Tyres on soft ground

[david56]

My DAF keeps getting stuck on soft ground always been able to get out eventually never needed a tow yet.

it has the standard wheels and tyres I was wondering if larger/ wider tyres would help.

Are floatation tyres better or worse when driving across damp fields?

[CMP-Phil]

Hi David

May I ask a couple of posibly silly questions?  I'm not familiar with DAF but have been playing with MVs for lot of years on and off road.  Does the DAF have different tyer pressures for listed for on and off roads?  One of my MVs a 3 ton cargo when running empty and road tire presure will not climb one hill on my property.  But drop the tire preasure down to the off road presure and it climbs out.   When the same truck is loaded with couple of tons of fire wood it doesn't care what tire presure it just climbs the hill.

Non-directional tires as used on US and Canadian trucks seem tobe very sensitive to tire preasure in mud and snow. Unplowed two feet of snow my trucks in 4x4 just plain go, plow it down to a smooth snow surface they will slip.

Cheers Phil

   

[Tony B]

To give the Farmer's answer- Nothing is good driving over wet feilds! Causes the ground to be ripped up and panning. However! Low tyre pressures , more surface area, less ground pressure , so you don't sink. Though my experience over the years, if there's no friction bettween tyres and surface, you ain't going anywhere! I'm not suprise the load over the back axles makes all the difference. Most Land Rover pick up backs, and any other pick up or van for that matter are designed to run with a load, no load no weight no traction. Snow tyres work because the snow packs into the tread, and snow sticks to snow. Provided (Shades of Brtitsh Rail) it is the right type of snow! If you have a hard packed smooth surface , just go sleding or skating.

[david56]

Thanks for that. I suppose letting some air out of the tyres is a the way to go. But I drive a lot on the road and I suppose flatter tyres will make the steering even worse than it is. 

 

[Mk3iain]

48 minutes ago, david56 said:

Thanks for that. I suppose letting some air out of the tyres is a the way to go. But I drive a lot on the road and I suppose flatter tyres will make the steering even worse than it is. 

 

Tyre choice is going to be a compromise for you if you are needing good road holding with some off road. The DAF should have a tyre inflator on the chassis for use when going back onto Tarmac. All you should need is a hose to reach each wheel station and you can then alter pressure as required. Not as fancy as CTIS but gets the job done.

 

Iain

[david56]

Ian it does have the inflator but I can’t get it to work. I think there is a non return valve in the system that only lets a small amount of air out. 

[Mk3iain]

18 minutes ago, david56 said:

Ian it does have the inflator but I can’t get it to work. I think there is a non return valve in the system that only lets a small amount of air out. 

It's worth the effort to get it working especially as you may be in remote locations when you most need it. I am sure someone on here knowledgable on DAF trucks will help with that.

If you have not already go for one of the Schrader inflator hoses with guage and clip on connector. They alow you to stand back when putting air in, it feels much safer than holding the issue inflators at the valve.

 

Iain

[johnwardle]

23 hours ago, david56 said:

Thanks for that. I suppose letting some air out of the tyres is a the way to go. But I drive a lot on the road and I suppose flatter tyres will make the steering even worse than it is. 

 

The tyre inflation valve on the Leyland Daf is a simple tap if the handle is in line with the outlet it is on, if it is at 90 degrees to the outlet it is off. It is that simple just remember to have the engine running to keep the air pressure up.