul, especially in my younger days when I was bullet proof and knew everything.
Yep.
We all started everything for the first time. from your first breath on till it stops working.
Remember your first nookie?.... It's no different.
I started 4wding and cross country work in Army in the late '50s.
REME Armoured recovery. THAT was interesting. towing tanks. Blowing track pins etc)
Sometimes took us half a day and more. Just to get to it.
Followed by 40 yrs on Motorway and Pipeline Constructions.
None done on roads.
Raced dirt bikes and Did a few yrs in Forest rally's with cars.
And guess what.
"I" still get bogged, Intentionally, sometimes. other times. Oh ****.
Point being. EVERYBODY does it. regardless of experience.
Don't knock anybody. It was YOU once.
Tend to agree. We all get stuck sometimes and it often is cause we get to ****y or make a simple mistake. Phantom. Thanks for the clarification its just that I read it ( mistakenly) as a criticism of our comments on here. So my apologies for sounding off. I am mainly worried for the fact that hire 4wds can put too many inexperienced people in dangerous. situations with sometimes, most tragically, dire consequences. Most , not all, but most people who buy 4wds are a little more cautious as they have a lot of capital tied up in the investment. Its easy to thrash a hired vehicle on what looks like soft flat sand because you can just hand it back and walk away. Also with some serious environmental damage left behind as well.. And I have seen some really silly driving from some of these young folk.
Actually, unless there has been a very recent change to the 'standard' hire contract for ALL vehicles - whether 2WD or 4WD - it states that you are not to drive the vehicle on any unsealed road .... ANY unsealed road ... quite apart from actually using it as a 4WD.
If the vehicle is damaged in any way - no matter how minor - if on an unsealed road, any insurance paid for in the hiring of the vehicle is void and the hirer is required to pay for any damage.
Cheers - John
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2006 Discovery 3 TDV6 SE Auto - 2008 23ft Golden Eagle Hunter Some people feel the rain - the others just get wet - Bob Dylan
And speaking of hire contracts, the reason for no off-road is because almost ALL insurance companies won't pay out if your vehicle is "lost" when you are off-road (including places like Fraser where the beach is an officially gazetted public road).
Having just bought a nice new 4x4 I was amazed that insurance companies don't insure you for off the blacktop or on private land or sand or tracks etc. WTF! Its a 4WD, it's meant for off-road! It's what we buy them for!
I found the grand total of one (1) insurance company out of nearly 20 I called that would cover loss on a track or beach or private land etc, that being Toyota Insurance, but only on their own brand.
... and simply a product of not having experienced certain things rather than being stupid.
