Has anyone taken their d2 on the beach in the outer banks. I hear because there is no cdl lock that even if I let air out of my tires and put it in low that t.c. will kick in and I will just get stuck on the beach. Does anyone know if this is true or driven on the beach at cape Hatteras?

 

I got stuck in sand very quickly in my non locked D2

 

Did you lower air pressure and have it in low?

 

I was at about 25 PSI in low. Just wasn't moving fast enough.

 

We have a drive-on beach in our town and plenty of other beaches with vehicle access around here as well and there are DII's running on them all the time. Judging by who are their typical owners, I'm pretty sure that the majority of them aren't running a locked transfer case even if they are equipped with one. That being said, airing down is important as it keeps you from getting bogged down plus it keeps the beach from getting as ripped up. If you do start to get stuck, the TC can become a problem because it may slow your momentum which is the last thing you want to do. I'd bring a good recovery strap, shovel and jack board and air down to 15 psi or less. Make sure you have an accurate pressure gauge as errors of 3 or 4 psi when you are running this low can be a big problem, like bead popping off the rim big. A portable compressor is also good as you can drop down to even lower pressures (like below 10 psi) if you get stuck then air up a little when you reach firmer sand. Keep in mind that at low pressures, the tires aren't held on the rim with as much force so make sure your turns are smooth and wide. Some good tips for driving in sand can be found here: Sand Driving

 

The type of sand you're driving on is also VERY important. I have driven on many types of sand and only been stuck on one, super loose "bottomless" stuff.

 

Your 2001 may have CDL you just have no inside way of turning it on. Crawl under and reach above your TC and see if you can find a little nipple poking up. If so grab a 10mm open ended wrench and you can turn it on. Do NOT drive engaged on pavement, do it only on the sand. You can certainly enable it to test it for a few feet but using it when you shouldn't is a sure fire way to destroy your drivetrain.

 

Remember if your in the cape hatteras area you will have to get the $50 permit and be required to watch a 5 minute video on sand driving safety. The only place to drive free would be up in the north beaches of corolla. This summer we went but, I didnt feel like paying the $50 for very limited beach access. Did find some nice sand roads in buxton woods and the truck did fine. Just keep up steady speed and stay within the tide packed sand.

 

First, what year is your truck, if you have CDL it will help, if you have some better then 18" street tires it will help and if you air down to 18 pounds this will also help. Main thing is practice, and keeping your speed up.
As for driving in sand the above picture is not driving in sand, just a loose forest type road with a layer of sand, this is sand driving, in the case of this picture, Pismo Beach where you could run the dune at up to 50 MPG plus if you had the intestinal fortitude.

 

ya. okay mike it wasnt real sand it was play sand from walmart I was driving in.