Camping Tecolote
There is a well-known boondocking beach at the end of the road east of La Paz – Playa Tecolote. There are a few grubby restaurants to choose from, but otherwise it’s just a few miles of open beach where you can camp anywhere you like.
I managed to get stuck, so it’s a good thing we were with friends willing to push a bus. For some reason, every time I’ve ever been stuck it only my right rear wheel that spins. The left one doesn’t move at all. In mud. On ice. In sand. Every time. If the left one would even budge, then maybe I wouldn’t have been stuck. For all I know, I’m driving a 1WD.
Bode decided he was going to swim from the restaurants to the camp site at the end of the beach. Little did he know we parked about a mile away. I’m proud of him – he did it – and collapsed at the bus and we didn’t see him the rest of the night.
Just before sunset, a Syncro pulled up to join us and further confirmed our ‘two buses attracts a third’ theory. Sort of.
Greg and Katie told us of their grand plan to drive to Chile in under 4 months. Probably possible, but not recommended.
The next day involved lots of chilling out on the beach. Greg and Katie were gone before we even got out of bed.
Your bus has an open differential, the cheapest and most common type. If one wheel has no traction all the torque goes to that wheel and you go nowhere. If it’s available for the bus transmission, you could get a limited slip diff installed. I’ve driven in snowy Chicago since I was 16 and had the same single wheel spin thing happen until I had a Ford Crown Vic police interceptor with a limited slip. Wow, what a difference that makes! One wheel starts to spin, the limited slip mechanism catches and spins the other wheel, and off you go. Great for traffic light drag racing, too. 🙂 (maybe not in a bus)
I’m surprised we don’t get stuck more often 😉
I will be installing a limited slip in my 78 on the 3rd….but in the meantime, keep your emergency brake adjusted properly, and you can use it to slow down that spinning wheel. One other world traveler recommended yank hard, take a pair of vice grips to the wheel thats spinning, and clamp down on the cable to hold it in place, then get back in and release the bandle, thus holding a single wheel, while you lightly takeoff using mainly the other wheel. Basically tricking the transmission into thinking that the slipping wheel has traction and thus giving power to the non slipping one.
Note, you should try without the vice grips first, just apply the parking brake and attempt to let out the clutch slowly. Takes some practice and finess.
I’ll definitely try this next time… and there will be a next time.