Jeep WRANGLER 2020 Owner's Manual page 283

Before You Cross Any Type Of Water
As you approach any type of water, you need to
determine if you can cross it safely and
responsibly. If necessary, get out and walk
through the water or probe it with a stick. You
need to be sure of its depth, approach angle,
current and bottom condition. Be careful of
murky or muddy waters; check for hidden
obstacles. Make sure you will not be intruding
on any wildlife, and you can recover the vehicle
if necessary. The key to a safe crossing is the
water depth, current and bottom conditions. On
soft bottoms, the vehicle will sink in, effectively
increasing the water level on the vehicle. Be
sure to consider this when determining the
depth and the ability to safely cross.
Crossing Puddles, Pools, Flooded Areas Or
Other Standing Water
Puddles, pools, flooded or other standing water
areas normally contain murky or muddy waters.
These water types normally contain hidden
obstacles and make it difficult to determine an
accurate water depth, approach angle, and
bottom condition. Murky or muddy water holes
are where you want to hook up tow straps prior to
entering. This makes for a faster, cleaner and
easier vehicle recovery. If you are able to
determine you can safely cross, than proceed
using the low and slow method.
CAUTION!
Muddy waters can reduce the cooling system
effectiveness by depositing debris onto the
radiator.
STARTING AND OPERATING
Crossing Ditches, Streams, Shallow Rivers Or
Other Flowing Water
Flowing water can be extremely dangerous.
Never attempt to cross a fast running stream or
river even in shallow water. Fast moving water
can easily push your vehicle downstream,
sweeping it out of control. Even in very shallow
water, a high current can still wash the dirt out
from around your tires putting you and your
vehicle in jeopardy. There is still a high risk of
personal injury and vehicle damage with slower
water currents in depths greater than the
vehicle's running ground clearance. You should
never attempt to cross flowing water which is
deeper than the vehicle's running ground
clearance. Even the slowest current can push
the heaviest vehicle downstream and out of
control if the water is deep enough to push on
the large surface area of the vehicle's body.
Before you proceed, determine the speed of the
current, the water's depth, approach angle,
bottom condition and if there are any obstacles.
Then cross at an angle heading slightly
upstream using the low and slow technique.
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