Rejuvenating Mud Bath

To consider driving a 4-wheelers into a jungle as a rejuvenating mud bath, one might think I have gone completely nuts. But yes, I am totally crazy about trying my hands on the 4 wheelers, getting myself covered with sludge, the sensational feeling riding on bumpy tracks and the painful feeling when my head bumps hard on the roof of the jeep. Ambitious to become an avid wheeler, I had learned about the joys and pitfalls of wheeling as well as the proper techniques in handling the vehicle which cover everything from vehicle preparation to survival and to recognize offroad driving techniques and more. I have seen a lot of different terrains, encountered different kinds of obstacles, and have traversed some desolate landscapes.

Driving through mud is not easy. Some types of mud have a greasy top layer with a hard surface underneath, while other types can be a bottomless quagmire of gooey mush. Different types of mud require different driving techniques and equipment. Greasy mud with a hard bottom layer is best suited to narrow tires to allow them to cut through the top layer to bite the hard surface below. Wide tires are unsuitable because in this situation they tend to float on the greasy top layer without reaching the hard surface underneath. Thick gooey mud tends to favor wide tires as they give some flotation, similar to wide tires favoring sand driving. When used in muddy track, tires must have large open spaced lugs to keep the tire clean. However, the tyres handle worse on bitumen as there is less rubber in contact with the ground and in sand they tend to dig in. Also they can have an annoying drone at highway speeds.

I also learned that when crossing the water, I must take off the seat belt and wind down the window. In most situations I must use low range 2nd gear and try to drive at a steady speed to create bow wave. I learned to avoid using clutch and I must not over-rev the engine whenever I lose traction. One most important thing I learned is that when the engine stalls, I must place in neutral without using clutch to restart and takeoff in 1st low.

Well, those are some accumulated tips I obtained from several experiences on 4-wheel driving. Not only I learned about the tyres but also about the tyre chains, the winches and some other parts of the vehicles. But the first experience is always the most remembered one - it was the offroad exploration to Sungai Liang, Pahang on 29th March 2005. I called it the Bloody Muddy Exploration as the jungle was mostly covered with mud and not to mention, leeches. I remembered when one of the jeeps got stuck in a deep gap full of greasy mud and that the gap had swallowed the whole part of one of the rear tyres. When I saw some of them get out of their vehicles and walk towards the ‘trapped’ jeep, I tried to follow suit. When I reached the spot, I peered at the rear tyre, the one that was stuck in the deep hole, while the others were busy with  the preparation to hoist the jeep out. They called the little gadget, a ‘winch’. Attached at the front part of the vehicle, it is used to drag the vehicle out from holes. Merely feeding my curiousity, and without anybody realizing it, I went over to the back of the jeep to take a closer look. Unaware of what was going on at the front, I squatted down and scrutinized the condition of the tyre. My butt barely touched the ground and I tried very hard not to slip and stay clean. Out of a sudden, the jeep jerked forward and the tyres screeched hard. Mud splashed wildly on my face and body. And I cried out loud and tried to make haste  to get out of the way but it was too slippery. I finally could catch my breath when the jeep was at last sucessfully pulled out of the mudhole. I waited for somebody to finally discover me and when they did, they let out a big laugh! I laughed along pretending that the whole scene was humurous but in actual fact I silently scolded myself for being such a fool. Hating myself for being a laughingstock, I vowed not to stray away from the group if any problems arised.

Have I been keeping my promise? Yeahhhhhh rightttt!