Badlands (momentarily) stuck in backyard

[sajohnson]

We've been cutting up a downed ash tree in our backyard, and loaded some of the logs into our landscaping trailer to haul them up to the wood shed.

It was the first time we used the BS BL to tow the trailer, but it wasn't a full load, so we figured it would be no problem.

We didn't realize how sloppy the one section was, so we didn't think to put it in 'Mud & Ruts' instead of 'Normal'. My wife was driving and I was spotting for her. As soon as the tires started to spin, she stopped. I had her put it in 'Mud & Ruts' and lock the rear. No go. It was still spinning.

I noticed a lot of wheelspin in the front -- the traction control did not seem to be working. Maybe it doesn't in 'Mud & Ruts'? She was able to back up and try again, and that time it made it.

I was glad because the next step was going to be unloading the trailer.

My wife took a few photos. The one with our dog in it is looking southwest toward the yard where the ash tree fell.

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[Dude]

“By turning off traction control, you gain the ability to modulate the amount of wheel spin manually.

Gentle wheel spin can help you maintain forward momentum on a muddy surface where tires might otherwise struggle to find traction.”

 

[Tigger]

Nice story and nice pics. Thanks for sharing!

 

[sajohnson]

“By turning off traction control, you gain the ability to modulate the amount of wheel spin manually.

Gentle wheel spin can help you maintain forward momentum on a muddy surface where tires might otherwise struggle to find traction.”

That makes sense. In this case, with both front tires in mud and having equally poor traction, it would not have made much difference.

Ordinarily traction control (TC) is used on the front wheels to manage torque since there is an open diff. That's not the best system, but it works fairly well from what I've seen in YT videos -- both off-road and the 'roller test'.

There are "mud & ruts" situations where having TC operating would help. For example, where one rut is lower and filled with water, and the other is dry (or at least offers more traction). The TC would apply the brakes to the wheel in the mud and transfer torque to the other side with better traction.

I'll have to check if switching to 'Mud & Ruts' automatically turns off TC, and b) if TC can be turned ON with 'Mud & Ruts' activated. The manual seems to say TC can be turned off in any GOAT mode, although it does not specifically say that.

 

[Tigger]

Hmmm. I may be saying the same thing as you but thinking a little differently. I thought the GOAT modes activated certain things and if they did not, you could turn them on. But if the Mode turned them on, the only way to turn them off was to get out of that Mode.

I’m not sure why I thought that as it is confusing in the reading but maybe I read it here or in other discussion.

 

[bstn rnr]

I'm guessing without the trailer load you would have been just fine.

 

[Meanderthal]

I'm guessing without the trailer load you would have been just fine.

Looking at the picture of the trailer load, basically all of the load is going to “tongue weight” which put that load on the hitch. The trailer wasn’t full but the load placement made it worse than a full load in terms of tongue weight. The tongue weight will take load, and thus traction, from the front wheels. An evenly distributed load on the trailer would have improved traction for the front wheels.

Not saying that the loading was done wrong, just that there are consequences of that loading scenario. There can be many reasons why you would choose to load the trailer that way.

 

[Escape2Bronco]

Most would recommend turning off traction control. Traction control is great while you have traction. The minute you get stuck, turn it off, it is no longer helping but hurting you.

Glad you got it out.

 

[Whatheheck]

That’s asking a lot for a regular AWD vehicle.

 

[max the dog]

We've been cutting up a downed ash tree in our backyard, and loaded some of the logs into our landscaping trailer to haul them up to the wood shed.

It was the first time we used the BS BL to tow the trailer, but it wasn't a full load, so we figured it would be no problem.

We didn't realize how sloppy the one section was, so we didn't think to put it in 'Mud & Ruts' instead of 'Normal'. My wife was driving and I was spotting for her. As soon as the tires started to spin, she stopped. I had her put it in 'Mud & Ruts' and lock the rear. No go. It was still spinning.

I noticed a lot of wheelspin in the front -- the traction control did not seem to be working. Maybe it doesn't in 'Mud & Ruts'? She was able to back up and try again, and that time it made it.

I was glad because the next step was going to be unloading the trailer.

My wife took a few photos. The one with our dog in it is looking southwest toward the yard where the ash tree fell.

Do you have a rock crawl mode? It locks the rearend and drive shafts.

 

[sajohnson]

Looking at the picture of the trailer load, basically all of the load is going to “tongue weight” which put that load on the hitch. The trailer wasn’t full but the load placement made it worse than a full load in terms of tongue weight. The tongue weight will take load, and thus traction, from the front wheels. An evenly distributed load on the trailer would have improved traction for the front wheels.

Not saying that the loading was done wrong, just that there are consequences of that loading scenario. There can be many reasons why you would choose to load the trailer that way.

I like your style Meanderthal-- very diplomatic!

You are absolutely right -- the trailer was loaded incorrectly -- especially if we were planning to drive anywhere.

Here's my story:

A) We were originally planning to load some larger logs from the base of the tree on the rear of the trailer, to balance the load.

B) Then we decided that it might be best to make 2 (or more) trips.

At that point I did not feel like redistributing the load just to pull the trailer up our lane. Our '97 RAV4 used to pull a fully loaded trailer through there (maybe not quite so wet) with no problem, so I didn't think there would be a problem.

But yeah, in hindsight moving some of the wood toward the back of the trailer might have helped. It's really hard to say. With the rear locked and the front open with no traction control, the additional weight on the hitch might have helped -- even though it made the front end lighter.

I'd do some testing but we're thinking it's best to let that area dry out before we get the rest of the wood.

Also, those larger logs are really heavy and our hand truck tires (replacements, only a couple years old) lose air quickly. Side note: Has anyone tried to buy decent replacement tires for a wheelbarrow or hand truck recently? It seems like they are all made from recycled rubber bands.

 

[sajohnson]

Do you have a rock crawl mode? It locks the rearend and drive shafts.

From the OP:

"I had her put it in 'Mud & Ruts' and lock the rear."

So it was all locked up.

 

[sajohnson]

That’s asking a lot for a regular AWD vehicle.

Our '97 RAV4 used to pull a fully loaded trailer through there (maybe not quite so wet) with no problem. It has no traction control, but does have a manually locking center diff and Torsen rear.

We did not usually have to lock the center, and of course a Torsen rear is not as good as the locking rear in the Badlands.

 

[sajohnson]

Most would recommend turning off traction control. Traction control is great while you have traction. The minute you get stuck, turn it off, it is no longer helping but hurting you.

Glad you got it out.

The TC was off, but in that situation (both front tires with limited traction) I'm not sure there would be much difference. The spinning wheels in the front shifted back and forth -- LF>RF>LF>RF.

In any case, since the TC was off, that didn't hurt and may have helped. The Badlands was not crippled in any way -- All locked up with TC off.

 

[sajohnson]

I'm guessing without the trailer load you would have been just fine.

At this point I should mention that I posted my little story not as a criticism of the BS BL, but only as what I thought would be something people might find interesting.

The fact that a Badlands with stock tires had trouble pulling a trailer loaded with a few hundred pounds of wood through some mud is not a criticism -- not a serious one anyway. The BS/BS BL is a good SUV.

That said, as I pointed out above, our old RAV4 has gone through there many times, with 2-3x more wood on the trailer. It has always had street tires, for the last few years Michelin CC2. They are wider, which might help.

One other advantage the RAV had is a shorter wheelbase and tighter turning radius. The reason that's important is that -- while it can't be seen in the top left photo, there is a ditch and a culvert below that bush with white blooms. When turning left, you have to be careful that the right front tire does not drop into the ditch, and the left rear (and left trailer tire) does not drop into the ditch caused but the outlet of the culvert. That was easier with the RAV, With the BS BL, you must be very careful, which is why my wife wasn't driving faster. Had it been a straight shot, we probably could have left it in 'normal' mode.

In any case, it's not a big deal -- not to me anyway.

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