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RATS! I looked everywhere for the Defender 2 rollover on a side slope. That tells you about all you need to know. I'll settle with this consolation prize until I locate it:
Great thread, I find this very interesting. Also quite enjoy the photos Count Laszlo posted, my soon to be Defender is Tasman Blue with the wheel arches.... looking forward.
Would the max angle not depend on top load of the vehicle like the roof rack loaded with a tent or whatever plus weight of passengers and passenger distribution in the vehicle. I would guess fuel load and fuel sloshing around can also have an effect on tipping or not? So many factors can change the center of gravity of the vehicle.
Love the photos -- both Count Laszlo's and the bus (very cool) -- and the conversation !
A couple of thoughts:
1) I am not sure why folks and manufacturers try to communicate a limit and show a gauge. Just fun, I suppose. I say this because dynamic angle (with the vehicle rolling, yawing and rotating around the longitudinal axis (say from two wheels rotating to the opposite two) is what flips vehicles.
2) The static angle gauge in the Defender does not to my eyes do a good job of dynamic angle. I have also found that the static angle is not always displayed as an external picture of the vehicle would suggest. Maybe this has something to do with where the sensor is in the vehicle .. or how it calculates the angle ... or not? I do not know.
3) In reality, the vehicle is going to have slid to the bottom of the slope long before 45 degrees is reached. Particularly if the Defender can find any traction parallel to the slope -- it is going to slide substantially down the slope with every rotation of each tire -- and as each rotates differently, with different traction, the vehicle will yaw, as well.
4) My method, before I tackle any slide slope at all (if the ground is slippery at all), is to identfy where at the bottom of the hill the vehicle will stop sliding (and how much damage will occur and what is the risk of yawing on how it contacts the bottom of the hill) -- then picture how to self-rescue (look for points for the winch to connect to something solid) BEFORE one begins across the slide slope.
5) I try to fight the very human urge to try to recover from a slide by steering the vehicle (certainly never up the hill -- which can tuck under the downslope front tire and cause a roll -- over). A lesson learned by pushing tractors beyond their capacity.
6) I believe backing up with out turning is the only valid, safe option -- once the vehicle has told me it is not satisfied with the situation. I try to always go as slow as possible and as soon as the vehicle begins to go in an untorward direction, STOP and back out -- or STOP and self-rescue with the winch.
Just give up. Or I will be along for the ride and all depends on the quality of the thought of step 4, above.
7) Last thought is never go into water without understanding the nature of the bottom -- not just the depth, but the bottom: sharp rocks? Rocks to flip you over? Quick sand mud? The only realistic approach is to get wet --- so, I carry a second pair of shoes. Learned this one the hard way, more than once.
Enjoy !!
This is an awesome write up thank you.
For # 6… I feel that is closest to what happened and what I did. Thinking about this more today I don’t regret trying to get out myself, I’m glad I did the tow that secured it from tipping when we pulled her out.
People passing by we’re very amused by the scene (taking video) and I’m sure it’s on TikTok somewhere haha.
Lesson learned… bringing extra shoes next time. Know your depth.
Last edited by Count Laszlo; 01-09-2022 at 08:26 PM.
I fixed the horizon of the pics I posted, this shows more accurately how tilted it was. Note the telephone pole is now straight and further down the pics see the trees in background are now straight.
Last edited by Count Laszlo; 01-09-2022 at 08:22 PM.
Found it! You had a lot more angle to go before this Defender. I am both too nervous to push my Defender to it's limits and definitely not a good enough driver to get the most out of it. But I keep trying!
FWIW: I'm not finding anything "official" on side angles. I find various specs that say it can climb/descend 45 degrees, but not a side angle. Can anyone post a link/image?
Found it! You had a lot more angle to go before this Defender. I am both too nervous to push my Defender to it's limits and definitely not a good enough driver to get the most out of it. But I keep trying!
FWIW: I'm not finding anything "official" on side angles. I find various specs that say it can climb/descend 45 degrees, but not a side angle. Can anyone post a link/image?
Wow, that’s crazy. But definitely looks like I was only about half way from tipping.
I couldn’t find anything official either. Maybe it’s a liability thing.
Thanks, @Muppetry ! I posted the image from the pdf you shared in case anyone didn't want to search. 45 as stated before!
Most importantly, you've inspired me!! I didn't realize you could attach PDF's. I'm now inspired to figure it out next time I need someone to host a pdf. Thanks for the unintended tip, there.
It does seem at the final moment, when it just started rolling, that the vehicle was at just about 45 degrees. But, any effort to back out (holding forward steering motion down the hill) to keep it from rolling over would have needed to be initated at < 30 degrees or so -- and at almost imperceptible speeds and control input rates. SLOW !!
20 degrees is generally entirely uncomfortable for me -- with 25 being too much!
I showed my wife the video and she noted that she and others saw me at nearly that dynamic tilt while transitioning from three wheels to two then on over to three again. Inside the vehicle, I did not feel in any danger, which I take as an educational point to always remember.
Enjoy !!
Last edited by TrioLRowner; 01-10-2022 at 08:41 AM.
01-09-2022, 06:15 PM
