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Inclinometers?

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Old Jan 12, 2008 | 02:08 AM
  #1  
dieselcarpenter's Avatar
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From: Ridgecrest, CA
Question Inclinometers?

Anybody use an inclinometer? I have seen the ones that have a jeep on two dials one for side hill and the other hill climb/decent (pitch and roll). Are they worth having? Are there any better models out there?
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Old Jan 15, 2008 | 11:39 AM
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soulezoo's Avatar
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From: Applegate, CA
Originally Posted by dieselcarpenter
Anybody use an inclinometer? I have seen the ones that have a jeep on two dials one for side hill and the other hill climb/decent (pitch and roll). Are they worth having? Are there any better models out there?
I used them extensively in my youth when I was an avid rockcrawler. The one with the two dials you speak of are as good as anything else for the money... there are some other ones that are uber expensive but not worth it. There are cheaper ones too, like a bubble glass kind of similar to those used to level RV's.

Worth having is a different story. Far too many different variations and scenarios to really be too much good, yet they do provide some guidance. For example, you have a Hummer H1 that the advertising says you can take a 45* incline sideways So you inch up to that 45* and then hit a small hole or rock that takes you to 47*-- then what? Ground is just not that predictable-- or consistant. What you can get by at say 35* on your inclinometer on this hill may cause you to roll on a hill on the same angle due to different soil conditions. Make sense? you can use it as a toy and a very general guide, but do not put your trust into it to save your truck from rolling in extreme circumstances!
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