4wd ettiquette - who has right of way

[cherrykee]

Recently hit the rough stuff with the family, and while we were powering
up a steep muddy track with the TJ bellowing bouncing from one hump to another
my wife bought up a very good point,

"what the hell would we do if someone was coming down the other way"

and honestly the thought scared the hell out of me, because this particular track
you couldnt see over or around some of the bends but the only way i could think of getting up there without getting hung up and losing momentum was to gun it from the start and not take your foot off till you got to the top.

So god forbid someone was coming down, obviously you would hope you could pull up quick smart which is fine but then what? backing down would not be an option on this track you were risking certain rollover off the side ?

and what if i was the one coming down, would i have to back up the hill, again this would have been hairy as well...?

is there any particular unwritten rules anyone knows of?

[brenttj]

so i have right of way on jeepology theory

[Gone]

you beep your horn when approaching the hill and beep your horn when comming over the top. Tall flags can also help make your vehicle visible before you hit each other.

If you feel like a car/bike further along the track wouldnt have enough warning that you are approaching due to visibility around corners/over the hill, hit the horn.

When on 1 car width tracks, the rule, for decades, has always been little one gives way to big one.

Here is a video to demonstrate the use of horn before going over a hill + the use of a tall flag.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEBA-v6xMQM

[sully-NT]

pretty simple really. Prior to engaging any obstacles you should always dismount and observe. surely if there is another 4wd at the bottom or the top you will here it proir to going up or down.

[cherrykee]

Ahhhh dismount and observe , makes perfect sense, should have turned the wiggles off on the deck then....)
dont know if this is a victorian thing but my wifes uncle (who has done a fair bit of 4wheeling) suggested that the rule has also been the vehicle going uphill has right of way because of the simple reason that they are relying on a momentum to help the process, which is fine, except again in my situation when i turned around and desecnded i couldnt see any of the usual turn around or safety ramps(not sure what you would exactly call them) that you often find on the side of tracks that i could have used to pull to aside to let anyone pass, my only option would have been to back up which would have been just as hectic on this skinny steep track....oh well i guess as suggested bext tip is get out make sure its clear before going gung ho, we were lucky that day.

[ausjeeper]

"When on steep, narrow or single lane roads, the downhill traffic has the right of way over uphill traffic. If you are going uphill and you see oncoming traffic, pull over to the side of the road, well out of the way, and either slow down or stop. If you are going downhill, use caution as the driver may not have read this."

This is in Mexico though. I think I read it somewhere else as well. It is logical as backing up uphill is not a good idea. Backing down may be a bit less dangerous, if you take it very slow.

How not to do it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeYmDOzoibk

[LSE3.9]

Originally Posted by ausjeeper

"When on steep, narrow or single lane roads, the downhill traffic has the right of way over uphill traffic.

I always thought it was the other way around.