Driving through floods.

[UIZ733]

An interesting viewpoint on the matter;
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-18/research-shows-cars-deadly-in-floodwaters/7522798

[edz]

Just wondering if they glued the doors shut, Dont reckon Ive ever owned a truck that water tight.
Good video though of what can happen

[KevL]

It should also be noted the vehicles were empty.
By the time some travellers are packed to go bush the cars weigh about 9 tonne.

An important lesson none the less.

[Bird]

Just wondering if they glued the doors shut, Dont reckon Ive ever owned a truck that water tight.
Good video though of what can happen

x eleventy

[BaseCamp]

So you've got till the flood water is over the back wheel before the risk of floating away starts....     That's handy to know.....      LOL........

NOOOOOO - in all seriousness:

"If its flooded - forget it!"...

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[Foo]

Equation.

Depth + flow rate + vehicle height = wash away. 

Foo

[Jeepers Creepers]

I saw an old mid 80's Volvo get washed away on a causeway once after the people had got out.
It tumbled, rolled around then sank.

I thought to myself, there really is a God.

[oldmate]

Just wondering if they glued the doors shut, Dont reckon Ive ever owned a truck that water tight.
Good video though of what can happen

I saw a different vid of it and the inside had water in he floor pan also.

[ATC]

Another 10cm of water would lift it with an extra tonne of payload in it.....

Just shows the danger of crossing water.

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[UIZ733]

Just wondering if they glued the doors shut, Dont reckon Ive ever owned a truck that water tight.

It's not a Toyota. 

[Cruiser 105Tvan]

I'll say they covered the door drain holes with duck tape, stopping ingress of water to cabin area.
Even if it would be a slow flow.

[GanG]

Flawed example, as the vehicle is stationary, if under power the bow wave and displacement changes the whole equation...........I have safely and easily forded water deeper than that, the flow rate is more critical than depth - to a point of course.

[JGM]

I got washed away down a flooded creek on the Western side of Quilpie in the 80's.  I was in a 1 month old 80 series Landcruiser.
I had watched a tray top Landcruiser successfully cross the creek from the opposite direction before I had a crack at it.

The water was about 6-8 inches up the windscreen before I felt the rear end start letting go.  I gave her some more herbs and she gripped again but only for a few seconds.  She then floated around and pointed herself downstream and started sinking nose first.  I remember the water flowing in all the air vents on the dash! We climbed over the seats and got out the back ambulance style doors.  I chained the roo bar to a tree so we could find it later.  She went completely under except for about 1 inch of the back of the roof.

I worked out later that the tray top that had crossed from the opposite direction has more area under the tray for the water to flow through (if there is a current from one side or the other).  In other words not as much "sail" area for the force of the water to act on.

Also the actual shape of the wagon floor pan along with a near empty fuel tank and a spare tyre underneath all helps to acts as a float.  (Similar to what happens in the video in the first thread.)

Cheers
JGM

[Rumpig]

Flawed example, as the vehicle is stationary, if under power the bow wave and displacement changes the whole equation...........I have safely and easily forded water deeper than that, the flow rate is more critical than depth - to a point of course.

i wrote a similar reply last night that failed to post for some reason, couldn't be bothered rewriting it...lol. Obviously depth becomes a factor, but most vehicles washed away do so due to the rate the water is flowing across the road at when people try to cross it.

[HEM19X]

Equation.

Depth + flow rate + vehicle height = wash away. 

Foo

Perfect FOO, People get all Antzy when you say you have driven through water... the biggest thing is the flow rate. We get cut off a bit when flooding occurs and we do drive through it. BUT the FLOW RATE is bugger all so the risk is a hell of a lot less.

[oldmate]

Like I said above. A vid showing water inside

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sydney-storm-unsw-research-shows-cars-can-be-carried-away-by-even-shallow-water-20160617-gplx22.html

[GBC]

Back when I got paid to do 4wd courses every year at Mt Cotton it was well known that you could get the GU patrol wagon they had there to float the rear end in the water crossing dam after a bit of rain. Did it a few times. The 100 series wouldn't do it. Both were bog standard base models. Water height wouldn't have been more than about 900 odd mm at a rough guess.

[KingBilly]

Flawed example, as the vehicle is stationary, if under power the bow wave and displacement changes the whole equation...........I have safely and easily forded water deeper than that, the flow rate is more critical than depth - to a point of course.

Not necessarily.  What if the motor dies?  Drop into a deep hole?  Hit a submerged object?  No bow wave then 

KB

[KingBilly]

Like I said above. A vid showing water inside

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sydney-storm-unsw-research-shows-cars-can-be-carried-away-by-even-shallow-water-20160617-gplx22.html

Good find oldmate.  All the comments above about the vehicle being sealed and no water inside, have just been smashed 

KB

[shanegtr]

Watch the video and pay attention to the height of the patrol vs the water level. I was suprised to see it starting to rise at quite a low water level, so your starting to unload the tyres very early - much earlier than I would have predicted. As mentioned in earlier posts flow is the big killer in water crossings and I think a lot of people underestimate how much flow can push a car off track

[noel_w]

An old bushy once pointed out to me if you really really have to cross deep water then you should remove your spare tyre from under the car as it provides some flotation. Similar also having empty fuel tanks. In hindsight maybe even lowering tyre pressures may help counteract flotation.
Interesting that in a previous thread the 100 series didn't float but the GU did. Ruins my story. 
Not that I would ever condone crossing flooded water. And no I have never tested the theory.

[Beachman]

Like some other people I have crossed creeks with water up to the top of headlights, but the flow of the water and the amount of weight in the car were the deciding factors.

Fast flowing water is a recipe for disaster no matter what your driving. 

[Bird]

if your car starts to float - if th water pressure allows you to - open the doors. car sinks, you drive out.


YMMV

[Red Dog 4x4]

All very good points, but one thing people often forget it there fuel tanks are a sealed tank, and given this vehicle looked like it was from a wrecking yard, my guess it that both tanks ( 90lt main & 35lt sub ) are both very close to empty and will cause any vehicle to float. For this reason I always try to keep my patrol full of fuel because were I live all five road in and out flood and just recently was recurred to recuse a council vehicle that started to float in water that my quad was able to get through ( not flowing just raised water about 400mm deep ).

[Footy Shorts Shane]

Guy in the workshop next door floated, then sunk his brand new GU last year in Nolans.
Guess it does happen in real world, not just test tanks