Driving Across an InclineSooner or later, an off-road trail will probably go acrossthe incline of a hill. If this happens, you have todecide whether to try to drive across the incline. Hereare some things to consider:• A hill that can be driven straight up or down may betoo steep to drive across. When you go straight upor down a hill, the length of the wheel base (thedistance from the front wheels to the rear wheels)reduces the likelihood the vehicle will tumbleend over end. But when you drive across an incline,the much more narrow track width (the distancebetween the left and right wheels) may not preventthe vehicle from tilting and rolling over. Also,driving across an incline puts more weight on thedownhill wheels. This could cause a downhillslide or a rollover.• Surface conditions can be a problem when youdrive across a hill. Loose gravel, muddy spots,or even wet grass can cause your tires to slipsideways, downhill. If the vehicle slips sideways, itcan hit something that will trip it (a rock, a rut,etc.) and roll over.• Hidden obstacles can make the steepness of theincline even worse. If you drive across a rock with theuphill wheels, or if the downhill wheels drop into a rutor depression, your vehicle can tilt even more.For reasons like these, you need to decide carefullywhether to try to drive across an incline. Justbecause the trail goes across the incline does notmean you have to drive it. The last vehicle totry it might have rolled over.{CAUTION:Driving across an incline that is too steep willmake your vehicle roll over. You could beseriously injured or killed. If you have anydoubt about the steepness of the incline, donot drive across it. Find another route instead.Q: What if I am driving across an incline that is nottoo steep, but I hit some loose gravel and startto slide downhill. What should I do?A: If you feel your vehicle starting to slide sideways,turn downhill. This should help straighten out thevehicle and prevent the side slipping. However,a much better way to prevent this is to get out and“walk the course” so you know what the surfaceis like before you drive it.4-27
