Recovery Product Review - TruckClaws II Traction Aids

Those of you who have seen my threads here over the years know that I am no stranger to those "temporary lack of forward momentum" moments. I like to push it, and I go prepared to deal with the consequences. While looking for a low profile set of tire chains for my wife's SUV, I stumbled upon a product that was marketed as a traction aid / recovery device that I have not seen before within the offroad scene. It's essentially a refined evolution of the age old trick of ratchet strapping a 2x4 to the tire of a stuck vehicle.

Here's what a set looks like. The plastic wedges are to protect the rim of your wheel. Not really needed on our trucks that have enough sidewall to fasten the ratchet against. In some of these pictures I have the ratchet on the rim of the wheel because, well, sometimes reading instructions is not my greatest strength...

They sell for $159.99 for a set (https://www.truckclaws.com/products/truckclaw-ii?variant=7323545989). They also have super heavy duty versions available for semi-trucks and what not. If you're a truck driver and travel in places with bad road conditions, I would definitely consider a set of the heavy duty version.



The principal of the device is simple – an aluminum “claw” is securely strapped to the tire, allowing the tire to bite into the terrain as the wheel rotates. They're very light and compact for a recovery tool, weighing in at just eight pounds and sized to pack into an area the size of a small shoe box. You need about 2" of clearance around the perimeter of your tire to use these and for offroad use it is recommended to limit application to your rear axle. The clearance between my tires and my bypass shocks is much tighter than your typical suspension set up and I had no issues with clearance.

Installation is really straight forward - I was able to do both rear tires for the first time in one minute and thirty-six with winter gloves on at -25F.



I had two test locations in mind for these traction aids – one that would test the capabilities on hard ice and one that would test the capabilities in one of the worst possible situations for wheeled vehicles – deep snow with a loose gravel base.

The first location I headed to was a click, iced over incline.



The TruckClaws performed exceptionally well on the ice and climbed the incline in 2WD with the differential unlocked – leaving distinctive claw marks in the ice as they propelled the truck up the incline. Climbing the hill in 2WD without the TruckClaws was not remotely possible and accelerating at the same pace required 4WD with the rear differential locker engaged.

The next location that I headed to was a short incline on a moderately steep berm covered with deep snow. Beneath the two feet of snow was a loose gravel base that requires some momentum to climb even during summer months. I paused for a moment to reflect on what I was about to do (purposely get stuck in deep snow at -25F) and backed over the edge of the berm. The results were predictable.



Attempts to climb the berm without TruckClaws were unsuccessful, even with my front and rear differential lockers engaged. I was able to move back and forth on the flat ground, but would lose all momentum once I reached the incline. My first attempts cleared the top foot of snow from the area and revealed a loose gravel surface that was certainly no improvement to traction.

I then mounted a pair of TruckClaws to my rear axle and attempted the climb again, this time with only the rear locker engaged. Although much more successful than previous attempts without TruckClaws, I still came short of making it back on top of the berm. I backed up again and progressed to engaging both lockers, which resulted in success! Every time I thought I was not going to make it, the TruckClaws came around again and provided a means for the tire to gain traction. The amount of snow and gravel being thrown was a clear indication of the sudden bursts of traction provided by the TruckClaws.



Without a doubt, the these devices have earned a place in my recovery bag and I look forward to further testing them in the sand and mud when winter finally releases its grip on the Alaska interior. The light weight, small size, and ease of application makes these traction aids a desirable piece of gear for the offroader looking for a compact and effective self-recovery tool.

This is definitely one of those "carry 24/7" recovery tools - as it is effective at what it does and takes up very little space (fits behind or under our backseats very easily) and weights next to nothing.

 

Reserved for summer testing in the sand and mud.

 

Reserved for long term evaluation report.

 

Just got a free set of each to possibly sell with our trucks. Glad I found your write up it will help when, and if, we will offer them. I'm just hoping to keep the small one for me!

 

How did they wear after that?

 

I abused the piss out of them and they are still in one piece. The edges get a little rounded and pitted, but they are still entirely serviceable and usable.

Straps can be cut / snapped with enough abuse. When used properly its not really a concern, but in some of my more destructive testing I have ripped straps. I am currently testing a heavier duty strap design the company has created.

They are a very effective recovery tool, but you have to exercise some restraint on the skinny pedal when using these.

 

Looked like it shook the crap out of your truck, were you in 4H or 4L?

 

4 Hi on the ice hill.

4 Lo in the deep snow.

It's an aggressive traction aid. When it comes around, it bites in. Definitely not something you use for further than necessary to get unstuck.

 

Impressive results regardless.

 

Impressive, just want to see how it do in mud, sand, and long term

 

How do you think these would do with 2 or 3 per wheel?

 

I haven't tried it yet, but I would think it would do well.

I have found that they do well in situations where you can't get going at all. In situations where you can get going but can't get out of what you're stuck in, they hold you back from putting the pedal down and getting the momentum you need.

They also have a tendency to dig, which doesn't help in the snow.

Ground is still frozen here, will have to wait another month to see how they do in soft sand / mud.

 

Makes sense, awesome videos!

 

@Mxpatriot Any updates?

I'm thinking about getting these for my 2wd prerunner.

 

@JDawg562

These work well when they have the right texture material to dig in to. I haven't had the chance to test them in sand or mud, but I would imagine they would do well in that type of terrain as long as the sand/mud was the right consistency.

In gravel and snow they just dig; not beneficial.

On ice they are absolutely amazing. Not a substitute for chains for longer drives, but fantastic for when you just need to get up a hill that you can't make it up otherwise.

 

I used the Trac Grabber in mud, and it just dug me in to the axles. Just saying.

 

Yep - I have found the same thing with these. They do great on ice. In everything else they tend to dig you in deeper, faster.

 

I have used these in sand albeit with the extenders. Worked great. With extenders, lifted the truck up and out of the hole to firmer ground. I can see these digging in if you're on an incline and you just can't get enough forward momentum going or if you've gotten the vehicle high centered, i.e. deep mud, snow. Then try using the extenders with laying a board alongside the tire for the extender to contact and lift the axle up. All in all I think these are worth having for self extraction but they're not for every situation. Along with sand ramps and a high lift jack utilizing wheel lift strap I feel pretty confident in the areas I frequent. No regrets on buying these. For extreme terrain and hardcore recovery there is no substitute for a winch.