Well, you have prepared your truck, picked a crossing route and made up your mind to go.  What next? Just go? No, not quite yet, there are still a few final things to do if it is a difficult or deep crossing.

First fit your radiator blind if the water is anything over a couple of feet deep.  As I mentioned in Part I, I just use a plastic sheet with a hole cut out for the bonnet catch.   When closed, the bonnet holds it in place and after use it can be rolled up and stuffed away somewhere in the engine compartment for next time.

Some trucks, notably Landrovers, require a steel or rubber plug to be screwed into a drain hole in the clutch housing to seal it against water during a river crossing. I have never owned a truck where I have had to do this so can’t elaborate further. But if your truck has such a plug now is the time to insert it if you have not already done so.
Next, if there is any likelihood of getting stuck in deep water make sure your recovery gear is readily accessible and not buried under a pile of camping gear.  You don’t really want to be opening your tailgate or rear door to get at your snatch rope, shackles, hi-lift jack, winch extension rope, snatch block etc. when the water is over the sill! I normally place such gear on the floor in front of the passenger seats where it will be relatively secure during a “bouncy” crossing. And if you have a winch, leave the cover on but make sure it can be removed quickly without having to don a mask and snorkel.

If you used a pole when reconnoitring the crossing have that handy too in case you or (preferably) your co-pilot (that’s his or her job) have to wade to the bank in a strong current while pulling out the winch cable or other rope.  Close all windows especially on the upstream side if the water is likely to be really deep.  Otherwise open the driver’s and co-pilot’s windows so that they can poke their heads out if necessary to spot rocks or obstructions.  If you want to keep your teeth and upper lip intact open the windows fully not just partially!  And remember to shut off the heater/cooling fan in case water comes over the bonnet and enters the fresh air intake ducts. If you have an ARB locker now is the time to charge up the compressor - not when its air intake is under water.

If you intend returning the same way mark your proposed entry point with driftwood or a stone cairn on either side.  And do the same again when you exit, with a third one to mark the water level so you will know whether the river has risen at all when you return. One crossing I pioneered in the Upper Leatham and marked in this fashion seems to have become the standard crossing point, probably because it is relatively smooth after I used a crowbar to shift a few “ghoulis”.

If you have a light truck, such as a Suzuki, consider crossing in tandem behind a heavier vehicle on a short rope. I have no direct experience of this so feedback is welcome. There will be considerable water drag on the rope so don’t use a long rope, and avoid using a flat strap as it will catch the current and probably vibrate violently. Be particularly careful not to overrun the rope and get it wrapped round your wheel in midstream!  If you are the towing vehicle try to maintain forward momentum at all times so that the rope is taut.

When in company with other vehicles some people advocate attaching a precautionary tow rope to the lead truck if the crossing looks tricky.  The problem is that the tow rope can create enormous drag on the vehicle, making a tricky crossing trickier.  And it is very easy to overrun the rope particularly when the towing vehicle climbs out the far bank and promptly stops while the towed vehicle is still in midstream! I have tried and abandoned this practice but it does make sense to attach a recovery rope to your truck before entering a deep river, and wrapping it securely around your bull-bar or spare wheel carrier so that it is readily available when needed. On fast narrow streams which are difficult to wade it can be helpful to attach a long thin cord to the lead truck which can be paid out as it crosses.  The cord can then be used to pull a recovery rope or winch cable to the truck if it becomes stuck without your co-pilot having to brave the current.

Put your polaroids on to cut out the reflected glare off the water and you are now ready to go.  You want to avoid changing gear in midstream - water on the clutch faces is not helpful - so select the right gear now.  On my truck I have found 2nd low to be the most useful, high enough to keep momentum but plenty of torque to climb out the far bank, but if it is a “bumpy” crossing I generally use low low.
Take note of where you want to exit and of any downstream “escape” routes, and make sure your co-pilot knows too, and then enter the water quietly without a big splash which may look spectacular but is likely to throw water everywhere you don’t want it. As explained in Part II the ideal entrance is upstream of the exit so that you can maintain a slight downstream course.

The exception to this is a confined crossing with only one entrance and exit combined with a strong current, such as the crossing being attempted by the big Nissan depicted in Part I and shown right  In these cases try and gain some “height” by driving up the shallow edge before turning to head across as in photo above. If this is not possible the only alternative is to allow for the current and head for a point upstream of the exit (but should you be crossing at all?).  The driver of the Nissan made two crucial errors which led to his predicament.  (1) He was in a hurry to catch the ferry back to Wellington so crossed when conditions were, to say the least, marginal, and (2) He did not allow for the force of the current on his long vehicle but headed straight for the exit. He would probably have made it if he had done what I did the following day when we crossed in my SWB Nissan. The river had dropped only a few inches but I headed for a point about 25 degrees upstream from my entry and exited opposite it.

Incidentally if you are wondering how he got across the river on foot the night before after we had winched his vehicle onto the far bank, he didn’t!  He came across on a “flying fox” made out of an axe handle, a tree protector, snatch block and my winch cable.  We even used it to ferry my second battery across to his truck so that he could start and run it for a while.  His battery had been drained while he was trying to winch himself out, so another mistake was not having a dual battery system.  To give him credit though, he had proper gear, knew how to use it and could probably have extricated himself if his winch had not died.
Once committed to a crossing keep up a steady pace so that that the water is pushed to the side rather than over the bonnet.  If you have reconnoitred the crossing carefully beforehand, you should not meet any unexpected problems such as deep holes or soft ground, but you could still find yourself being forced off-course by the current in deeper crossings as happened in the incident above, or being hooked up on a boulder.

If you have underestimated the force of the current and its too late to back off you will find yourself being pushed downstream but probably still making ground so head for one of your pre-planned “escape exits”.
But if you find yourself floating there is little you can do except keep the revs up (you will get some “paddle thrust” and steerage from the tyres - another plus for tyres with big lugs), the nose pointed downstream, and angle your way across until you regain control when the wheels touch bottom and you can head for an “escape” exit.  Avoid getting side-on to the current as there is a real danger of being rolled especially when your wheels touch bottom again.
With doors and windows shut, trucks will actually float for  some minutes so make sure the windows are up. Scary stuff and not a predicament you should find yourself in if, as I said earlier, you have reconnoitred the crossing carefully, and not been over confident or overanxious to get home.  I admit I have never been in quite such straits, though I have been close, so my advice above is a mixture of common-sense and hearsay.  If anyone wants to admit to first hand experience of swimming and is willing to pass on any advice please let us all know.

More likely scenarios are being caught up on rocks, becoming stuck in soft gravel, or petrol engines dying as water gets into the ignition. Recovery procedures will be similar to those appropriate for dry land but will naturally be complicated by the water.  If stuck in soft sand or gravel be aware, as I pointed out in Part II, that a strong current can undermine the vehicle to such an extent that it can be overturned. Revving the wheels will just make things worse.  So if there is any danger of such overturning have your passengers shift their weight promptly to the upstream side and exit through the upstream windows - it will almost certainly be too deep to open the door - get a stabilising rope around the door pillar immediately and extricate the vehicle as quickly as possible .

Most river crossings involve no drama at all if you approach them sensibly and with prudence.  In fact they can be a lot of fun.  If I have touched on some of the scarier possibilities of deep crossings it is only so that you are aware of them  when making the decision whether to go or not.  And if you do make a wrong call and the worst eventuates you should at least have an inkling of the appropriate action to take.
And that’s about it - you should now be safely on the other side ready for the post-crossing tasks.
In a subsequent issue I will cover Part 4 - Post-Crossing Tasks. If anyone has any comments or suggestions on any aspect of this series send them in please.  It is easy to overlook the obvious or omit the crucial!