Not payin' $300 for recovery boards, nope. So what's left?

yeah that happened to me with my maxtrax trying to help recover some dummy offroading in a BMW 5 series. luckily he only ground off the teeth of one row on the end before I stopped him, and just winched him out.

I was pissed but blamed myself for not explaining to him what to do. Knowing how to use recovery gear is just as important as having it.

 

Looking for something cheap? Carry 2x6 or 2x8. Sure they are heavy, sure they are not the best in every situation, but they are cheap possibly free if you check your garage or shed. I used to keep two ~3 foot 2x6 in my 2WD Tacoma when I lived in Florida. They are good for sand, good as a jack base, will get buried in mud, not great at bridging but can help you get out if you are by yourself and cost almost nothing. You also wont miss them if they break or you leave them behind in a mud hole.

Biggest downside is they wont give you any fake off-road cred in the grocery store parking lot like those bright traction boards will!

 

I'm pretty happy with the Maxsa Escaper buddies. They're not as cheap as some options, and possibly not quite as good as Maxtrax, but they've held up for 4 seasons and multiple uses.

Having been left on the roof most of the summer every year, they're getting pretty faded. But, they don't seem to have gotten brittle or anything in.

I'd buy them again.

 

Maxtrax can be had for $200 all day.

they’re strong, thin, and lockable. Gear mounts are designed to hold only them.

cheap knockoffs for one, do not stack thin and waste space.

my only concern with maxtrax is avoiding someone using them wrong if it’s the cheaper non replaceable cleat kind.

if you recover a random person sitting on the side of the highway in snow, if they’re not fighting you with their brakes

odds are they’re gonna do a burnout and melt the Maxtrax.

best way is probably use other methods like a stretch rope or drive accordingly to prevent the need to use them.

 

you know I'm not complaining about my cheap ones, tried to get my brother in law out of the snow with them the other day. kept saying don't spin, ease on them and drive out. but an open differential was not helping. spun a few times and they have some warn nubs on the tracks but they are still fine and it was about 10 degrees out so they held up just fine. finally after a few attempts in the cold temps, threw a soft shackle around this lower control arm and hooked it to my rear shackle and pulled him free.

but I will say the cheap set that are on my truck have been used as a bridge over some rocks on a trail and held up decently. and like someone above said they are faded from the sun, and don't stack well, but buying 4 of the cheap ones I'm under $160, vs the $500 for much nicer tracks that i can stack 4 deep on my mount kit.

 

honestly stacking is probably the only major drawback

roof rack mount? Low profile, aerodynamic, less chance of noise. Ability to stack more. Probably ideal.

tiny 5ft bed box mounted to the rail? Same thing. At least if running a raised bed sleeping platform trying to maximize space without big gear intruding.

but that’s not a concern then it’s probably fine to run cheap ones and sell them for a decent price if you ever switch.

That and maybe looks. If it’s on the outside of the truck Maxtrax is gonna look clean.

I think they even come with stuff to mount them onto the bed rails. Shitty mounting components, but still something nonetheless.

 

Buy one 8' long 2X12 treated board. Cut in half, or in 2 sections 3' or whatever you want. Cost $19.28

2 in. x 12 in. x 8 ft. #2 Prime Pressure-Treated Lumber 021208MCGP - The Home Depot

Buy 50 3/8" X 2" bolts, Total cost under $27

Everbilt 3/8 in.-16 x 2 in. Zinc Plated Hex Bolt (25-Pack) 800840 - The Home Depot

50 nuts and washers will run you about $20

Drill holes in the 2X12s and attach 25 bolts to each board. Total cost under $75.

 

Buy once cry once.

 

I had some traction boards I bought off of Amazon for about $90 and I broke both of them. They worked a few times before being destroyed.
I thought about buying some of the fancy ones that cost over $300 but decided not to. I have quite a bit of used lumber so I've been making my own. I made these out of 2x12 and some hardware I got for free. If I break them I'll make some more. I've used them a couple times in mud and they worked good.

 

I bought a pair of cheapies off Amazon. They live under my tonneau so wind noise and uv damage aren't really much of a concern. More than likely I'll never need them or my kinetic rope but here we are

 

Not sure about these, but they're cheap on sale right now
https://westernexpanse.com/products/41-off-road-recovery-boards?variant=40020564967558

 

Those look like most of the cheaper knockoffs sold on Amazon, primarily the X-Bull and FieryRed brands, or RHinoUSA if you want to go more expensive but you can find them cheaper on Amazon.

 

I haven't seen traction boards for less than $80. this $50 for full size seemed like a deal, but only if you get the free shipping.

 

STEGODON Traction Boards Off-Road Recovery Boards Tire Ladder 4WD Traction Mats for Truck, Mud, Snow, Sand (Black, Slim)

https://www.amazon.com/STEGODON-Rec...7505014&sprefix=recovery+boar,aps,161&sr=8-14

$66 FieryRed Traction Boards Offroad, Recovery Boards with 2 Leashes and Carry Bag, 2Pcs Traction Mat Recovery Tracks for Sand Mud Snow Track Tire Ladder 4X4 (Black)

https://www.amazon.com/FieryRed-Tra...1&sr=8-7-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY

There's 2 under $70 with Prime shipping, same pattern on the boards

I'm sure they're just as good. probably the same product rebranded, or the same supplier.

 

thats probably a better deal too and i get my Amazon points from it

 

Buy once, cry once. There are plenty of places I will look to save money. Recovery gear is not it.

Maxxtrax or Actiontrax are what you want.

 

we've used plywood in a few cases, works fine. Hard for me to justify hundreds of dollars for what can be done with 20 bucks

 

Rhino gear. . Affordable and quality made
https://www.rhinousainc.com/products/recovery-traction-boards?variant=42351748808895

 

A set of tire chains work in snow and mud. I've also cut branches and laid them out and driven over them,so you'll need a saw or axe.

 

I have a Silky Gomboy Curve folding saw regardless. Easily stores with other gear behind the seats.