Australian 4WD Action - June 2018

W

e’ve all been

there, out on

the tracks

have fun

when all of a

sudden a monster rut jumps

up out of nowhere. From the

bottom it looks like it’d

swallow your 4WD whole and

spit you out on your roof. The

andrenaline rush gets you

pumping, but you’re not

exactly sure what the best

course of action is. Try and

avoid it, but risk slipping down

into the rut? Straddle it and

hope your tyres are good

enough? Turn around and go

home to play a good solid

game of dominos? Well, the

answer’s definitely not that

last option, but it could well

be options 1 or 2, or

something else altogether,

depending on the situation.

Here’s some easy tips on how

to drive big ruts safely and

successfully.

The key to successfully driving big ruts is to understand your diffs

and your undercarriage, and where the location of the lowest-

hanging components are. For the majority of vehicles, that’ll be

the bottom of your diff pumpkin. See here how it’s contacting

the high-centre of the rut. That’s okay in this scenario because

the vehicle’s coming down the hill and has gravity on its side.

Climbing a similar hill means avoiding dragging those lowest-

hanging components on the dirt, even if you have to take a

different line. Hop under your 4WD and take note of components

like diffs, transfer case and suspension

The key to driving big opposite-wheel ruts is two-fold. The fi rst

is to take a gently-gently approach. There’s going to be a lot

of weight transfer happening as one wheel picks up and the

diagonal opposite one touches down. If you combine that weight

transfer with jerky brake and throttle input you can risk rolling

the vehicle, so play it smooth. It’s always better to try and idle

through the fi rst time, and if you can’t get through then to back

up and gradually add a bit more throttle each time

BIG RUTS

Big ruts can get really hairy

if you don’t pay them

enough respect.

Here’s how to drive

them safely and easily

HOW TO DRIVE

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRENDAN SEYMOUR

WWW.4WDACTION.COM.AU

DRIVING BIG RUTS

TIPS AND TECHNIQUES