Vehicle Floatation Device

originally posted by: TheConstruKctionofLight
a reply to: howtonhawky

i am not talking about a system for driving but something to protect vehicles that have to be left behind.

Didnt you specify this?

I think modified snow chains may work. Just add some links to secure tractor inner tubes and fill with 12 pump run from battery

So given enough warning you're gonna run out and wack a few inner tubes, pump them up and ya good to go.

If you got this much time....how about driving the car away?

Too simple a solution...or am I missing something here?

Yes you are missing the large amount of insurance claims for vehicles left behind in floods.

If the computer system gets wet then it is totaled.

Driving cars out of danger is not always an option.

a reply to: howtonhawky

Personally I'm thinking floating is the wrong way to go. My thought is to anchor it to the ground, and seal the vehicle in an water tight bag. Vacume the air out, possibly secure the vehicle to a tree to keep it from moving away. After the flood, unseal your car/truck and your still clean vehicle is ready to go.

The computer isn't really the problem.

Up north, after every southern flood, we see a slew of nice rust free cars for sale up here.
They were cleaned up and had new fluids put in them, then shipped up here by the truck load.

The problem is the water. Once the engine is submerged, the crank case fills with water. The oil floats up and out, and now the inside of the engine is flooded with dirty water. The components that wear- rings and bearings- get rusty.

They'll drain the water from the crank case and blow it out of the cylinders, put in fresh oil and fire it up... Runs fine.
For about a week. By then they've been trucked and sold.

The rusty valves, bearings, and rings wear rapidly and something inevitably fails within a thousand miles. Sometimes the engine needs a rebuild after that, other times its scrap.



As for floating your car... just park it in a parking garage, 2nd floor

a reply to: howtonhawky
I own a Sportscar and hang out in the Forums, and a lot of people use them to safeguard their Ferraris & Lambos...

a reply to: lordcomac


Only if you are running it under water.

If you catch it soon enough it is not a problem but if it sits then yes.

I have sank a few in my day.

You could use the same setup as a life raft.
They auto inflate when wet.
Put them in a case on four sides.

Then they would sell less cars, so gonna need to be aftermarket.

a reply to: Chance321

Bumper mounted, 6' long foodsaver?

I had a large 4X4 pickup with a lift kit and i drove through 3 feet of fast flowing water to get to work.

I put 4 45 gal plastic drums in back and filled them with water for extra weight so the truck would not float.

Never had any problems

Perhaps the prisoner transport industry could use them.

Coroner identifies two patients killed after transport van drives through flood waters

wpde.com...

originally posted by: howtonhawky
We need some type of life preserver for cars in such that can not be moved in floods.

I do not think it would take much to keep a vehicle above water and i am not talking about a system for driving but something to protect vehicles that have to be left behind.

I bet insurance companies would love this?

Is this a dumb idea?

Do you have any thoughts on a system that would work or ways to improve the idea.

something already exists. it's basically a big bag that seals up around the car, and is tied down.

www.youtube.com...

An empty 50 gallon drum can support 441 pounds on water. For the average modern pickup truck, you would need 12 to 13 under or surrounding your vehicle to keep it above the water. A long spike hammered into the ground with a chain attaching your vehicle to it should keep your car or truck relatively stable if you would anchor it in an open area. But make sure the barrels are supported so they don't come around and dent your vehicle due to its weight.

Thanks for all the input.

I just see all the pics of so many vehicles being totaled because of flood waters and wish we could save them.

I dunno why i just think we could do better. Especially givin the amount of notice that was givin of the coming flood.

a reply to: howtonhawky

I sank one... I was backing my boat up into the Red River (uh huh sure was) and somehow this is where my truck ended up. I don't know how, it just did. Totaled it out though, I was up to my windows when I started backing out, it died where it was sitting in the picture and never cranked again.

a reply to: LSU2018

Ha...

That looks like a bad day.

You fish much? That must be a creek on the river or your up around paris.