What you've said applies directly to the 4x4 Sprinters as well. Most people don't know that a Sprinter "4x4" won't go into 4wd without some movement from the front tires...so if you're already stuck, the Mercedes "4x4" ironically won't engage. (People generally learn this about Sprinters after they've gotten stuck.) Where do you carry the winch when not in use?
@@Levi_Allen The extra space is nice though, especially when you've got more than two people to transport and sleep. The height of the van has been my biggest limiting factor off-road.
We just experienced the slip differential issue and got stuck in the sand. Wouldn’t have been an issue with 4x4. Our recovery boards (also off brand) dug us in even further. We’ve used them in the past with some luck but most of the time the tires just spin and eat up the plastic. I’m struggling to even buy another set. Granted I wasn’t airing down the tire enough because my compressor is trash 😅 I was stoked to find that you had made a video about this. Going to feel much better after we pick these products up.
I regularly head out into the desert often out of cell service. I have two additional items that I take with me. First is a tire plug kit so I can repair punctures and get back into town for a proper repair. The second is a SPOT tracker. We create YouTuibe videos as we explore old abandoned mines way out in the desert. Having rescuers know exact lat-lon of our vehicle if we are overdue could save hours, or days of searching just to find location of our vehicle before they can even start the search for us. Secondly, we've had a number of close calls with rattlesnakes. Having a SPOT tracker allows us to request emergency medical assistance if one of us gets seriously injured. I've been watching Matt's Offroad Recovery and it's great fun to watch. I don't want to be featured on his channel! :-)
really good informative video! for tires I always recommend General Grabber AT3s they have a higher weight rating and better in winter and snow than the BFGs... many people also say they're also quieter on road. ive driven through the arctic in Scandinavia through Sweden, Norway and Finish Lapland from November - January all the way to Nordkapp (northern most point of Norway) and didn't use chains once all winter on or off road in deep snow and solid ice... would love to see you try a set and do a comparison especially for winter driving.
i saw my dad use 2 or 3 come-a-longs to get his 2 ton truck (with us 6 kids in the back) out of many "tight spots" and navigate over dirt logging roads, lol
All great tips! In addition to the ARB deflater, we also carry a set of Staun deflaters which can deflate all four tires at the same time to a preset pressure. I use them frequently when we are approaching a long stretch of rough or soft roads... They are spun on the valve stems and then you can continue driving as they let out the pressure, once they hit the set point they close up and stop. In our case we have dual valve stems, so I can watch the pressure come down on the TPMS.
Anytime I want to complain about tire cost, I just remember that I’m glad I don’t have to pay for military tires like yours 😅 Do you use any device to auto shut off air at a certain PSI? I’m so bad at watching the pump
I’m still not sure if the Maxtrax work for heavier 2WD vehicles like mine. They’re expensive as well. I recently got stuck in the sand in the desert and it was $500 to tow the van 20 feet. But my insurance covered the bill!
Hi Levi, I noticed awhile ago that your headlights need to desperately be de-fogged. A cheap way to do it without spending a lot of cash is to use turtle wax cut polish first and then polish with Mother’s metal polish until crystal clear. For added protection afterwards, use your favorite car wax to extend the life of your hard work. If you do a video on this, it will likely get a lot of views.
Fallen Wild Peak At3, another good tire option that is just as well reviewed as the ko2( but the Wildpeak does better in the snow). It comes in an E rated option if you need it
Security Chain Company Super Z6, SZ435, Cable Chain for Pickups & SUVs - Set of 2 www.amazon.ca/dp/B000HZDFVY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabt1_rIEVFb3JN6977?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
The more wraps of cable or rope you have on your winch the bigger the spool and it acts like higher gearing. Hooking to something further away has a dramatic effect by lowering the gearing making your winch stronger, that being said my superwinch cautions not to use it under load with less than two wraps on the drum. Thanks for another great video :)
Check out the Tirfor 800 or 1600 would be enough to pull a sprinter fan out. It is a hand winch with steel cable system. For most people more then enough to recover the van. Alway install really good recovery points on your truck. Especially with snatch straps! My Unimog has a 8000 pound winch directly driven via the gearbox by the diesel engine. I will have 2 snatch blocks in my kit. and a cheap option for tree protectors is hoisting straps. I have 3 ton hoisting straps super cheap and they are tested at 21 ton before they break. I got plenty of 4.75 ton shackles. My Unimog has 4wheel drive and can be locked 100% on portal axles. So When I got stuck Im screwed way more then where you get stuck :D When you get stuck don't rush when you are not in any danger. If you have danger of tiping over or sliding into a deep ditch first secure you van or truck and then see what you can do instead of making it worse. Yes Matt his channel is fun to watch :)
I've got the ARB deflator, the SmittyBuilt portable compressor, Tred 4x4 recovery boards, Ko2's as well and Bilstein and OME shocks and coils. Working on building a hidden winch on the front, but that will be next year.
Great video man! Question - is there a reason you went with the Viair brand over ARB? It seems EVERYONE uses the ARB single/double inflator in the off road community, I never really considered other brands.
awolter333 - from what I remember the first viair pump I bought was cheaper than the arb alternative, and I’ve just stuck with that brand. I know arb makes some of the best on board compressors available
Super helpful, Levi... Thank you. We spend a lot of time in the desert and a winch anchor is a huge help when there are no trees or rocks on which to tie off.
Great info Levi! Short hair, trimmed beard and a collared shirt. You’re looking really cleaned up this video (despite getting a little dirty) + bonus points on ur outfits working well together!
Overlanding in a 2WD Fiat Ducato Professional, upgraded from 3.3 ton to 3.5 ton, VB-FullAir suspension on all wheels. It is a 2X4 so NOT a 4x4. In MY opinion 4x4 is a wast of money and diesel for what we want to do. The difference is we do not go Off Road we are Overlanding. But I do know we take it right to the edge of getting stuck sometimes. Just wish I had some decent recovery points at the front because the original front tow point is shit and can only be used in a strait line. The Navi is a Garmen Overlander that also shows very nice places to camp. Driving on the shortest distance between two points, include unpaved roads, avoid motorways. It is really the nicest way to get your self into interesting places and problems. We are definitely NOT Riding on Camper Tyres with 5.5 bar pressure. The Van has Cooper Discoverer A/T3 235/75R16 MS tyres 3 bar max pressure! Mostly I ride with the tyres at 2.7 bar, if the road turns to off road I go down to 1.5 bar. Recovery gear is: A 4 Ton 3 Hook Double Gear Ratchet Style Hand Power Puller a 10 meter 5 ton Ratchet Tie Down and a 3 meter 5 ton tow cable. A 12V 35 year old air compressor. (I shit you not) 2 very cheap Recovery Track Mats. 40 cm by 40 cm wooden support for the jack, 1 spare tire that is the same as the other 4 tires I envy your for the front bumper and 12V winch. ;-)
For the DC compressor, harbor freight sells a very similar one for 70 bucks. You can usually get it down to 60 bucks with coupons www.harborfreight.com/12v-150-psi-compact-air-compressor-63184.html
Just stumbled across you guys, wow, finally someone that has a sprinter that actually gets used, so many brand new $200,000,00+ sprinter vans with all the bells and whistles that never make it out a camp site. It’s actually more about oh….look at my van than taking it out and getting it dirty, I think most people on you tube that have a quarter a million dollar van would have a heart attack at the thought of a dent or a scratch. Thank you for your very informative and real upload. Subbed 👍
This was great. I'm in a DIY Conversion Van with only rear wheel drive and so many times I've been on a steep or sketchy forest road or on a sandy beach, and I've come so close to getting stuck .. but some how I powered thru each time and have been fortunate (or just lucky) and never got stuck. I swear my next rig will be AWD or 4x4. However with that said, watching this video with the recommendations applied to your own read wheel drive rig really helps with my own perspective for my current 2 rear wheel drive rig. BTW, the increased suspension is prime. So glad I added a leaf spring and air shocks to mine. Completely changes the stability of the ride wirh the weight added. Thanks again so much. Glad I found your channel and enjoy getting the notifications when you release each one.
An electric winch can nearly alway get your vehicle moving but is very costly, rarely gets used so is not a good investment, if not firmly attached to a very strong part of the vehicle it can break loose and cause a lot of damage and injuries through the whiplash effect of the cable and looks a bit unsightly on a campervan - a very very cheap alternative is a heavy duty hand winch [4 tonne 39GBP on UK ebay], yes its very slow and requires a bit of muscle but does the job nice and slowly so everything is under control. If there is not a tree, rock or strong lamp post within range, another vehicle can be used as an anchor - just be sure to take along a few long towing straps! Shovel - when you get stuck, often the vehicle sinks in mud, sand or snow aided by the driver wrongfully over revving the engine in an attempt to get moving resulting in spinning the wheels making them dig deeper. The main purpose of a shovel is to dig out the wheels, the differential and any other under body parts that are stuck so there is less when driving out.
NoChallenge - when hand winching do you prefer someone inside giving a little gas? I’ve hand winched my van alone a couple times and it surely does take some patience. Maybe because I was using a 4:1 pulley system with a multiplier, but it took me hours to get unstuck
@@Levi_Allen - yep, when u loose traction u need the driver to give min gas and that applies to winching - thats why tractors have BIG wheels so they turn slowly and get a grip...a typical driver when they loose traction gives max gas and spins the wheels digging down and going nowhere. I have used a Brano brand hand winch from Czech Republic that has pulled my camper out of 20 mts of mud track in 20 mins. I wrote 2 books about 4x4 driving, mag articles, etc, so know a bit about recovery.
I feel like the shovel and board are the bare minimum. I keep a shovel in my sedan and use my rubber tire mats the same way and they have gotten me out of a few snowy spots.
@@Levi_Allen LSD diffs provide the best, optimum traction in all conditions, especially slippery ones. Open diffs are a disaster as you have experienced - too often. I don't know what year your Sprinter is, but I believe there is a way to modify the existing open diff. 🖖
@@Levi_Allen yeah, get stuck close to friends with big trucks. ;-) At least until you get to know the limits of you rig and get comfortable with your recovery gear. The best time to learn a piece of gear is before you need it.
I have a hand winch, rated to 4 tonne, and I made two 2 ft pegs and a coupling plate to couple both pegs together so I can winch in the middle of a field without need for a tree etc . I also have a high lift jack with wheel cradle (seen as the VW LT/ Sprinter doesn't have sill jacking points) can lift the bogged wheel out the ground and put traction boards fully under the wheel
It depends massively on the tire size, type of tire, and weight of the vehicle. And also driving conditions. If I’m driving a logging road I’ll drop my rear psi from 80 down to 50-65. If we are driving in sand I’ll drop all the way to 20-30. And if we get stuck I’ve gone as low as 15 but to scared to go much lower and pop my tire off the rim. In the video above I dropped to 18psi. All of this is based off my tire size and the type of tires I have. Some road specific tires should never be dropped that low.
I'm not in the van life but I like to ATV and like to film wildlife so my SpotX communicator (Inreach by Garmin is another brand) is my #1 safety item. Im out of cell range most times and dont have s sat phone. If something goes south I can txt or email people from my contact list in a emergency.
great infos and helpful tipps! And i love the "bookmarks" you put in your videos lately. I appriciate the extra affort you put in your videos! Thanks! :-)
