Body Style
When it comes to serious sand dunes, most off-road vehicles including those with four wheel drive are relatively top heavy and can only safely climb or descend steep hills with a mostly perpendicular approach to inclines or downhills. In the case of driving up a steep sand dune, many would simply "dig-in" and get stuck.
Sandrails are ultra lightweight vehicles often weighing in at 800 and 1500 pounds. They typically use high flotation smooth or farm implement front tires and special rear paddle tires which allow it to skim over the surface of the sand without getting stuck. A sandrail has a low center of gravity which permits it to make tight turns even on the face of a sand dune.
Sandrail frames are built from a tubular space frame chassis that incorporates an integrated roll cage. The distinction between a sandrail and dune buggy or sand car is that the sandrail will rarely have windows, doors, fenders, or full body panels. The sandrail will also be a lighter weight vehicle compared to the sandcar. On most sandrails, the engine is typically at the rear. Some sandrails also use a mid-engine configuration. This design offers favorable weight distribution and traction which is very desirable for dune "hill-climbing."
Read more about this topic: Sandrail
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