Would you....

[aknavy]

Just out of curiosity - would any of you drive a diesel pusher onto a camping beach? I'm at Oceano Dunes, and the majority of the rigs out here are trailers, but there are a handful of motorhomes.

I'd imagine getting a DP stuck in the sand to be a pretty big deal, vice a fifth wheel/travel trailer. Not many vehicles are gonna be alot of help towing it.

[chuckftboy]

I wouldn't, not for fear of getting stuck but for fear of what the salt would d to my coach.

[BW in TX]

Not a chance

[dons2346]

No, no, and no. I know that beach and the answer is still no.

[saddlesore]

Originally Posted by dons2346

No, no, and no. I know that beach and the answer is still no.

Rinse & repeat as needed !

[Dale70]

I would not -- and here is a picture why.

This picture was taken in Canada on our way to Alaska this summer.
I had just finished boondocking at a very scenic site overlooking a river.
I had to back out and as I did I got both rear wheels just off the pavement. You can see I am not more than a couple of feet off the pavement. The ground there actually looks like what the people are standing on, loose gravel. I found I could not move forward. One set of rear tires would spin in the gravel. Since the rear axle in an RV is an open truck type axle, you really only have drive to one side at a time, and if one side does not have traction you will go nowhere.

Now to finish the story the first vehicle up the road was that tow truck who was on his way (actually he came from a town about 120 miles away) to help a motorcylclist who had lost his keys. They were going to load the motorcycle on the flatbed and take it to some dealer somewhere.

Conclusion -- I blocked the ALCAN highway for about 45 minutes. My wife was not happy that i had not waited for her to guide me back, although I am not sure that would have changed anything (at least that's my story and I am sticking with it.)

My RV had about four month old TOYO tires with very deep grooves -- but smooth rubber between the grooves. Basically RV tires are not designed for anything but Asphalt, and RV's have essentially one wheel (one pair of wheels if dualies) drive. RV's also have an extreme pounds of weight per square of inch rubber, exactly the opposite of what you want for sand. in my mind not a good combination

Good luck if you try it -- send us pictures ---
thx Dale

[TonyDi]

I'm sure there are beaches where it is safe enough to take a MH onto. However, salt can and will get into everywhere you don't want it. Not to mention the sand. I live 7 blocks from the beach and I don't even keep my coach at my home because of the salt air.

[GREGORYJ]

This RV was pulling into his South Park camp site at Talladega Speedway a few weeks ago. He had walked the site several times and it seemed firm. When pulling onto the site he "sank" immediately. He then had no traction and could not even move an inch. It can be difficult to judge how safe a spot is, though this isn't the same as sand, I would play it safe and not pull onto a beach, even with a 36' 5th wheel. The Track called a semi sized tow truck who used his winch to pull him out. No damage to the RV and Talladega paid the bill.

[Ray,IN]

Some years ago we were walking on a beach just South of St. Augustine FL and came upon a diesel pusher stuck in sand, with waves lapping the wheels (tide coming in). The owner was frantically watching an old Army 6X6 wrecker truck hooking on to his MH. A sizable crowd helped me watch all this event.
After the MH was safely back on pavement I watched while the MH owner wrote a check to pay for the extraction(not a tow-which ERS pays for) The bill was over $1,600 someone said.
Now add in this fact; beach/ocean sand is full of salt. It will get into places you cannot wash it out of and quickly corrode everything it contacts, copper wiring, steel, aluminum. You should've seen what it did to our 32' 5er after I pulled it onto the beach at S. Padre island one time. Oh, and my dually frame rusted underneath the Zbart coating, causing the Zbart to simply peel away some 5 years later.

[THenman]

Nope, I make about 6-8 inch deep ruts in the gravel lot where we have to store our coach. They have even re-leveled the gravel and we still make them. I figure I am compacting it for them in the future. Oh and salt. Some of the early auto imports from Japan rusted bad just from the trip over. No need for that on a coach...

Tom

[Txice]

It’s tempting isn’t it? I saw a MH parked on a Galveston beach on the way to the RV Park, but it wasn’t a DP. I got mine stuck in mud when I first got it, not realizing how much weight was on the front steering tires. No damage but it cost me $300 for a tow truck to wench me out after a 4 day drying period. Learned a big lesson. I will only drive and park on asphalt/concrete. Especially after what Dale said. My back wheel(s) was useless also, I just didn’t know why. So, unless you know a good tow service I’d not drive or park on the beach. Daytona beach might be hard enough. Good luck

[Highway 4x4]

That beach gets torn up by buggies and 4x4's all the time. I would stay off with a MH. A DP weighs 30K+. My Ram weighs 8K and my TT is 8K. I would still not do it. Salt and nuts on the beach. There are many nice CG's in the area. Pismo Coast Village is my favorite.

[kerryvan]

We got stuck on a storage lot in central Florida. Buried to axel with a tag axel. Discovered that the only way to tow it out was from the rear. 6 hrs and 3 different tow vehicles we were free. It took a winch vehicle. The ruts were deep and long.
I can’t imagine how bad a beech would be. The storage lot was packed sand. Just no rain for a while.

[Sweetbriar]

Not with your rear engine diesel coach and certainly not with my front engine gas coach.