As others have said, wheel spin is the enemy. My father-in-law grew up in the 50s driving two-wheel jalopies on Florida beaches (before FL was overcrowded with condos, obviously). He taught me how to drive on sand. We did all of the aforementioned things to stay atop the sand. Here's another tip that works: If you bog down in the sand in spite of your best efforts, and forward movement ceases, try backing up while staying in your own tire ruts. These areas are already compacted by the weight of your vehicle. Go back about a vehicle length or two and then try moving forward again and steer out of your ruts and around the area where you began to bog down. If you can't avoid the same track, then you need the backup, get out and fill the rut with a shovel and tamp it before attempting forward movement. The key is to be patient and not get so bogged that the truck can't pull itself in either direction (or so deep the suspension starts to drag). I've never owned a 4x4 or AWD truck, but this technique works many times. We used to drive around 4x4s buried to the frame because the drivers would try to power their way out. It NEVER works. You have to finesse your way out.
