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Where to buy composite sand ladders? Where to buy composite sand ladders?
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North Africa Topics specific to North Africa and the Sahara down to the 17th parallel (excludes Morocco)
Photo by Andy Miller, UK, Taking a rest, Jokulsarlon, Iceland

I haven't been everywhere...
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Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
Taking a rest,
Jokulsarlon, Iceland



Trans Sahara Routes.

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  #1  
Old 24 Jul 2003
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Where to buy composite sand ladders?
Composites are, I'm told, lighter than aluminium and they don't kick up. Is this right and, if so, does anyone have any ideas where I can buy them in the UK, ideally south-east England?

Thanking you
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  #2  
Old 24 Jul 2003
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Hello DeptfordBoy,

Get in touch with Stefano at info@granderg.com or ask Chris Scott if he can help. The nearest locally available equivalent (not aluminium) is a lightweight bridging ladder (25mm) available from http://www.bridgingladders.co.uk/. They do not quite compare to the real thing, each weighing as much as a pair of the Grand Erg sand ladders.

Rgds,
Roman (UK)

[This message has been edited by Roman (edited 24 July 2003).]

[This message has been edited by Roman (edited 24 July 2003).]
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  #3  
Old 24 Jul 2003
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Do you need them? I have never taken ladders, and never really found that they might be critical. Correct tyre pressures and as light a car as possible - ie no unnecessary kit (er, sand ladders??!!) is a better route to take. In the desert, they're a little like winches - they look the part, but...

No doubt there is an equally confident other side to this debate!

Sam.
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  #4  
Old 25 Jul 2003
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Thanks to you both.

I have dropped Stefano a line. I sympathise with the lightweight approach, and am doing my best to adopt it, but our vehicle will be 2200 kg and I think will need help in the sand. At the very least, I'll want peace of mind

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  #5  
Old 25 Jul 2003
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Daerr (www.daerr.de) have them on sale as well and they do send stuff by mail order. Not shure about the sandboards though.
Check it out on http://www.daerr.de/bestellen/ergebn...5F76D8CE817D40

Camiel

[This message has been edited by camiel (edited 24 July 2003).]
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  #6  
Old 25 Jul 2003
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I would'nt leave without sandladders or comparable extraction aid. They are IMHO extremely versatile, will aid extraction out of sand as well as mud, and can be the difference between digging, digging, digging or a quick scoop and driving out on the sand ladders.

Chances are you don't need them, but it's on that one night, looking out for a nice spot to pitch your tent when you Inadvertently burry your front wheels till the axels.

If you then can choose between sandplates under the rear wheels and reversing out, or digging, and trying and during your efforts bogging the rear to...

Just my view.

I think it is cool if you can get out of that mud hole on the off road course just on your own where all the others need a snatch or winch recovery

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Old 26 Jul 2003
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I suppose driving solo and previous experience are also factors. I carried mine for three years (solo and with) and never used them - then the only time I got utterly stuck (in a grand erg bowl) they were not good (no room and too soft) - in the end the only way was winching (captured vividly in D Driving - at local cinemas now... ;-)

In the end beginners will always take them for peace of mind and learn that they do not need them as their d driving improves.

After all in sand, all you need to do is jack up the sunk wheels, fill in the holes and back out.

Consider those backie matts from Footloose in Peterborough - a third of the price of plates (tho not as light as you think...)

Ch
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  #8  
Old 26 Jul 2003
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http://www.granderg.com/

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OasisPhoto.com – Images from the Magical Sahara.
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  #9  
Old 27 Jul 2003
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The backie mats (old car tyre strips woven together with wire) from Footloose are a poor substitute for sand ladders! I bought a pair and found that they were thrown out from under the wheels of my Land Rover before forward movement could be obtained. After repeated use the wires holding them together also snapped. I continued to use them having nothing else but given a choice would use an alternative. As mentioned they are not light either.

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  #10  
Old 29 Jul 2003
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I have a pair of Grand Erg lightweight fibreglass sand plates for sale if you are interested. They are located in Weybridge. Email me at ronlon55@yahoo.com if you want more info.

Ron
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Old 29 Jul 2003
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Another option that I have heard about is to buy a roll of wire mesh screen like you put on a screen door. It is lightweight, cheap and easy to find. Good luck.



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  #12  
Old 29 Jul 2003
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Thanks all. Since I'm going to be needing help in mud as I move further down the continent I'm investigating all mentioned possibilities, also looking at the waffle mats that can also be used as bridging ladders.
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  #13  
Old 29 Jul 2003
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A few years ago we found a cheap and perfectly suitable substitute in a Cairo hardware shop: a steel grille, welded into steel frame, used as a doormat for public buildings. They are 100x30 cm, about 3-4 kgs, and costs a horrendous $8 each. Probably something similar is available in most hardware stores.

Despite their flimsy looks, they easily support a fully laden -75 Landcruiser. Even in liquid sand, with all four wheels sunk to the axle, with one under each wheel we could recover a cruiser with 1.5 ton load in 5', on the first try. As they are porous, they sink in the sand under the tires (most of the difficulty with the sand sheets when deeply stuck is to get the car up the initial steep gradient) yet still provide the needed support. Since we use them, we never had any recovery that took more than 10 minutes.

An added bonus: they double up as a perfect barbecue mesh See a photo on Bernhard Lörsch' website: www.gilf-kebir.de

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Andras

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[This message has been edited by andrasz (edited 29 July 2003).]
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