Sand anchors for self recovery

Those who tent camp in the sand might have some ideas. @Sundowner ?

I would rig a deadman, either by way of a buried spare/traction ramp or by usage of a dedicated fabric parachute. In either case, the adhesion of the sand to itself and the surface area of the anchor is what generates the holding power, so - if you have the ability to do so - adding a bucket of water to the anchor pit is a good way to generate a very solid recovery point. If you can't do that, then simply dig the anchor deep and keep the line as flat as possible coming out of the pit; dig a trench that allows a straight pull back to your winch, if necessary.

For those who absolutely have to have a sand/land anchor go down to your boating store and buy a Danforth anchor. Google it.

They work, especially with a flat line...but I haven't seen much of a difference in holding power, setting time, or recovery time when you compare them to pretty much anything else that you bury in the sand: you're still going to dig a pit and you're still going to throw something in there and shackle a line to it. Six one way, as the saying goes. I would suggest that if someone's going to go this direction, they invest in a lightweight aluminum/magnesium model that can be disassembled and stored somewhere out of the way, because carrying a fluke anchor in a TJ is kind of like carrying an irate bobcat in a TJ: it will alert you of its presence in short order, and there's not much you can do about it.
 
Danforth and CQR plow anchors are designed to bury themselves in sand when pulled against. The harder they're pulled on the deeper they go. Boaters don't dive overboard and dig holes in the sand for their anchors.

Personally I'm not pushing their use, it was just in retort to the suggestion of burying a tire.

I don't believe either would be necessary unless you were alone and no other vehicle was around to provide assistance.
 
Danforth and CQR plow anchors are designed to bury themselves in sand when pulled against. The harder they're pulled on the deeper they go. Boaters don't dive overboard and dig holes in the sand for their anchors.

Personally I'm not pushing their use, it was just in retort to the suggestion of burying a tire.

I don't believe either would be necessary unless you were alone and no other vehicle was around to provide assistance.
I wonder if perhaps the difference is that boats are not sitting on the sand and the angle of the anchor line has something to do with it?
 
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I wonder if perhaps the difference is that boats are not sitting on the sand and the angle of the anchor line has something to do with it?

Anchor rodes and their scope (aspect ratios of length to depth of water, simply) as well as the weight of the rodes and the anchors themselves have a lot to do with it. The design of the anchor is such that it will usually - not always - either land correctly on the bottom and begin to set itself, or it will self-right and begin to set; in either case, the weight/momentum of the vessel, the weight of the rode and the direction of drift or pull are crucial to getting a quick and easy set. Even then, however, I only see about 50% of them set solidly on the first try, and that failure usually has nothing to do with bottom conditions.

Danforth and CQR plow anchors are designed to bury themselves in sand when pulled against. The harder they're pulled on the deeper they go. Boaters don't dive overboard and dig holes in the sand for their anchors.

Personally I'm not pushing their use, it was just in retort to the suggestion of burying a tire.

I don't believe either would be necessary unless you were alone and no other vehicle was around to provide assistance.

You're correct: boaters don't have to do that...but they are also in a situation where they don't have to, because their equipment and its method of employment are entirely different from ours. You may be able to winch-set a Danforth for a land recovery, but from having seen how anchor-resistant dry sand can be, I'd break out the shovel before I did anything else.
 
Have you used them yet? How have they held up over time with real world use? Amazon reviews don't seem too great. Been looking for a smaller version of the maxtrax that'll fit inside the TJ and been contemplating the foldable ones.
I was in Sand Lake, OR 2 weeks ago and I tested them out for the first time. They definitely helped, and they did what they were supposed to do. I did not chew them up like some of the other reviewers were doing, but I mainly wanted to try these out before I bought a quality set of Maxtrax Mini's. https://maxtraxus.com/products/maxtrax-mini/
 
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Danforth and CQR plow anchors are designed to bury themselves in sand when pulled against. The harder they're pulled on the deeper they go. Boaters don't dive overboard and dig holes in the sand for their anchors.

Personally I'm not pushing their use, it was just in retort to the suggestion of burying a tire.

I don't believe either would be necessary unless you were alone and no other vehicle was around to provide assistance.

The anchors don't work at all in dry sand. They just drag along happily digging a trench like a plow on the surface.
 
Just my personal opinion but there's very little difference between how a Danforth or CQR plow anchor and a Pull-Pal work. All three were designed for use in sand and all work best when there's enough line out (scope) to give a low pull angle to help it dig in.

CQR Plow.JPG
Danforth.JPG
Pull-Pal.JPG
 
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I'm not sure why you have to retort to something that I already mentioned was for "in a pinch". I don't think anybody was suggesting it for daily use...

I certainly don't want to do ANY of them on a daily basis, but for the comparatively few instances where I've been around a rig that's been stuck in the sand, a buried deadman - almost always a tire - has worked well. Field-expedient solutions are just that: expedient.

Out of the two anchors and the Pull Pal, I'll take the Pull Pal; that'll cut and hold in dry sand better than the other two.
 
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Oh man, now you guys have got me curious about this.
20190710_112203.jpg


As you can see, this would be unhandy as all get out to pack around "just in case". Rigging it up to a winch and pulling on it in the sand would violate all sorts of safety rules for winch use on a Jeep as well.

Hmmm, sounds like a stupid human trick in the making. I like it. Not going to try it, but I like it.

Easier, safer and more satisfying to just learn to drive in the sand with all it's variations.
 
Oh man, now you guys have got me curious about this.
View attachment 103564

As you can see, this would be unhandy as all get out to pack around "just in case". Rigging it up to a winch and pulling on it in the sand would violate all sorts of safety rules for winch use on a Jeep as well.

Hmmm, sounds like a stupid human trick in the making. I like it. Not going to try it, but I like it.

Easier, safer and more satisfying to just learn to drive in the sand with all it's variations.

Buried sand anchors are never truly safe, but I don't know that I've heard of one suddenly and violently escaping the ground; that's just not how sand works. Also, it's worth noting that 95% of the time, you can extract yourself with a shovel simply by digging out the rig.
 
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Buried sand anchors are never truly safe, but I don't know that I've heard of one suddenly and violently escaping the ground; that's just not how sand works. Also, it's worth noting that 95% of the time, you can extract yourself with a shovel simply by digging out the rig.
Ground tackle loads typically aren't that extreme in my experience. Notice I said typically. Heavy boat, heavy seas, high winds change that. Once an anchor is set, they stay put unless something changes. Failures happen in the connections in the anchor rode. But, anchoring a sail boat has nothing in common with winching a Jeep, except, perhaps, superficially. With all of that being said...

I loan out a shovel and a Jack Mate to the unfortunates buried to the axles in the sand. Lift the tire out of the hole, fill in the hole, drive off. Easy-peasy. Haven't used it but once, in the snow, for self recovery.
 
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Ground tackle loads typically aren't that extreme in my experience. Notice I said typically. Heavy boat, heavy seas, high winds change that. Once an anchor is set, they stay put unless something changes. Failures happen in the connections in the anchor rode. But, anchoring a sail boat has nothing in common with winching a Jeep, except, perhaps, superficially. With all of that being said...

I loan out a shovel and a Jack Mate to the unfortunates buried to the axles in the sand. Lift the tire out of the hole, fill in the hole, drive off. Easy-peasy. Haven't used it but once, in the snow, for self recovery.

The only drags I've had are from radical tidal/current changes and heavy weather...and I agree that the resemblance from one pursuit to the other is superficial.
 
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The only drags I've had are from radical tidal/current changes and heavy weather...and I agree that the resemblance from one pursuit to the other is superficial.
At the risk of hijacking my own thread...

Been there, done that. No participation trophies. The worst time I ever had was on the Columbia river. Got the bow anchor set. It was fine and holding well. Tried to set a stern anchor and it just wasn't happening. Everything was wrong, except for wrapping the rode around the propeller shaft. The anchor kited in the current. People were trying to anchor right on top of me. The wind kept veering through almost 180 degrees. Swirling currents. In a light racing sailboat, it sucked balls. Finally got it settled out, and enjoyed the Vancouver fireworks though. Good times.
 
I think this is one of those tools while perfectly good and functional you'll carry it for years before you use it. And I'll bet there will be other options available. And if you did not carry 50 pueces of equipment you might need every 10 years you'd be light enough to not get stuck.

Let someone know where you are going. Carry a cell phone. Have AAA & VISA. Thats my plan.

The best advice, learn to drive on soft surfaces. Often all it takes is stop, say oops, reverse and back out before you bury it. Pick the route of least resistance. Air down. Drop all the extras which add weight but you won't need today. TENDER foot on the gas. Low RPMs, higher gear than normal. Know when momentum might help.

And then throw in the anchor.

But if you use an anchor, you are forced to go forward, often the easiest or shortest out when buried in sand is reverse..
 
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