An ancient river crossing that has been used for 1000 years

January 7, 2023 12:29 PM

Can YOU drive across Rufford Ford? Not any longer: TikTok car-fishing craze leads to closure of ancient Rufford ford.

previous thread of driving fails at the same location
The motorcyclist who came straight off head over heels over the handlebars, (he survived with a leg injury).

posted by Lanark (30 comments total)

Seems like many of those vehicles would have been able to cross without problems but they approach the ford so quickly that the bow wave swamps the engine compartment.
posted by 1adam12 at 12:38 PM on January 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

It was sensible of that Fiat 500 driver to wait until the van had gone through so they could gauge how deep the water was. But in some cases it looks as if drivers were ignoring 'Road Closed' signs. If you're in a LandRover, you'll probably be okay; trying it in a Ford Fiesta is idiocy.
posted by essexjan at 12:51 PM on January 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

My kids loved standing there watching for cars when they were little. The fact that there's usually an audience of cheering kids trying to get splashed is probably why drivers hit it at speed (or at least was before it became internet-famous). I've seen 50 or 60 cars go through it without mishap, which probably reflects the fact that Rufford Abbey is somewhere you go when the weather's nice. On an average day it's probably no more than a foot deep.
posted by pipeski at 1:14 PM on January 7, 2023 [6 favorites]

Seems like many of those vehicles would have been able to cross without problems but they approach the ford so quickly that the bow wave swamps the engine compartment.

I think that if you're having to think about a bow wave, and you're driving something other than a boat, you've definitely already screwed up.
posted by automatronic at 1:43 PM on January 7, 2023 [30 favorites]

For those not mechanically inclined here is an explanation of what happens to those cars. They build a wave in front of them or the water is so deep that it floods the air intake. Water is sucked from there into the engine. As the pistons rise in the cylinders they hit the water. As water cannot compress the water has to go somewhere or things have to bend and break. The engine is now hydrolocked and if you are lucky the engine can be rebuilt, but usually you end up needing a whole new engine. This is why 4wd vehicles that go overland have a snorkel attachment that moves the air intake above the car. Also that’s just one of many things that can break when you sink a car below the bottom of the doors.
posted by interogative mood at 1:59 PM on January 7, 2023 [6 favorites]

The internet sucks.

If by chance you find yourself in a field of wildflowers in full bloom, wait six months to post the pictures.
posted by adept256 at 2:22 PM on January 7, 2023 [20 favorites]

My understanding of bow wave mechanics is different, refer to this video, timeskipped to 57 seconds in, of a truck demonstrating 800mm wader wading. (ok it's basically an ad, but it's instructive).

So the truck can sit and idle in 800mm depth and does not need a snorkel, the air intakes and electrical components sit near the top of the engine bay. All vehicles put their air intakes as high as possible for this reason.

In contrast the Ruffalo Ford is about 450mm of depth, I'm pretty sure all those vehicles have an air intake higher than 450mm off the ground.

The reason why bow waves are important is that as you drive forward, water isn't compressible, so it rises up the front of the vehicle - in the video, you can see that as the truck moves forward, the water level hitting the front of the truck rises from 800m up to about 1100mm. This would be high enough to compromise the air intakes if the front of the truck wasn't designed to divert this "bow wave" to either side.

What's probably happening is that the vehicles are traveling way too quickly to form a proper bow wave causing turbulence and splashing water in random directions way higher than the actual 450mm depth, getting it sucked into the engine. Driving slowly and carefully (the manual recommends 7kmph) would probably be the better choice...

(The part which was most impressive to me in the video was the truck backing into the 800mm depth water)
posted by xdvesper at 2:42 PM on January 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

I've seen one or two Rufford Ford compilation videos, and one of them had a tractor in it. Just one. And the tractor, with no special preparation or equipment, had absolutely no trouble with deep water that would have crippled most cars. And that just completely re-contextualized everything for me. Rufford Ford is for tractors. Your silly SUV doesn't belong in there, even if it has a snorkel.
posted by Western Infidels at 3:12 PM on January 7, 2023 [2 favorites]

As pointed out above it's normally a foot deep and not really a problem for most cars (my low clearance 2004 Prius happily went through such a ford last weekend) - the problem is that sometimes it's much deeper and stupid people do stupid, especially in cars.

To be fair it does depend on the car, I used to own a '46 Austin 8, it was designed for another era and happily took on fords that more modern cars choked on
posted by mbo at 3:22 PM on January 7, 2023

I've watched quite a few of these videos in the last three months and at no point has a bystander said "Mate, I think you might have flooded the engine." Disappointing .
posted by biffa at 3:45 PM on January 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

There are other problems. Modern cars are very well sealed because manufacturing standards are very good; while that’s great for air conditioning and heating efficiency it also makes a car interior a steel box that floats. Wading depth is absolutely a function of the height of the cabin. A modern car with a low cabin floor will float very well, usually weighed down by the engine in the front. Flood-washed cars point upstream for this reason
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 3:46 PM on January 7, 2023

"this video, timeskipped to 57 seconds in"

tl;dw: video shows that a Ford can ford Rufford Ford.
posted by senor biggles at 4:31 PM on January 7, 2023 [6 favorites]

but it can't ford the southfield freeway when it rains too much
posted by pyramid termite at 5:09 PM on January 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

tl;dw: video shows that a Ford can ford Rufford Ford.

Fnord ford fjord Ford Fnord fjord?
posted by loquacious at 5:36 PM on January 7, 2023 [4 favorites]

I prefer an Accord.
posted by Greg_Ace at 6:34 PM on January 7, 2023

So now we all have to caulk our wagons and try to float them across instead? Thanks, internet.
posted by Mayor West at 6:34 PM on January 7, 2023 [7 favorites]

I've watched quite a few of these videos in the last three months and at no point has a bystander said "Mate, I think you might have flooded the engine."

The usual gag in such situations is "can't park there mate!", for which there is an entire subreddit of examples.
posted by automatronic at 7:52 PM on January 7, 2023 [5 favorites]

Friday on my way to work, I drove past a car that went through a very deep puddle, and both of our cars were completely soaked by the huge bow wave. I couldn't see for a few seconds, it was really scary. And then my engine was soaked. Luckily, the consequences were not felt till I was on the parking lot (less than five minutes later), and even more luckily, the water dripped off/evaporated off of the hot engine, so it recovered after a short wait. Weirdly, this has happened to me before, so I didn't panic, but shit, that isn't nice. And I would never do it voluntarily.
posted by mumimor at 5:25 AM on January 8, 2023

Good lord. A few times a year I have to drive through a flood-prone low spot that the city has opted to address with “Water On Road” signs and not improved drainage. I haven’t checked, but it can’t be more than six inches deep at most after a heavy rain, and that TERRIFIES me every time, no matter how many times I’ve made it through just fine. I can’t imagine trying to pass this ford!!
posted by obfuscation at 6:09 AM on January 8, 2023

My little Daihatsu Mira is very low to the ground and would absolutely not make it through that ford.

Pretty sure it would fit easily along that foot bridge, though.
posted by flabdablet at 7:42 AM on January 8, 2023 [1 favorite]

I briefly considered a snorkle on my offroader, but after some research, I decided that most people who end up drowning their cars do it because they're stupid. Not careless, but pretty much trying to break their cars.
posted by ryanrs at 7:48 AM on January 8, 2023

Yet another application for the phrase "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded."
posted by Hardcore Poser at 8:39 AM on January 8, 2023

The Council should just appoint an official to make sure cars use the crossing carefully and within reason: a Ford Prefect.
posted by Flashman at 10:09 AM on January 8, 2023 [10 favorites]

it does depend on the car

Indeed it does.
posted by flabdablet at 10:42 AM on January 8, 2023 [1 favorite]

Yes but folks miss calculate.

We need more crossings like this, especially with warning signs that scare away normal cars but entice SUVs. lol
posted by jeffburdges at 2:41 PM on January 8, 2023 [1 favorite]

I guess most of the old fords- which fairly common on the backroads of the UK - were originally on routes used by horses and carriages- which would have been remarkably resilient in comparison to most motor vehicles. As an example, here is a chap by the name of “Prince Philip” crossing the water covered quicksands of Morecombe bay.
posted by rongorongo at 2:53 PM on January 8, 2023

What we have here is a failure of technique. Water crossings are a regular feature of my oldest hobby; here's me on a DRZ400 back in '07, somewhere in Colorado.

You have to hit water with enough speed that you can get to the other side, but without so much speed that you throw water into your air intake.

Also, TikTok ruins everything.
posted by workerant at 7:32 PM on January 8, 2023

I've driven through that ford. I checked the depth marker before I did it, and it was really shallow that day.

I suppose it would be more helpful if my car had a thing inside that said how deep you can drive through, but fords aren't really something we're used to encountering unless we happen to live near one (and I'm about 45 minutes away and have little reason to ever encounter the place, but I just came across it unexpectedly).

There have been stories about people stuck in it for years. Probably best that it's closed, but I'm a bit torn between that and "let them suffer the consequences of their stupidity". Of course it's probably not good for the river to have cars floating in it regularly.
posted by mathw at 5:51 AM on January 9, 2023 [1 favorite]

> There have been stories about people stuck in it for years.

"Aye, we bring him two meals a day, and batteries for his laptop so he can keep his remote job. He seems happy enough, always demurs when we ask if he wants a tow."
posted by moonmilk at 6:22 AM on January 9, 2023 [3 favorites]

I believe the golden rule for off-roading is to walk the section of road first, if you are unsure. Not only does this let you inspect the roadway in detail, but it also gives you a bit of a preview of what it would be like to walk home.

"But I don't want to walk through knee-deep muddy water!" you say. Well then, please consider taking that 2 mile detour instead.
posted by ryanrs at 7:45 AM on January 9, 2023