What to do when you get bogged

30 July, 2021   By: Chris Morton

Getting off-road in your four-wheel drive can be a great adventure, building lasting memories for you and your friends and family. But when it comes to getting bogged, for off-roaders, it’s not so much a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’. It’s highly likely that during one of your adventures, your vehicle will become bogged. It can also be an issue for non-four-wheel drivers who simply misjudge a loose surface.

It doesn’t matter what type of vehicle, how big the engine is, what accessories you have or the skill of the driver, it is a fact of life that you will get stuck at some point. Accepting this fact is an important first step in dealing with getting bogged. There are many reasons why your vehicle gets bogged, but the ultimate reason every bogging has in common is that the ground on which you are driving cannot sustain the forces being exerted by your vehicle. This can be for many reasons, loose sand, wet and slippery mud, gravel roads, bulldust and excessive water can all contribute to this.

Contrary to popular belief, four-wheel drives are not a sure thing when it comes to unstable surfaces. They only need to lose traction on one front wheel and one rear wheel at the same time to stop in either high or low range. When the wheels start to spin then you need to come off the accelerator and assess.

What to do when it happens

Don’t panic. Everyone gets bogged at some point. It’s not the end of the world. Take some deep breaths and assess your situation.

Put a plan together. Is there any current or future risk to the people involved? Is the vehicle currently at risk of damage? What tools and resources do you have available?

Implement your plan. There are plenty of methods to get your vehicle unstuck. They range from easy to extremely complex with greater risk involved. Don’t go straight for the snatch strap or winch unless there is no other obvious choice - these methods should be learnt from a professional with only the correct equipment used. The risk of serious injury or even death is extremely high if vehicle recoveries are not done correctly. If you are bogged in sand and the weight of your vehicle is still on the tyres (you are not sitting on the chassis) reduce the tyre pressure further. This lengthens the tyre’s footprint, spreading the force being exerted by the vehicle across a greater area.

Clear sand away from the vehicle. If the chassis is sitting in the sand you will have to dig it out first. Clear the underside as much as you can.

Put the car into low range. Sometimes the simplest solution is the best. Rock the car in forward and reverse gear a few times, this will help to compress the sand enough to provide a solid base to drive out on.

Provide additional traction. Recovery boards are worth it. Stay away from the cheaper brands if you can as they tend to fall apart after little use. Giving your tyres something solid to grip can quite often do the trick.

Using a snatch strap. This requires a second vehicle and for both cars to have rated recovery points. Do not under any circumstances use the factory tie down points or the tow-ball. Doing so will more than likely result, at best, in damage to either or both vehicles, or at worst, someone not coming home. Ensure all equipment is in good order and serviceable before attempting this. Better yet, get some training from a reputable four-wheel drive trainer beforehand and learn how to do this type of recovery from an expert.

Using a winch. Again, take your time and think about every step. Move everyone out of the way and only use rated recovery points. This type of recovery should only be attempted by those who know what they are doing.

Call for help. If you don’t have the skills, experience or equipment to safely extract yourself then it may make more sense to call a professional service in to recover your vehicle. It may cost you some money, but the alternative is that you seriously damage your vehicle, or someone gets seriously injured.

How to avoid getting bogged

Ideally try to avoid situations that are going to get you bogged in the first place and ensure that your vehicle is equipped for off-road driving.

• If driving on the beach, drop tyre pressures to suit the vehicle and load being carried. A common misconception is that you need to drop your tyre pressure to 18psi for sand driving. This is not correct. The weight and type of vehicle, cargo and conditions all need to be considered. If it is a cooler or wet day then the sand will have more moisture in it, allowing it to absorb more force from your vehicle. Hot, sunny days reduce the sand’s moisture content significantly, requiring much lower pressures to allow you to drive over it.
• Avoiding sudden braking or acceleration and sharp turns. Assessing locations that may prove tricky before driving them all help to avoid getting bogged in the first place.
• Avoid situations when there are alternative routes or where the risk to your passengers and yourself (or the vehicle) is too high.
• Engage four-wheel drive. Most modern four-wheel drive utes spend most of their driving life in two-wheel drive. You need to engage four-wheel drive when you are off the bitumen. Most modern SUV four-wheel drive models are all-wheel drive (also known as constant four-wheel drive or full time four-wheel drive) by default. Lock the centre diff.
• Carrying a tyre deflator, air compressor, shovel, recovery boards and other appropriate recovery equipment ensures that you have the resources to handle most situations if you do become bogged.
• Undergo four-wheel driver training with a reputable trainer to learn and re-learn skills needed when driving off road. This also provides you with a greater understanding of your vehicle, the systems it is equipped with and how they can assist you to extricate it. A good trainer will be able to teach even the most experienced four-wheel drivers new skills.
• Equip your vehicle with good quality all-terrain tyres. Deep and wide grooves in the rubber allow for water and mud to be expelled from the tyre far more efficiently than using a highway tyre. This allows the tyres to retain their direct contact with the driving surface. More aggressive mud terrain tyres are great in really muddy conditions but won’t last very long with lots of bitumen driving.
• Ensure your vehicle has adequate clearance. If you are planning regular adventures off road then it’s worth looking at a suspension upgrade. A good quality suspension kit will transform your four-wheel drive from the road-tuned vehicle it is as it leaves the factory to one actually equipped for off-road use. Coupled with a 50mm lift, the vehicle will be better equipped to absorb more of the impacts associated with this type of driving, giving the suspension extra room to travel (or flex) and will hopefully keep your wheels in contact with the ground.
• Ensure you have rated recovery points in the event that you need to either use a snatch strap or winch to recover your vehicle.

For two-wheel drives

If you are driving a two-wheel drive vehicle then there are some very simple things you can do to ensure that you don’t get bogged.

• Don’t drive your vehicle onto the beach (there are some beaches that are extremely hard, and you will get away with it however the general rule is don’t beach drive).
• If you must drive on gravel, and it is not recommended, then drive slower. This will allow you to maintain better control of the vehicle and possibly prevent you from running off the road where the ground can quite often be softer.

If you do become bogged, then the principles are generally the same with regards to tyre pressure and traction. You will most likely not have rated recovery points nor do many two-wheel drives have any sort of high clearance. If you do become stuck and are not equipped to self-recover, then you are much better off calling for help.

Remember, you only need to lose traction on one of the two drive wheels, and you are stuck.

Having the confidence and knowledge as well as a suitably equipped vehicle will make for a far better experience when you head out on your next off-road adventure.

Banner image credit: Christine Arnasiewicz