Rufford Mill ford

[Mike4]

Video of cars ploughing through the ford too fast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUYfTrX ... BENGREGERS

As one of the comments says, if you come to a deep ford with a cluster of people with their phones out to video you and some broken down vehicles lying around, what do you do?! Yes drive though it really fast, it appears!

Schadenfreude viewing at its best.

[staffordian]

Seen several of these videos.

Merc vans seem to fare worst, and many couriers seem to use them.

Apparently their air intake is at bumper level or similar, so the shallowest of puddles can cause water to be scooped into their engines

[marronier]

Back in the Dark Age , I remember being given the advice for negotiating a ford as " Low gear; Maximum revs ; no bow wave " and for ice " Highest gear ;Lowest revs; no foot braking". Modern drivers don't seem to follow this practice.

[Imbiber]

Back in the Dark Age , I remember being given the advice for negotiating a ford as " Low gear; Maximum revs ; no bow wave " and for ice " Highest gear ;Lowest revs; no foot braking". Modern drivers don't seem to follow this practice.

Sensible advice but the bow wave reference is a bit dated. A modest bow wave will reduce the water level behind it.
Illustrated here;

https://youtu.be/riEVJJC1JbM

I

[Watis]

Back in the Dark Age , I remember being given the advice for negotiating a ford as " Low gear; Maximum revs ; no bow wave " and for ice " Highest gear ;Lowest revs; no foot braking". Modern drivers don't seem to follow this practice.

Sensible advice but the bow wave reference is a bit dated. A modest bow wave will reduce the water level behind it.
Illustrated here;

https://youtu.be/riEVJJC1JbM

I

The 'maximum revs' advice is designed to ensure that the engine doesn't stall due to back pressure from the water once the exhaust pipe has become submerged. The engine may not then restart due to the same back pressure.

However, the real danger is from water getting into the engine's air intake, from where it is drawn into the engine. As water can't be compressed, the engine is destroyed - and at high revs, the damage will be more severe, although the engine is likely a write-off anyway.

Watis

[Mike4]

Merc vans seem to fare worst, and many couriers seem to use them.

Good observation, I have a Merc Vito!

Been through many a ford in mine successfully, using the old skool method of tickover in first gear. This is far slower than ANY of the vehicles I've seen in any of the videos and means at the same time I can open the drivers door and judge the water level accurately.

My benchmark is if it the water level gets close to door sill level, thats also high enough to be getting near electrics etc under the bonnet and thats plenty high enough. I had always imagined the air intake to be far higher up, near the top of the engine but on reflection it may well be down low by the intercooler in the front grill. From your observation it looks like this may have actually saved me from genuinely wrecking my engine, so thanks for that!

If the water gets too deep for the open driver's door, I do something that is quite difficult psychologically - once part way through the ford. I stop and reverse out, and find another route. The temptation to press the throttle and power forward to the safety of the dry road just a few yards ahead is strong, but as we see, this can be a terminal error.

[DrFfybes]

Seems there should be an extra bit to the Theory Test.

In the Good Old Days (tm) air intakes tended [1] to be at the top of the engine where the carb and air filter were. Sometimes a winter/summer flap that you moved to draw air in from nearer the exhaust manifold in cold weather.

Now we have so much other stuff to fit in an engine bay the air filter and intake gets ducted somewhere convenient, the maserati had a wding depth of about 6 inches, but most modern cars are (I think) about 12 inches (apart from colour, it is about the only thing on a car that isn't covered by an EU directive).

Plus now there are masses of electronics to get wet as well.

Paul
[1] Cue someone saying their Anglia Sport had a sidevalve engine with a performance air filter mounted on the side rather than the top.

[Mike4]

Seems there should be an extra bit to the Theory Test.

In the Good Old Days (tm) air intakes tended [1] to be at the top of the engine where the carb and air filter were. Sometimes a winter/summer flap that you moved to draw air in from nearer the exhaust manifold in cold weather.

Now we have so much other stuff to fit in an engine bay the air filter and intake gets ducted somewhere convenient, the maserati had a wding depth of about 6 inches, but most modern cars are (I think) about 12 inches (apart from colour, it is about the only thing on a car that isn't covered by an EU directive).

Plus now there are masses of electronics to get wet as well.

Paul
[1] Cue someone saying their Anglia Sport had a sidevalve engine with a performance air filter mounted on the side rather than the top.

The thing that it misleading about my van engine is the air filter is right on top of everything in the engine bay, in the most convenient position possible. I'll go out later and see if i can spot the actual open end where it collects the air. I suspect it will be an adaptor shaped to fit onto the back of the intercooler, in the front grill with the radiator.

[bungeejumper]

Somehow, I don't think I'd have wanted to try it in that Tesla. Even if it didn't have pistons or an air intake.

Respect to the bikers, too. But double points for common sense to the ones who drove across the pedestrian bridge instead.

BJ

[Mike4]

Back in the Dark Age , I remember being given the advice for negotiating a ford as " Low gear; Maximum revs ; no bow wave " and for ice " Highest gear ;Lowest revs; no foot braking". Modern drivers don't seem to follow this practice.

Sensible advice but the bow wave reference is a bit dated. A modest bow wave will reduce the water level behind it.
Illustrated here;

https://youtu.be/riEVJJC1JbM

I

On the last but one vehicle through on the video, look carefully when it emerges at how the bow wave bent the front wing out of shape. At 7 mins 15 sec.

I bet he was puzzled when he got home how that happened!

[gadjet]

Mike4 says if he finds the water too deep, he reverses out.
Doesn't that mean that the exhaust pipe will fill with water which could then reach the engine ?

Sue

[didds]

Back in the Dark Age , I remember being given the advice for negotiating a ford as " Low gear; Maximum revs ; no bow wave " and for ice " Highest gear ;Lowest revs; no foot braking". Modern drivers don't seem to follow this practice.

do they get "taught" it ?

[Watis]

Somehow, I don't think I'd have wanted to try it in that Tesla. Even if it didn't have pistons or an air intake.

Respect to the bikers, too. But double points for common sense to the ones who drove across the pedestrian bridge instead.

BJ

I've a suspicion that the Tesla driver went through with a smile on his face. It would have been a different story if the water had got through to the batteries - they pack a lot of amps!

Watis

[mc2fool]

As one of the comments says, if you come to a deep ford with a cluster of people with their phones out to video you and some broken down vehicles lying around, what do you do?! Yes drive though it really fast, it appears!

It does seem to be a spectator sport at that ford! The OP video is "compilation #52" and for those that really want, there are 53 in total.

#2 includes a van actually floating! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd2c1YVHn6Y&t=135s

Here's what the ford's like normally: https://goo.gl/maps/AghTHuMpHVyniHg76

[staffordian]

Mike4 says if he finds the water too deep, he reverses out.
Doesn't that mean that the exhaust pipe will fill with water which could then reach the engine ?

Sue

Not if the engine is kept running, preferably well above tick-over.

The pressure of gases leaving the exhaust pipe are enough to prevent water getting in, but even if a little did, it's a long way from there to the engine, much of it "uphill".

[bungeejumper]

Here's what the ford's like normally: https://goo.gl/maps/AghTHuMpHVyniHg76

Oh yes, we've got one of those at Lacock. Steep on the entry and exit ramps, and fast water when the Avon's in flood. But this picture isn't of the ford. It's the bridge!


BJ

[UncleEbenezer]

Oh yes, we've got one of those at Lacock. Steep on the entry and exit ramps, and fast water when the Avon's in flood.

BJ

We have tidal fords a few miles downstream.

One is a lovely spot. Low tide: dry feet. High tide: a fine spot for a swim, and would top the roof of a regular car. Found a youtube video of someone crossing at not-entirely-low tide, which youtube's algorithm follows by scenes of Rufford Mill.

There's supposedly also a couple of historic fords downstream from there in the deep mud of the estuary, though I don't know anyone who's tried them. One can be seen on google maps.


Even closer to here is one over a modest stream, marked as for horses only. Anyone else gets to use the bridge, but I guess equestrians don't like being pushed into fast traffic even on the pavement.

[malkymoo]

The most remarkable thing about these videos is that the ford is avoidable with a five-minute detour.

[UncleEbenezer]

I wonder who gets the better business out of it. Car repairs, or scrap merchants? Those loaders are obviously in demand!

On the other hand, if I were a motor insurer paying out lots of those claims, I might be evaluating them against the feasibility and cost of measures up to and including putting up a bridge.

[Mike4]

I wonder who gets the better business out of it. Car repairs, or scrap merchants? Those loaders are obviously in demand!

I reckon pretty much every single one of the stoppers will turn out to be a write-off, particularly the ones with a knocking engine. That will be thousands to fix mechanically, plus all the electrical damage from immersion, the subtle bodywork damage that happens when ploughing into the water at speed, and even the soaked interiors.

In addition, we never see what happens to the ones that limp on gamely. I bet more of them finally grind to a halt a mile up the road.

I notice in particular every single BMW Mini that drives through, seems to stop. One of them being dragged out has all the wheels locked up so that MUST be some sort of FWD electronics failure.