Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

Tinus makes a very valid point: Is the abutment and wingwalls still visible - if not chences are very good the backfill behind it washed away.

Yeah,

I chickened out allright!

That troll of mine cost me a moer-of-a-lot

I'm not getting rid of it that easy.

Although, I was very tempted to cross that drift...

If I was hard pressed to cross, I would obviously check it out properly by means of the suggested methods mentioned above.

Maybe another day, but for now...

Liewer bang Jan as dooie Jan...

Cheers

ha ha... yip I'd rather be a live coward than a dead hero

The hero may survive, but the hero's car may be dead!

Would have skipped it too. Water flow looks to strong and don't have any experience with water crossing!

Hmm.. ended up the very same crossing and same problem... had a quick look and turned around as the flow velocity was clearly too much ... anyhow I was on my KLR and had riden across the Juksei 30 mins earlier which was hairy enough.

Pic below is after Juksei event.... did have lots of fun later in the mud.. found a bunch of new routes to take my Troll on :)

Regards,

Peter

Had the same crossing two years ago in the Pathfinder, the road was closed with logs and water level a bit more. I walked the first meter - too wet WWW , grip was very good there and crossed no problem, but I won't say I wasn't nervous. The alternate on GPS was +-60km extra.

For most the part the speed picks up over the bridge lips but flows under the car.

If you look at the original picture there is quite a "wall" of water on the left (upstream) of the bridge. That indicates that there is lots of water coming down, quickly. Saw the same in Nelspruit during the 2001 floods, that little wall of water is a good indication of the speed and mass of what the water is flowing. I would not have tried walking it if I was alone and there were nobody to pull me out when (if) I lost my footing.

I tried to cross the old low water bridge between Komatipoort and Ressano Garcia on the Mozambique border while the Crocodile river was in flood. Drove a 2.7 diesel single cab Nissan 4x4 at that time. Water was deeper than I anticipated, there are crocs and hippos in that valley (did not walk it) and I knew the crossing very well, so I took the chance and tried the crossing. The water pushed against the side of the vehicle and for a time there I was nervous about visiting Mozambique without a passport and without paying the vehicle insurance ext. Fortunately I had the Nissan in 4x4 and by turning the wheels a little into the stream we got out. Granted a single cab is not as heavy as the Patrol but it could have ended in a SOMFU.

I would rather make an error in judgement on the side of caution when water in involved. The power of a stream of water must never be under estimated. I am thus siding with the group that would have waited it out, or tried the alternative route.

Jules, your comment on driving it in reverse, was that sarcastic or what is the method behind the statement?