At a very early age, we all became familiar with the gritty stuff in the playground sandbox. A few of us loved it and a few hated it. Sand lures some of us with a mystical force. If a dune appears in the distant horizon, our sense of adventure kicks in and our vehicles mysteriously steer towards it. Whether you occasionally wheel in sand or you're a full-time addict, you must prepare yourself and your vehicle for a day on the dunes.
Sand is an addiction for some enthusiasts just like rocky trails are for others. For those of you who rarely see sand, we are going to throw a few tips your way on how to negotiate the granular stuff, recover your vehicle if you get stuck, and keep it fun. Every year hundreds of thousands of people hit the sand dunes and sandy trails, many for the first time. The majority of these newbies have a great day, but unfortunately statistics show that some meet with disaster, and others spend a good portion of the day digging their vehicles out of soft sand.
A little common sense goes a long way. Carry the right gear, especially if you plan on traveling long distances off-highway and are too far out for roadside assistance.
We recommend that you carry plenty of water, recovery and pull straps, a Hi-Lift Jack, a good spare tire, gloves, a full- to medium-size shovel, and a CB or FRS radio. If you go prepared you will have a great time. Making the first tracks in sand can be just as exhilarating as making tracks in fresh snow.
Low tire pressure is the key to surefooted traction in the sand. Without going into the science of airing down your tires, we'll just say that running about half the tire's normal street pressure will dramatically increase its footprint. Finding your tires' air-down sweet spot is something you will have to experiment with. However, keep in mind that if you run too low a tire pressure it could damage them, and lowering pressure decreases the vehicle's ground clearance. Numerous specialty air sources from aftermarket companies are available to inflate tires. The cheapo 12-volt portable compressor will work, but it takes forever to inflate a tire. Last, but not least, if you are the guy that airs down your tires by removing the valve stem, make sure you have spares. If you have ever tried to find one in a sand dune after it's shot out of the tire stem, you can forget looking for it.
Lockers will help your vehicle's progress in the sand. We shouldn't have to tell you this, but basically, a locker will transfer power to both wheels of an axle. Mechanical, air, limited slip, and electric lockers all work well in the sand. The key is knowing how to use them. Keep even pressure on the skinny pedal and keep the lockers unlocked until you need them. This will improve your driving skills and make it easier to steer the vehicle. Front lockers, when engaged, can make it harder to steer the vehicle and may lessen the turning radius. If you find your vehicle in the initial phases of getting stuck, take your foot off the accelerator, engage the lockers, and then gently accelerate out of the predicament. Also, keep an eye on the terrain ahead of you. If you find an area that looks like it will give you trouble-like a steep hillclimb-engage the lockers before you approach it.
If you are frequently wheeling in the sand, we recommend picking up a Pull Pal anchoring tool. They are very easy to use, and work extremely well for self-recovery if you have a winch. Pull Pals are available for different vehicle weight ratings and fold into a compact unit for easy storage in a vehicle. | 
There are numerous types of sand, but the worst is a powdery silt sand. It will get everywhere in your vehicle, including inside your rig's engine if you aren't careful. We recommend installing a good intake filter like K&N and covering it with a PreCharger filter wrap. This will keep the finest particles of dust, dirt, and sand out of your engine and prolong its life. |
If you are four-wheeling extensively, we hope you have a good rollcage installed in your vehicle. It will save your life. Seatbelts, safety harnesses, and properly placed grab handles are a very inexpensive insurance policy! Keep items like coolers, toolboxes, and jacks securely strapped down in the vehicle. Drivers and passengers can be seriously injured by flying junk that wasn't properly lashed down. | 
The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and hundreds of similar OHV recreational sand areas scattered across the country are under attack from unreasonable environmentalists just looking for a reason to shut us down. If there's a golden rule that you should carry with you, it's to follow the rules wherever you go. If you can do this, hopefully it will preserve the off-highway recreation activities for future generations. |
A Hi-Lift Jack is a great tool to carry in a vehicle for recovery, especially lifted vehicles. A vehicle's OEM bottle jack will not work in a sand recovery unless you carried along blocks to stack under it. Make sure you also get the Hi-Lift Off-Road Base. The base makes jacking your vehicle up in sand or soft terrain much easier and safer. If you are wheeling in the dunes, you probably won't find any rocks to stack under the tires if you get stuck. Carry a piece of carpet in your vehicle and place it under the stuck tire once it's dug out. | 
Depending on the vehicle, tire selection will make all the difference in dependable traction and performance. Contrary to popular belief, mud-terrain tires don't perform the best in the sand unless you have the power to spin them, just like paddle tires. The aggressive tread blocks have a tendency to dig into the sand rather than float over it. In most sand situations, a tire with a less aggressive tread pattern like an all-terrain, properly aired down, will provide the best traction. Paddle tires like this work well with lightweight, high-horsepower sand cars. |
We highly recommend checking out the unknown before you commit your vehicle to the point of no return. Dunes can be much steeper than they appear. If you are unsure about something, get out of your vehicle and check it out. Who cares if your friends make fun of you! Safety is the number one rule out here. If more people were careful, there wouldn't be a statistical database of serious injuries for off-road recreation at the National Transportation Safety Board headquarters. In most recreational sand areas, a red or orange flag 8x12 inches needs to be mounted on the vehicle and must be about 9 feet above the ground. | 
Jumping is fun! If there's anything that gets your adrenaline pumping, it's a high-speed run at steep sand dunes, then catching some air. However, this is more dangerous than storing your ammo under a wood-burning stove. Make sure you know what's on the other side of a hill before you jump it. Jumping blindly can kill someone. Have a spotter in sight to call you off if something or someone walks onto your landing zone. FRS and CB radios work well in these situations. Oh, and don't expect your factory equipment to last forever if you make airing your rig a habit. What goes up must come down-hard. |