Advice - Robe to Beachport

[SlntKngt]

I'm looking for a bit of advice from those that have done this trip in the past. I'm planning on going on a 4-5 day trip with a group of people over Easter and have heard varying stories around the difficulty of this track.

I've got a bog standard 2014 Colorado and normally have a RTT fitted on a 6x4 box trailer I tow around and keep the gear in. I've done some beach driving in the past but nothing too serious and haven't towed anything on the beach either. How difficult is this track - and am I setting myself up for trouble by pulling a trailer along on the trip?

I could always remount the RTT on the Canopy just for this trip. Any recommendations here?

Thanks!

 

[JP147]

I have been there quite a few times.
I would not say it is a very difficult track but the sand is often extremely soft and there are also a few climbs which can be soft and uneven, I personally would not tow a trailer through there.
If you go over easter there should be plenty of cars on the beach so you can get help if you are in trouble. Also expect there to be a lot of bogged cars and possible traffic jams.

Make things easier for yourself and let your tyres down well, I do 8-12 psi depending on how soft the sand is there.
Most times I have been there I there have been groups bogged in the sand telling me the beach is impassable but with good tyre pressure and momentum it is easy to cruise through, even with bog standard 4WDs.

I don't have a lot of pictures from there but here are a few to give an idea of how the sand can be soft:

I have camped at some of the sites near Robe and also at Canunda. There is more sand driving you can do at Canunda as well.

If the weather is nice you might see people from the Sunland nudist colony out on the beach.

 

[Lost1?]

Do not take your trailer on the beach. Find an easy track that leads to a campsite, drop the trailer and go explore. With tyre pressures I usually start at 14PSI and end up at 12 PSI before the day is out. I have been as low as 8 PSI at times. But not regularly. Stay away from the tidal zone if possible. Wet sand down that way is very soft. You will sink very quickly. Make sure you take a sand flag when driving in the dunes, there will be plenty of muppets who won't. Enjoy.

 

[Swaggie]

My Hilux was happiest at 8psi…Don’t be scared to play around with tyre pressures…

 

[discomatt]

Like others have said, low tire pressure, don't tow.
Personally I would not go there at Easter but I don't go anywhere at Easter or any big holiday times, to many people that for me ruin the experience.
Make sure the car is in very good running condition, soft sand works everything hard, especially the transmission and cooling system.
Have all the recovery gear required, properly fitted recovery points, snatch straps in good condition, rope shackles, dampeners, max tracks and long handle shovel.
I have no clue on the electronics of the Colly but do some research or others with experience may chime in about how to get the most out of the TC and other bits, modern cars are harder to get right on sand than old cars. I hated my Disco 4 on sand for the first day or 2 over that way, heaps of recoveries and a real struggle, once I had the car sussed out it was a breeze but it took some re learning over what I had learnt in old 4wds, for me ensure stability control is switched off at all times was the biggest issue then TC settings then how much throttle usage.
High range most of the time, low range in really soft stuff or steeper bits that are really chopped up to reduce transmission heat and load
Enjoy its a lot of fun

 

[a1bert]

Not saying 8 lb is in correct, but have bad recollections of spinning the rims inside the tires at Robe whilst driving a Patrol at 10 lb!

 

[boobook]

I tow my Tvan on sand quite a bit, including in the area, and have a different view.

That track is generally not too bad, but can get quite soft at times after hot days, so like anything analyse the situation and respond appropriately. Much of the time you will average 25 to 35kmph ...happy days..

Your trailer is really light and won't be any extra burden when travelling, infact arguably less because you will have less weight in your 4x4, and less on the roof.

The big problem with trailers is when you need to reverse out of a situation. That's when the shit can hit the fan and panic can take over.

I have mentioned before, but Robert Pepper taught me to do figure 8s in reverse around traffic cones in a car park. Start about 30m apart, and keep moving them closer and closer as you get better. When they are about 15m apart and you can reliably do a full circuit in under 2 mins, you are ready. I practice it every year or so now.

Also it sounds like you will be with mates. Get someone to go before you so they can snatch you forward.

People tow on soft sand with big heavy trailers in Qld every day and often they have less problems getting stuck than the newbies without trailers who don't let their tyres down or know how to use their 4wd assistance electronics properly. Turn all that crap off for sand, except the center and rear diff lock if you have one.

Remember to keep the speed up after you crest dunes to get the trailer wheels over the top. Stopping or slowing too early can get you stuck on the crest. A 400kg trailer should be just as easy as no trailer when moving forward IMHO

Lastly when you approach a turn on sand, back off just before you start to turn, then as your front wheels straighten, put the power back on. That stops you ploughing straight ahead and off the track.that is bad ju ju.

You have some experience on sand, if you take the few precautions above plus the other advice here then towing there won't be too onerous.

When you get home you'll have more experience and confidence to do it again.

 

[SlntKngt]

I have mentioned before, but Robert Pepper taught me to do figure 8s in reverse around traffic cones in a car park. Start about 30m apart, and keep moving them closer and closer as you get better. When they are about 15m apart and you can reliably do a full circuit in under 2 mins, you are ready. I practice it every year or so now.

Haven't tried this before - will have to try it sometime. I'm very comfortable with towing the trailer around - just haven't tried it on soft sand yet which makes me a little uncomfortable knowing there's likely going to be a bit more traffic this time of year that what there otherwise would be.

 

[SlntKngt]

Thanks for all of the advice!

I'm still a little bit in two minds on whether to bring the trailer along - or to just mount the RTT on the Canopy for this trip. As has been said, there's likely going to be a bit of traffic over Easter and don't want to get into a stuck situation with a trailer that I don't yet know how to get out of.

The Collie doesn't have lockers (at least that I'm aware of from factory). I'll have the standard recovery gear incl. tracks, shovel, snatch strap, shackles, rated tow points etc. I'm thinking that for the first trip this perhaps leave the trailer behind - since I'll be in a group will be easy to get some help if I get stuck and learn to know the tracks first before bringing the trailer out next time.

 

[Lost1?]

I think shifting the RTT onto your ute would be a good call for your first trip down that way.

 

[discomatt]

If this is your first time on sand in the Colly I would leave the trailer at home for the reason I stated above, learnings a new car with all the electrical stuff takes some time to work out how to get the most out of the car. Old or poor design TC is a pain in sand at best and turning it off is not even possible in most modern systems, besides which just turning it off is counter productive if the system is well engineered

 

[rogerazz]

Did Robe to Beachport a couple of years ago.
Good to check with information centre in Robe as to conditions, tides times, condition of sand etc.
Busy most times ,more so in holidays.
Momentum is your friend, so don't run up the back of someone and have to stop half way into heavy sand.
Lots of sand hills and tracks to have fun.
Some video around Wrights Bay , Robe, etc.

 

[boobook]

Regardless of if you decide to tow or not, before you get anywhere near sand I'd read the manual on the traction control and how to use it, including how to turn it off if it was me.

This clip shows it being turned off for sand. I'd do that for sure. Otherwise you will find you constantly bog down and getting no where.

 

[rogerazz]

When I did Robe to Beachport my S.I.L. driving his BT 50 did not make it up the first sand hill because his traction control kept braking when his wheels started to spin. Once he turned his traction control off he was able to make it with wheels spinning.

 

[boobook]

When I did Robe to Beachport my S.I.L. driving his BT 50 did not make it up the first sand hill because his traction control kept braking when his wheels started to spin. Once he turned his traction control off he was able to make it with wheels spinning.

It's a newbie trap on sand. LOL. Traction control works by applying brakes, and just robs power. You come to a grinding halt.

 

[linuxfan66]

Regardless of if you decide to tow or not, before you get anywhere near sand I'd read the manual on the traction control and how to use it, including how to turn it off if it was me.

This clip shows it being turned off for sand. I'd do that for sure. Otherwise you will find you constantly bog down and getting no where.

you occassionally see a well deisign traction control system that works well on sand. you see heaps and heaps of trash though

 

[discomatt]

Regardless of if you decide to tow or not, before you get anywhere near sand I'd read the manual on the traction control and how to use it, including how to turn it off if it was me.

This clip shows it being turned off for sand. I'd do that for sure. Otherwise you will find you constantly bog down and getting no where.

That just goes to show how crap some of the new systems are, obviously some systems are no where near as advanced as the good ones with different settings for different surfaces. I would have thought most if not all newer 4wds had effective TC that you can disable the stability control on as that is what brings 4wds unstuck not TC
Do you turn yours off in the 200 or does it work properly?
I only ask because friends have one but they have no experiance off road and we are doing a big trip with them later this year, I would hate to give them advice that was not specific to their car

 

[boobook]

That just goes to show how crap some of the new systems are, obviously some systems are no where near as advanced as the good ones with different settings for different surfaces. I would have thought most if not all newer 4wds had effective TC that you can disable the stability control on as that is what brings 4wds unstuck not TC
Do you turn yours off in the 200 or does it work properly?
I only ask because friends have one but they have no experiance off road and we are doing a big trip with them later this year, I would hate to give them advice that was not specific to their car

Yes that's a good idea. You wouldn't want to give people the wrong advice on sand driving would you? And getting stuck can be very not funny especially if you got stuck simply from bad advice and the tide is rising. Ouch.

Re your mate, I suggest you get him to read the manual, or ask someone who knows what they are talking about on sand and with the specific vehicle.

I'm happy to point out how well the sand mode and CRAWL works if you start a specific thread on that to help your mate. But CRAWL is well documented on YouTube and generally recognised as the cream of the cream getting unbogged in sand. But you need to know how to use it. Get him to look at youtube, there are some fantastic how to videos on the various modes and CRAWL getting tons of people out of sand trouble. It's been described as magic carpet on sand. As good as it is, nothing beats mechanically locked difffs.

But back to the topic, for the OP car i believe my advice stands. Especially the bit about reading the manual and becoming familiar with the TC well before getting anywhere near the sand.