Starting and Operating Instructions
. . . 262
Driving on Hills
Off-road driving often takes you
up, down or across a hill. Driving
safely on hills requires good
judgement and an understanding
of what your vehicle can and
can’t do. There are some hills that
simply can’t be driven, no matter
how well built the vehicle.
CAUTION
Many hills are simply too steep
for any vehicle. If you drive up
them, you will stall. If you drive
down them, you can’t control
your speed. If you drive across
them, you will roll over. You
could be seriously injured or
killed. If you have any doubt
about the steepness, don’t
drive the hill.
Approaching a Hill
When you approach a hill, you
need to decide if it’s one of those
hills that’s just too steep to climb,
descend or cross. Steepness can be
hard to judge. On a very small hill,
for example, there may be a
smooth, constant incline with only
a small change in elevation where
you can easily see all the way to
the top. On a large hill, the incline
may get steeper as you near the
top, but you may not see this
because the crest of the hill is
hidden by bushes, grass or shrubs.
Here are some other things to
consider as you approach a hill.
• Is there a constant incline, or
does the hill get sharply steeper
in places?
• Is there good traction on the
hillside, or will the surface
cause tire slipping?
• Is there a straight path up or
down the hill so you won’t
have to make turning maneu-
vers?
• Are there obstructions on the
hill that can block your path
(boulders, trees, logs or ruts)?
• What’s beyond the hill? Is there
a cliff, an embankment, a drop-
off, a fence? Get out and walk
the hill if you don’t know. It’s
the smart way to find out.
• Is the hill simply too rough?
Steep hills often have ruts, gul-
lies, troughs and exposed rocks
because they are more suscep-
tible to the effects of erosion.
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