Driving Across An Incline - Hummer H3T Owner's Manual

04AKENG59_H3T.fm Page 237 Thursday, July 31, 2008 12:07 PM
DRIVING ACROSS AN
INCLINE
Sooner or later, an off-road trail
will probably go across the incline
of a hill. If this happens, you have
to decide whether to try to drive
across the incline. Here are some
things to consider:
• A hill that can be driven
straight up or down may be
too steep to drive across. When
you go straight up or down a
hill, the length of the wheel
base (the distance from the
front wheels to the rear wheels)
reduces the likelihood the vehi-
cle will tumble end over end.
When you drive across an
incline, however, the much
more narrow track width (the
distance between the left and
right wheels) may not prevent
the vehicle from tilting and roll-
ing over. Also, driving across an
incline puts more weight on
the downhill wheels. This could
cause a downhill slide or a roll-
over.
• Surface conditions can be a
problem when you drive across
a hill. Loose gravel, muddy
spots, or even wet grass can
cause your tires to slip side-
ways, downhill. If the vehicle
slips sideways, it can hit some-
thing that will trip it (a rock, a
rut, etc.) and it will roll over.
Section 3
• Hidden obstacles can make the
steepness of the incline even
worse. If you drive across a rock
with the uphill wheels, or if the
downhill wheels drop into a rut
or depression, your vehicle can
tilt even worse.
For reasons like these, you need to
decide carefully whether to try to
drive across an incline. Just
because the trail goes across the
incline doesn't mean you have to
drive it. The last vehicle to try it
might have rolled over.
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