Topic of Discussion What to do in the event of a rollover.

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
For the latest Topic of Discussion, we will be discussing: What to do in the event of a rollover.

Let's specifically address: The safety of those involved in the roll, proper recovery techniques & post-roll vehicle inspection.

This will be geared more toward the recreational wheeler, but advise from guys who compete is more than welcomed!

Discuss!! :)
 

Spork

Tin Foil Hat Equipped
Never been in a roll but I would imagine a good rule of thumb is the same as a roller coaster...
Keep your arms and legs in the vehicle at all times and remain in your seat until the ride comes to a complete stop... ;)
 

I Lean

Mbryson's hairdresser
Vendor
Location
Utah
WEAR YOUR SEAT BELTS!!! Or harnesses, if you've got 'em. That's not something to do when you think you MIGHT roll, it's something to do ALL THE TIME. You never know when it'll catch you off guard. Along the same line, make sure everything in your rig is secured. Flying parts/coolers/toolboxes can injure you, and they look really stupid spilling out from your rig. :)

Keep your hands off the 'cage. If you're driving you can hang onto the wheel, if you're a passenger you can grab your seat, stick your hands under your legs, or hold onto a grab handle if there is one.

If you don't land on your wheels, make sure the ignition is off, the tranny is in park (or in gear for a manual), and maybe the park brake applied before you try to right the rig.

If you're upside down, be careful un-hitching yourself--you weigh more than your neck can easily support.
 

James K

NO, I'm always like this
Location
Taylorsville, Ut
put it in reverse and gun it and let it right itself :D


Keep your hands inside the ride at all times! YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO HOLD THE WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE.


strap everything down, even secure the water bottle you been drinking out of. Because a half full water bottle will hurt too.
 

Shawn

Just Hanging Out
Location
Holly Day
James K said:
strap everything down, even secure the water bottle you been drinking out of. Because a half full water bottle will hurt too.
Not as bad as a burfield upside the back of your head, I learn the hard way to make sure everything is straped down.... :sick:
 

Hickey

Burn-barrel enthusiast
Supporting Member
I Lean said:
Keep your hands off the 'cage.
This is just like your seat belt, it should be done at all times. You never know when you'll flop your cookie. If you see passengers constantly grabbing the cage, consider building or buying hand holds or "OH SH!T" bars that will give them somewhere else to hold onto.
 

RockMonkey

Suddenly Enthusiastic
Lots of good advice up there. Here's something that has not been covered yet:

Once you've rolled over, don't screw around taking pictures and laughing and carrying on. Try to get the thing back onto it's tires ASAP. The longer it's on its side or roof, the more your vital fluids are going to migrate. Anything that has fluid in it (axles, t-case, tranny, engine, power steering, fuel tank, radiator, etc...) could be draining itself. You may not even realize they are draining, as the fluid could pool somewhere in the seedy underbelly of your rig and you could drive off without knowing that it is empty. Also, all that fluid that does spill will end up on the ground. The longer your rig is tipped the more likely your engine will be hydrolocked when you get it back upright too. This brings up another point:

Once it is back upright, don't just try to fire the engine right up! First, very briefly "bump" the starter and listen if it sounds like the engine is spinning freely. If it sounds normal hit the starter again for just a little bit longer. If that sounds normal go ahead and try to start it up. If the starter turns slowly, stops, or sounds like it's working harder, stop and pull out your spark plugs. If your engine is hydrolocked (meaning the oil from the crankcase has drained into the cylinders) and you try to start it, you could end up sending a rod through the side of the block and buying a new engine. :eek:
 

fattodog

frame cracks= More flex!!
Location
Roy, Utah
Obviously, kill the motor if it has not already died. Know where your fire extinguishers are and how to use them in the event of a fire, and remember to try to relax, keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times. This is what I think of when I get into a situation that might pose a roll threat. Oh yeah, and always keep the seat belts/ harness on. KENNETH !!
 

Herzog

somewhat damaged
Admin
Location
Wyoming
I can't express how important it is to have everything strapped down. Even small items like wrenches can be very dangerous.

I had a toolbox go through my window when I flopped once. Could have been my head. I learned that lesson really quick.
 

PierCed_3

I drive Frankenstein!!
Location
Brigham
good info on what to do to make sure the motor is not hydrolocked. What about the transmission and T-case. Shoud you just assume that they are ok? How do you keep your rig from starting when you crank it? I know mine fires almost right over when I turn the key over. How do you prevent this? What is a good feature to have to keep it from starting? electrical kill switch or a gas cutoff valve?

Good info so far!
 

RockMonkey

Suddenly Enthusiastic
PierCed_3 said:
good info on what to do to make sure the motor is not hydrolocked. What about the transmission and T-case. Shoud you just assume that they are ok? How do you keep your rig from starting when you crank it? I know mine fires almost right over when I turn the key over. How do you prevent this? What is a good feature to have to keep it from starting? electrical kill switch or a gas cutoff valve?

Good info so far!
Just bump the starter as briefly as you can. You'll be able to hear it if it is hydrolocked. If it fires up right away then it's not hydrolocked anyway.
 

Ohms

'Poser Wheeler
PierCed_3 said:
good info on what to do to make sure the motor is not hydrolocked. What about the transmission and T-case. Shoud you just assume that they are ok? How do you keep your rig from starting when you crank it? I know mine fires almost right over when I turn the key over. How do you prevent this? What is a good feature to have to keep it from starting? electrical kill switch or a gas cutoff valve?

Good info so far!


The easiest way is to install a switch from your ignition. The BEST is to have a kill switch controlling everything within reaching distance in case of an electrical fire.
 

PierCed_3

I drive Frankenstein!!
Location
Brigham
The only rollover I have witnessed, the guy who helped roll it back to the upright position started the motor like you are saying, then when he got it running he started "feathering" the gas pedal and it was spewing black smoke out of the exhaust for a couple of seconds. Is this a good idea?
 

RockMonkey

Suddenly Enthusiastic
PierCed_3 said:
The only rollover I have witnessed, the guy who helped roll it back to the upright position started the motor like you are saying, then when he got it running he started "feathering" the gas pedal and it was spewing black smoke out of the exhaust for a couple of seconds. Is this a good idea?
Black smoke is strange... They generally spew white or blueish smoke out as it burns off the oil that leaked into the cylinders.
 

Hickey

Burn-barrel enthusiast
Supporting Member
RockMonkey said:
Black smoke is strange... They generally spew white or blueish smoke out as it burns off the oil that leaked into the cylinders.
Black is unburned fuel. Probably a carbed engine that loaded up. No big deal.
 

Cody

Random Quote Generator
Supporting Member
Location
East Stabbington
Where seat belts at all times. Obviously.

If you have passengers and nothing for them to grab on to, make them sit on their hands or something. You need to be sure that anyone who rides with you knows not to reach out and if they are riding on a difficult obstacle where a rollover is possible or likely, they need to be prepared.

As far as recovery goes, I think the first thing to do is to obviously get everyone out of the vehicle. If it is going to take a bit of extraction to get the vehicle over, I would nominate 1 person in charge and 1 person only to direct the recovery. When you have 3 or 17 different people trying different ideas, it becomes a PITA. Also, if the person in charge isn't the vehicles owner, you need to be sure and ask the owner what they prefer, if there is anything that they want to avoid doing/smashing/etc or that you should know about the vehicle (i.e. it has a tendancy to roll backwards in park ;) )

Those are my thoughts.

Cody
 

Jinx

when in doubt, upgrade!
Location
So Jordan, Utah
easy to forget but important for guys with Auto Trannys...

Check your ATF... It is probably on the rocks...

Remember your engine needs to be running. :D
 

olywrestle

Duct Tape
Location
Syracuse, Utah
Bringing out the EMT in me, I have to mention that if anyone is hurting, especially in the back or spine or neck. DO NOT MOVE THEM. Same if they are unconcious (you never know what made them go unconciuos)...more damage can be done than good.

Naturally there are extenuating circumstances when a person needs to be moved...vehicle on fire, needs CPR, hanging upside down for prolonged periods etc... If you do need to move someone, remember to keep their neck and spine in alignment ( a straight line) as good as possible.
 

lenny

formerly known as PokeyYJ
Location
Bountiful, UT
From my experience of rolling my Rover, I think that one thing that needs to be addressed is the stability of the vehicle. Make sure that the vehicle is not going to roll again or slide down hill or something before you start hooking straps up and putting people all around. There would be nothing worse than having your rig roll over someone that wasn't paying attention. I second the notion of strapping everything down, I needed a new side window and some tools after my toolbox flew out the side window into the sand. THAT would have been really painful if it would have hit me!! :confused:

And I must admit that I am guilty of not wearing my seatbelt, it wouldn't come unlocked after I got back into the vehicle (too much of an angle). Try to rig up a seat belt that doesn't retract, Hickey suggested using a center rear seat, seat belt to install in the front. Let me tell ya, the first thing that I thought about as I was tipping over was that I wasn't wearing my belt, scared the **** out of me!!
 

Badcop

Who Dat? Who Der?
Location
Hyrum UT
Ive tried to read what everyone has to say about the initial roll but not much said on the recovery....

If vehicle is still on roof/side, make sure to anchor the the HIGH side of the vehicle before flipping it back on its wheel base, i.e: if vehicle is on its roof and your rolling it over its passenger side to its wheels base, tie off the tow vehicle to the driver side of the rolled vehicle.

Get all your buddies to gether that are standing around laughing at you and tie a anchor strap to the roof area of the passenger side. It will help tremendously in the recovery and will keep most everyone out of harms way.

It also will help in the turning over, by doing this the vehicle wont move far and you wont have to worry about it just sliding on its lid.
 
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